(a) Each regional education service center (ESC) will provide leadership, training, and technical assistance in the area of special education for students with disabilities in accordance with the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) focus on increasing student achievement and Texas Education Code (TEC), §8.051(d)(2) and (5), and will assist TEA in the implementation of 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §300.119.

(b) Each regional ESC will provide technical assistance, support, and training in the area of special education to school districts based on the results of a comprehensive needs assessment process. Each regional ESC will continue to serve as first point of contact for school districts, parents, and other community stakeholders, and will provide for the joint training of parents and special education, related services, and general education personnel.

(c) Regional ESC activities and responsibilities will be in accordance with current instructions, program guidelines, and program descriptions included in the ESC Performance Contract and Application, which will be made accessible to the public through the TEA website.

(d) The ESC must utilize available TEA funding to implement activities and address needs identified under subsections (a)-(c) of this section. If additional funding is needed to implement supplementary or enhanced activities identified through the regional needs assessment process, ESCs may access and utilize alternate sources of funding. Any charges must be determined only after priorities have been established through input from affected school districts, including data collected from parents and communities through partnerships with school districts.

(e) When an ESC provides leadership, training, and support pertaining to education and related services for students with visual impairments, directly or through contract, the personnel providing such services must be appropriately certified as identified in current program guidelines included in the ESC Performance Contract and Application, regardless of the fund source used to fund the service/personnel.

(f) Regional ESCs may serve as fiscal agent for shared services arrangements in accordance with procedures established under §89.1075(e) of this title (relating to General Program Requirements and Local District Procedures).

(g) For the purposes of this subchapter, ESCs shall be considered to be educational service agencies as defined in federal regulations.

Source Note: The provisions of this §89.1141 adopted to be effective August 1, 2002, 27 TexReg 3061; amended to be effective November 11, 2007, 32 TexReg 8129