HB 2419

89R8129 KJE-D
		By: González of El Paso
  H.B. No. 2419
  A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
  AN ACT
  relating to special education and special education funding under
  the Foundation School Program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 8.051(d), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (d)  Each regional education service center shall maintain
  core services for purchase by school districts and campuses.  The
  core services are:
               (1)  training and assistance in:
                     (A)  teaching each subject area assessed under
  Section 39.023; and
                     (B)  providing instruction in personal financial
  literacy as required under Section 28.0021;
               (2)  training and assistance in providing each program
  that qualifies for a funding allotment under Section 48.102,
  48.1021, 48.103, 48.104, 48.105, or 48.109;
               (3)  assistance specifically designed for a school
  district or campus assigned an unacceptable performance rating
  under Section 39.054;
               (4)  training and assistance to teachers,
  administrators, members of district boards of trustees, and members
  of site-based decision-making committees;
               (5)  assistance specifically designed for a school
  district that is considered out of compliance with state or federal
  special education requirements, based on the agency's most recent
  compliance review of the district's special education programs; and
               (6)  assistance in complying with state laws and rules.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter I, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 21.4024 to read as follows:
         Sec. 21.4024.  SALARY STIPENDS FOR CERTAIN SPECIAL EDUCATION
  EMPLOYEES.  (a)  A classroom teacher or full-time paraprofessional
  assigned to and certified in special education is entitled to
  receive an annual salary stipend in the amount of $1,000 plus $150
  for each year of experience in special education, up to a maximum of
  $2,500.
         (b)  A salary stipend a classroom teacher receives under this
  section:
               (1)  is in addition to:
                     (A)  the regular salary to which the teacher is
  entitled under this subchapter; and
                     (B)  any local supplement; and
               (2)  is not considered in determining whether the
  district is paying the teacher the minimum monthly salary under
  Section 21.402.
         (c)  A salary stipend a paraprofessional receives under this
  section is in addition to any local supplement or wages the district
  would otherwise pay the paraprofessional during the school year.
         SECTION 3.  Chapter 22, Education Code, is amended by adding
  Subchapter E to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER E. RETIRED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER GRANT PROGRAM
         Sec. 22.151.  RETIRED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER GRANT
  PROGRAM.  (a)  From money appropriated or otherwise available for
  the purpose, the commissioner shall establish a grant program to
  reimburse school districts and open-enrollment charter schools for
  the cost of required contributions under Section 825.4092,
  Government Code, for the employment of a retiree hired to teach
  special education or provide services related to special education.
         (b)  A grant received under the program may only be used for
  the cost of required contributions for the employment of a retiree:
               (1)  who retired before September 1, 2024; or
               (2)  as provided by the General Appropriations Act.
         (c)  If the amount of grant requests under the program
  exceeds the amount appropriated or otherwise available for the
  purpose, the commissioner shall proportionately reduce the amount
  of each grant.
         SECTION 4.  Section 29.002, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 29.002.  DEFINITION.  In this subchapter, "special
  services" means:
               (1)  special education instruction, which may be
  provided by professional and supported by paraprofessional
  personnel in a general education setting [the regular classroom] or
  in a special education setting, as defined by commissioner rule [an
  instructional arrangement described by Section 48.102]; and
               (2)  related services, which are developmental,
  corrective, supportive, or evaluative services, not instructional
  in nature, that may be required for the student to benefit from
  special education instruction and for implementation of a student's
  individualized education program.
         SECTION 5.  Subchapter A, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 29.0055 to read as follows:
         Sec. 29.0055.  LOCAL INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL
  DISABILITY AUTHORITY INFORMATION.  At the meeting at which a
  child's initial individualized education program is developed, the
  school district shall provide to the child's parent the contact
  information for the local intellectual and developmental
  disability authority for the region in which the district is
  located for use in discussing services or public benefits that may
  provide additional support to the child.
         SECTION 6.  Section 29.008, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
  read as follows:
         (a)  The commissioner shall establish a list of approved
  public or private facilities, institutions, or agencies inside or
  outside of this state that a [A] school district, shared services
  arrangement unit, or regional education service center may contract
  with [a public or private facility, institution, or agency inside
  or outside of this state] for the provision of services to students
  with disabilities in a residential placement.  The commissioner may
  approve either the whole or a part of a facility or program.
         (a-1)  Each contract described by this section [for
  residential placement] must be approved by the commissioner.  The
  commissioner may approve a [residential placement] contract under
  this section only after at least a programmatic evaluation of
  personnel qualifications, costs, adequacy of physical plant and
  equipment, and curriculum content.  [The commissioner may approve
  either the whole or a part of a facility or program.]
         (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), costs of an
  approved contract for residential placement may be paid from a
  combination of federal, state, and local funds.  The local share of
  the total contract cost for each student is that portion of the
  local tax effort that exceeds the district's local fund assignment
  under Section 48.256, divided by the average daily attendance in
  the district.  If the contract involves a private facility, the
  state share of the total contract cost is that amount remaining
  after subtracting the local share.  If the contract involves a
  public facility, the state share is that amount remaining after
  subtracting the local share from the portion of the contract that
  involves the costs of instructional and related services.  For
  purposes of this subsection, "local tax effort" means the total
  amount of money generated by taxes imposed for debt service and
  maintenance and operation less any amounts paid into a tax
  increment fund under Chapter 311, Tax Code.  This subsection
  expires September 1, 2029.
         SECTION 7.  Section 29.014(d), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (d)  The basic allotment for a student enrolled in a district
  to which this section applies is adjusted by the tier of intensity
  of service defined in accordance with [weight for a homebound
  student under] Section 48.102 and designated by commissioner rule
  for use under this section [48.102(a)].
         SECTION 8.  Section 29.022(u)(3), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
               (3)  "Self-contained classroom" does not include a
  classroom that is a resource room as defined by commissioner rule
  [instructional arrangement under Section 48.102].
         SECTION 9.  Subchapter A, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 29.028 to read as follows:
         Sec. 29.028.  SUPPORTS FOR RECRUITING SPECIAL EDUCATION
  STAFF.  (a)  From money appropriated or otherwise available for the
  purpose, the agency shall provide grants to school districts and
  open-enrollment charter schools to increase the number of qualified
  and appropriately credentialed special education staff, including
  special education teachers, special education paraprofessionals,
  evaluation personnel, educational interpreters, ancillary
  instruction personnel, and related service personnel.
         (b)  A school district or open-enrollment charter school
  that receives a grant under this section shall require each person
  the district or school uses the grant money to assist in becoming
  licensed, certified, or otherwise credentialed as described by
  Subsection (a) to work at the district or school for a period
  established by commissioner rule.
         (c)  The commissioner shall adopt rules establishing the
  period of required employment described by Subsection (b) and any
  other rules necessary to implement this section.
         SECTION 10.  Section 29.316(c), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c)  Not later than August 31 of each year, the agency, the
  division, and the center jointly shall prepare and post on the
  agency's, the division's, and the center's respective Internet
  websites a report on the language acquisition of children eight
  years of age or younger who are deaf or hard of hearing.  The report
  must:
               (1)  include:
                     (A)  existing data reported in compliance with
  federal law regarding children with disabilities; and
                     (B)  information relating to the language
  acquisition of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and also
  have other disabilities;
               (2)  state for each child:
                     (A)  the educational setting [instructional
  arrangement] used with the child, as defined by commissioner rule 
  [described by Section 48.102], including the time the child spends
  on average in a general education setting [mainstream instructional
  arrangement];
                     (B)  the specific language acquisition services
  provided to the child, including:
                           (i)  the time spent providing those
  services; and
                           (ii)  a description of any hearing
  amplification used in the delivery of those services, including:
                                 (a)  the type of hearing amplification
  used;
                                 (b)  the period of time in which the
  child has had access to the hearing amplification; and
                                 (c)  the average amount of time the
  child uses the hearing amplification each day;
                     (C)  the tools or assessments used to assess the
  child's language acquisition and the results obtained;
                     (D)  the preferred unique communication mode used
  by the child at home; and
                     (E)  the child's age, race, and gender, the age at
  which the child was identified as being deaf or hard of hearing, and
  any other relevant demographic information the commissioner
  determines to likely be correlated with or have an impact on the
  child's language acquisition;
               (3)  compare progress in English literacy made by
  children who are deaf or hard of hearing to progress in that subject
  made by children of the same age who are not deaf or hard of hearing,
  by appropriate age range; and
               (4)  be redacted as necessary to comply with state and
  federal law regarding the confidentiality of student medical or
  educational information.
         SECTION 11.  Subchapter A, Chapter 48, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 48.0055 to read as follows:
         Sec. 48.0055.  ENROLLMENT-BASED FUNDING.  The commissioner
  by rule shall establish the method for determining average
  enrollment for purposes of funding provided based on average
  enrollment under Chapter 46 and this chapter.
         SECTION 12.  Section 48.051(a), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  For each student in average daily attendance, not
  including the time students spend each day in career and technology
  education programs or in special education programs receiving
  special education services in a setting [an instructional
  arrangement] other than a general education setting [mainstream or
  career and technology education programs], for which an additional
  allotment is made under Subchapter C, a school district is entitled
  to an allotment equal to the lesser of $6,160 or the amount that
  results from the following formula:
  A = $6,160 X TR/MCR
  where:
         "A" is the allotment to which a district is entitled;
         "TR" is the district's tier one maintenance and operations
  tax rate, as provided by Section 45.0032; and
         "MCR" is the district's maximum compressed tax rate, as
  determined under Section 48.2551.
         SECTION 13.  Section 48.102, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 48.102.  SPECIAL EDUCATION.  (a)  For each student in
  average enrollment [daily attendance] in a special education
  program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, [in a mainstream
  instructional arrangement,] a school district is entitled to an
  annual allotment equal to the basic allotment, or, if applicable,
  the sum of the basic allotment and the allotment under Section
  48.101 to which the district is entitled, multiplied by the weight
  assigned under Subsection (c) to the highest tier of intensity of
  service for which the student qualifies [1.15].
         (a-1)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), for the 2026-2027 and
  2027-2028 school years, the amount of an allotment under this
  section shall be determined in accordance with Section 48.1023.  
  This subsection expires September 1, 2028.  [For each full-time
  equivalent student in average daily attendance in a special
  education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, in an
  instructional arrangement other than a mainstream instructional
  arrangement, a district is entitled to an annual allotment equal to
  the basic allotment, or, if applicable, the sum of the basic
  allotment and the allotment under Section 48.101 to which the
  district is entitled, multiplied by a weight determined according
  to instructional arrangement as follows:
               [Homebound  5.0
               [Hospital class  3.0
               [Speech therapy  5.0
               [Resource room  3.0
               [Self-contained, mild and moderate, regular campus  3.0
               [Self-contained, severe, regular campus  3.0
               [Off home campus  2.7
               [Nonpublic day school  1.7
               [Vocational adjustment class  2.3]
         (b)  The commissioner by rule shall define seven tiers of
  intensity of service for use in determining funding under this
  section.  The commissioner must include one tier specifically
  addressing students receiving special education services in
  residential placement [A special instructional arrangement for
  students with disabilities residing in care and treatment
  facilities, other than state schools, whose parents or guardians do
  not reside in the district providing education services shall be
  established by commissioner rule.  The funding weight for this
  arrangement shall be 4.0 for those students who receive their
  education service on a local school district campus.  A special
  instructional arrangement for students with disabilities residing
  in state schools shall be established by commissioner rule with a
  funding weight of 2.8].
         (c)  The weights assigned to the seven tiers of intensity of
  service defined under Subsection (b) are, from least to most
  intense, 0.6, 0.85, 1, 1.45, 1.75, 2, and 2, or other weights
  provided by appropriation. [For funding purposes, the number of
  contact hours credited per day for each student in the off home
  campus instructional arrangement may not exceed the contact hours
  credited per day for the multidistrict class instructional
  arrangement in the 1992-1993 school year.]
         (d)  [For funding purposes the contact hours credited per day
  for each student in the resource room; self-contained, mild and
  moderate; and self-contained, severe, instructional arrangements
  may not exceed the average of the statewide total contact hours
  credited per day for those three instructional arrangements in the
  1992-1993 school year.
         [(e)  The commissioner by rule shall prescribe the
  qualifications an instructional arrangement must meet in order to
  be funded as a particular instructional arrangement under this
  section.  In prescribing the qualifications that a mainstream
  instructional arrangement must meet, the commissioner shall
  establish requirements that students with disabilities and their
  teachers receive the direct, indirect, and support services that
  are necessary to enrich the regular classroom and enable student
  success.
         [(f)  In this section, "full-time equivalent student" means
  30 hours of contact a week between a special education student and
  special education program personnel.
         [(g)]  The commissioner shall adopt rules and procedures
  governing contracts for residential and day program placement of
  [special education] students receiving special education services.
         (e)  [The legislature shall provide by appropriation for the
  state's share of the costs of those placements.
         [(h)]  At least 55 percent of the funds allocated under this
  section must be used in the special education program under
  Subchapter A, Chapter 29.
         (f) [(i)]  The agency shall ensure [encourage] the placement
  of students in special education programs, including students in
  residential placement [instructional arrangements], in the least
  restrictive environment appropriate for their educational needs.
         (g) [(j)]  A school district that provides an extended year
  program required by federal law for special education students who
  may regress is entitled to receive funds in an amount equal to 75
  percent, or a lesser percentage determined by the commissioner, of
  the basic allotment, or, if applicable, the sum of the basic
  allotment and the allotment under Section 48.101 to which the
  district is entitled for each [full-time equivalent] student in
  average enrollment [daily attendance], multiplied by the amount
  designated for the highest tier of intensity of service for which
  the student qualifies [student's instructional arrangement] under
  this section, for each day the program is provided divided by the
  number of days in the minimum school year.  The total amount of
  state funding for extended year services under this section may not
  exceed $20 [$10] million per year.  A school district may use funds
  received under this section only in providing an extended year
  program.
         (h) [(k)]  From the total amount of funds appropriated for
  special education under this section, the commissioner shall
  withhold an amount specified in the General Appropriations Act, and
  distribute that amount to school districts for programs under
  Section 29.014.  The program established under that section is
  required only in school districts in which the program is financed
  by funds distributed under this subsection and any other funds
  available for the program.  After deducting the amount withheld
  under this subsection from the total amount appropriated for
  special education, the commissioner shall reduce each district's
  allotment proportionately and shall allocate funds to each district
  accordingly.
         (i)  Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,
  the commissioner shall submit to the Legislative Budget Board, for
  purposes of the allotment under this section, proposed weights for
  the tiers of intensity of service for the next state fiscal
  biennium.  The commissioner must include information regarding the
  selection of the proposed weights.  In developing the proposed
  weights, the commissioner shall consult with school district
  superintendents and chief financial officers, the continuing
  advisory committee appointed under Section 29.006, and other
  relevant stakeholders.
         SECTION 14.  Subchapter C, Chapter 48, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Sections 48.1021, 48.1022, and 48.1023 to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 48.1021.  SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE GROUP ALLOTMENT.
  (a)  For each six-week period in which a student in a special
  education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, receives eligible
  special education services, a school district is entitled to an
  allotment in the amount assigned under Subsection (c) to the
  service group for which the student is eligible.
         (a-1)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), for the 2026-2027 and
  2027-2028 school years, the amount of an allotment under this
  section shall be determined in accordance with Section 48.1023.  
  This subsection expires September 1, 2028.
         (b)  The commissioner by rule shall establish four service
  groups for use in determining funding under this section.  In
  establishing the groups, the commissioner must consider:
               (1)  the level of services, equipment, and technology
  required to meet the needs of students receiving special education
  services; and
               (2)  services that meet the needs of students receiving
  special education services and were previously eligible for
  reimbursement through the school health and related services
  program.
         (c)  The amounts assigned to the four service groups
  established under Subsection (b) are, from lowest to highest level
  of service, $100, $350, $650, and $1,000, or other amounts provided
  by appropriation.
         (d)  A school district is entitled to receive an allotment
  under this section for each service group for which a student is
  eligible.
         (e)  A school district is entitled to the full amount of an
  allotment under this section for a student receiving eligible
  special education services during any part of a six-week period.
         (f)  At least 55 percent of the funds allocated under this
  section must be used for a special education program under
  Subchapter A, Chapter 29.
         (g)  Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,
  the commissioner shall submit to the Legislative Budget Board, for
  purposes of the allotment under this section, proposed amounts of
  funding for the service groups for the next state fiscal biennium.  
  The commissioner must include information regarding the selection
  of the proposed amounts.  In developing the proposed amounts, the
  commissioner shall consult with school district superintendents
  and chief financial officers, the continuing advisory committee
  appointed under Section 29.006, and other relevant stakeholders.
         Sec. 48.1022.  SPECIAL EDUCATION FULL INDIVIDUAL AND INITIAL
  EVALUATION.  For each student for whom a school district conducts a
  full individual and initial evaluation under Section 29.004 or 20
  U.S.C. Section 1414(a)(1), the district is entitled to an allotment
  of $500 or a greater amount provided by appropriation.
         Sec. 48.1023.  SPECIAL EDUCATION TRANSITION FUNDING.  (a)  
  For the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years, the commissioner may
  adjust weights or amounts provided under Section 48.102 or 48.1021
  as necessary to ensure compliance with requirements regarding
  maintenance of state financial support under 20 U.S.C. Section
  1412(a)(18) and maintenance of local financial support under
  applicable federal law.
         (b)  For the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years, the
  commissioner shall determine the formulas through which school
  districts receive funding under Sections 48.102 and 48.1021.  In
  determining the formulas, the commissioner may combine the methods
  of funding under those sections with the method of funding provided
  by Section 48.102, as it existed on January 1, 2025.
         (c)  For the 2028-2029 school year, the commissioner may
  adjust the weights or amounts set for purposes of Section 48.102 or
  48.1021.  Before making an adjustment under this subsection, the
  commissioner shall:
               (1)  submit the proposed adjustment to the secretary of
  state for publication in the Texas Register and must receive notice
  of publication; and
               (2)  notify in writing and must receive approval from
  the Legislative Budget Board.
         (d)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,
  the sum of funding provided under Sections 48.102 and 48.1021 for
  the 2026-2027 or for the 2027-2028 school year as adjusted under
  this section may not exceed the sum of:
               (1)  funding that would have been provided under
  Section 48.102, as it existed on January 1, 2025; and
               (2)  the amount set by the legislature in the General
  Appropriations Act.
         (e)  Each school district and open-enrollment charter school
  shall report to the agency information necessary to implement this
  section.
         (f)  The agency shall provide technical assistance to school
  districts and open-enrollment charter schools to ensure a
  successful transition in funding formulas for special education.
         (g)  This section expires September 1, 2030.
         SECTION 15.  Sections 48.103(a) and (c), Education Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  Subject to Subsection (b), for each student that a
  school district serves who has been identified as having dyslexia
  or a related disorder, the district is entitled to an annual
  allotment equal to the basic allotment multiplied by 0.5 [0.1] or a
  greater amount provided by appropriation.
         (c)  A school district may receive funding for a student
  under each provision of this section, [and] Section 48.102, and
  Section 48.1021 for which [if] the student qualifies [satisfies the
  requirements of both sections].
         SECTION 16.  Section 48.110(d), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (d)  For each annual graduate in a cohort described by
  Subsection (b) who demonstrates college, career, or military
  readiness as described by Subsection (f) in excess of the minimum
  number of students determined for the applicable district cohort
  under Subsection (c), a school district is entitled to an annual
  outcomes bonus of:
               (1)  if the annual graduate is educationally
  disadvantaged, $5,000;
               (2)  if the annual graduate is not educationally
  disadvantaged, $3,000; and
               (3)  if the annual graduate is enrolled in a special
  education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, $5,000 [$2,000],
  regardless of whether the annual graduate is educationally
  disadvantaged.
         SECTION 17.  Section 48.151(g), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (g)  A school district or county that provides special
  transportation services for eligible [special education] students
  receiving special education services is entitled to a state
  allocation at a [paid on a previous year's cost-per-mile basis.
  The] rate of $2 per mile or a greater amount provided [allowable
  shall be set] by appropriation [based on data gathered from the
  first year of each preceding biennium].  Districts may use a portion
  of their support allocation to pay transportation costs, if
  necessary.  The commissioner may grant an amount set by
  appropriation for private transportation to reimburse parents or
  their agents for transporting eligible special education students.
  The mileage allowed shall be computed along the shortest public
  road from the student's home to school and back, morning and
  afternoon.  The need for this type of transportation shall be
  determined on an individual basis and shall be approved only in
  extreme hardship cases.
         SECTION 18.  Subchapter D, Chapter 48, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 48.157 to read as follows:
         Sec. 48.157.  SPECIAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATION ALLOTMENT.
  (a)  For each classroom teacher, educational diagnostician,
  licensed specialist in school psychology, speech pathologist,
  physical therapist, occupational therapist, behavior analyst,
  dyslexia therapist, or other special education professional
  employed by a school district who, during the preceding year,
  became certified under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, to teach special
  education or as an educational diagnostician or under the
  applicable provision of the Occupations Code, as applicable, the
  district is entitled to an allotment in the amount of the employee's
  certification fee.
         (b)  A school district shall use an allotment received under
  this section to provide a stipend in the amount of the allotment to
  the employee for whom the district received the allotment.  A
  stipend received under this subsection by an employee subject to
  the minimum salary schedule under Section 21.402 is not considered
  in determining whether the district is paying the employee the
  minimum monthly salary under that section.
         SECTION 19.  Subchapter F, Chapter 48, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 48.2522 to read as follows:
         Sec. 48.2522.  ADDITIONAL STATE AID FOR SALARY STIPENDS FOR
  CERTAIN SPECIAL EDUCATION EMPLOYEES.  A school district, including
  a school district that is otherwise ineligible for state aid under
  this chapter, is entitled to state aid in an amount equal to the
  total amount of salary stipends to which classroom teachers and
  paraprofessionals employed by the district are entitled to receive
  under Section 21.4024.
         SECTION 20.  Section 48.265(a), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  If [Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if] the
  commissioner determines that the amount appropriated for the
  purposes of the Foundation School Program exceeds the amount to
  which school districts are entitled under this chapter, the
  commissioner may provide [by rule shall establish a grant program
  through which excess funds are awarded as] grants using the excess
  money for the purchase of video equipment, or for the reimbursement
  of costs for previously purchased video equipment, used for
  monitoring special education classrooms or other special education
  settings required under Section 29.022.
         SECTION 21.  Section 48.279(e), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (e)  After the commissioner has replaced any withheld
  federal funds as provided by Subsection (d), the commissioner shall
  distribute the remaining amount, if any, of funds described by
  Subsection (a) to proportionately increase funding for the special
  education allotment under Section 48.102 and the special education
  service group allotment under Section 48.1021.
         SECTION 22.  Section 825.4092(f), Government Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (f)  A reporting employer is ultimately responsible for
  payment of the amounts required to be contributed under Subsections
  (b) and (c).  The employer may not directly or indirectly pass that
  cost on to the retiree through payroll deduction, by imposition of a
  fee, or by any other means designed to recover the cost.  This
  subsection does not apply to contributions required for a retiree
  employed by a school district or open-enrollment charter school to
  teach special education.
         SECTION 23.  Section 21.4024, Education Code, as added by
  this Act, Subchapter E, Chapter 22, Education Code, as added by this
  Act, Chapter 29, Education Code, as amended by this Act, and Section
  825.4092(f), Government Code, as amended by this Act, apply
  beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
         SECTION 24.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
  this section, this Act takes effect immediately if it receives a
  vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
         (b)  The amendments by this Act to Chapter 48, Education
  Code, take effect September 1, 2025.