High

Quality Prekindergarten Grant Program

House Bill 4 (84th Legislative Session)
GeneralDescription:

Duringthe84thLegislativeLegislationsession,theLegislaturepassedHouseBill4
(HB4)providingforaHighQualityPrekindergartenGrantprogramforschool
districtsandopenenrollmentcharterschoolstoimplementincreasedquality
standardsintheirprekindergartenclassrooms.Thelegislatureappropriated$118
millionforthegrantprograminthe201617GeneralAppropriationsAct.TEAused
FY2016toplanandawardthegrants.Schoolswillimplementthehighquality
programinFY2017.

Tobeeligibleforgrantfunding,aschooldistrictorchartermusthavesubmittedan
applicationinthespringof2016andagreedtouseacurriculumalignedwiththe
PrekindergartenGuidelines,increaseprekindergartenteachertrainingand/or
qualifications,implementstudentprogressmonitoring,providekindergarten
readinessresults,anddevelopqualityfamilyengagementplans.Eachschooldistrict
andcharterawardedthegrantwillreceive$734pereligibleprekindergarten
studentforuseduringthe201617schoolyear.Fundingisbasedonapproximately
159,000eligible4yearoldstudents.

DataThatMustbeReportedto
TEAByHighQuality
PrekindergartenProgram
Grantees
HighQualityPrekindergartenclass
datatobecollectedattheendofthe
20162017schoolyear:

FuturefundingfortheHighQualityPreKGrantwilldependonappropriationsmade
inthe201819GeneralAppropriationsAct.ThisHighQualityPrekindergartenGrant
fundingisinadditiontothehalfdayFoundationSchoolProgram(FSP)formula
fundingofapproximately$3,650pereligibleprekindergartenstudentthatisalready
providedtoschooldistrictsandchartersforprovisionofhalfdayprekindergarten.

Authority:TexasEducationCode(TEC)Chapter29,SubchapterE1.
Source:201617GeneralAppropriationsAct,ArticleIX,Sec.18.32,84thTexas
Legislature,2015.

ApplicationandGranteeDataforthe201617HighQuality
PrekindergartenGrant(HB4)

Demographicdata*
Enrollmentinhalfday
and/orfulldaypreK*
SourcesoffundingforpreK
classrooms*
Classsize*
Instructionalstafftostudent
ratio*
Typeofcurriculum*
Studentprogressmonitoring
toolandresults
Kindergartenreadinessdata
Teacherqualifications
FamilyEngagementPlan

*Datatobereportedbyalldistricts
andchartersproviding
prekindergartenincludingHigh
QualityPrekindergartenclasses

603totalschooldistrictsandchartersappliedforthegrant
599schooldistrictsandcharterswereeligibletoreceivegrantfunding
578schooldistrictsandcharterschoolsacceptedandreceivedfunding
4entitiesthatappliedwereineligiblebecausetheyarenotapprovedtoprovideprekindergarten
21schooldistrictsandcharterschoolsdeclinedfunds

Timeline:
May28,2015
June2015February
2016
February5,2015
February26,2016
April8,2016
MidApril,2016
June3,2016
June2016
June2016
Fall2016
August31,2017

HB4signedintolawbyGovernorAbbott
Planning:implementationsurveytodistricts,rewriteofPreKGuidelines,identificationofprogressmonitoring
tools,identificationoffamilyengagementstrategies,regionalstakeholdermeetingsbyESCs
DraftCommissionersRulespublished
Grantapplicationismadeavailable
Deadlineforschooldistrictsandcharterschoolstosubmitgrantapplications
Notificationofpreliminaryfundingamounts
Calculationofinitialgranteefundingamounts andannouncementofeligibleschooldistrictsandcharterschools
Schooldistrictsandcharterschoolsconfirmdesiretoreceivefunding
TEAissuesfirstNoticeofGrantAward(NOGA) toschooldistrictsandcharterswithfirsthalfoffunds
TEAissuessecondNOGAstoschooldistrictsandcharterswithsecondhalfoffunds
Grantfundingendsunlessappropriatedin201819GeneralAppropriationsAct

Contact:MarnieGlaser
DirectorofEarlyLearning
Marnie.glaser@tea.texas.gov
5124638886

High Quality Prekindergarten Grant Program

House Bill 4 (84th Legislative Session)
Assuranceswithinthegrant:
Theapplicantswererequiredtoprovidethefollowingassurancesinordertobeeligibleforgrantfunding:
o WillusetheHighQualityPrekindergartengrantfundingonlytoimprovethequalityofthedistrict'sorcharters
prekindergartenprograms
o Willusethefundingtoserveonlyeligiblefouryearoldstudents
o WillnotusethefundingtoservestudentswhoareunderfouryearsofageonSeptember1ofeachgrantyear
o Willattempttomaintainanaverageratioinanyprekindergartenprogramclassofnotlessthanonecertifiedteacheror
teacher'saideforeach11students
o WillnotusecurriculumalignedwithnationalcurriculumstandardsdevelopedbytheCommonCoreStateStandards
Initiative
o Willprovidekindergartenreadinessdatafor100%ofthedistrictsorcharterskindergartenstudents
o WillonlyemployteachersinHighQualityPrekindergartenclassroomsthathavemettherequirementsoutlinedinthegrant
programguidelines
o WillsubmitprekindergartendataforallstudentswhoreceiveinstructioninaHighQualityPrekindergartenclass
o Willevaluatethedistrictsprogramandmakeinformationavailabletoparents
o Willposttheirfamilyengagementplanonthedistrict,charterorcampusweb

MonitoringandCompliance:
Bylaw,allschooldistrictsandopenenrollmentchartersthataccepttheHighQualityPrekindergartengrantfundingforthe201617
schoolyearmustmeetthequalitystandardsasspecifiedinHB4.Inaneffortbothtosupportcontinuousimprovementinquality
andtoensurefullcompliancewiththequalitystandardsinallTEAstategrantprograms,includingHB4,TEAislaunchingastate
grantmonitoringprogram.Aspartofthemonitoringprogram,TEAwillmonitorHB4grantrecipientstoensurecompliancewithHB
4requirements.

EachgrantawardfromTEAnotifiedthedistrictsandcharterschoolsthatfundingiscontingentonmeetingallthestatutory
requirementsofChapter29,SubchapterE1oftheTexasEducationCodeandanyotherlawsorrulesapplicabletoprekindergarten
educationprograms.

AsrequiredwithinHB4,theagencywillalsobeconductingastudytoevaluatetheuseandeffectivenessofHighQuality
PrekindergartenGrantfundingtoimprovestudentlearning,aswellasidentifyeffectiveinstructionalstrategies.Thefirstreportis
duebyDecember1,2018.

Funding:

FiscalYear
FY2016
FY2017
TotalAppropriation

Appropriation
$59,000,000
$59,000,000
$118,000,000

AllocationofFunds:
Allocation
HighQualityPreKGrants
IT NewdatafieldsinPEIMS
EarlyEducationReports
PKClassSize/Ratio Report
2FTEs
TotalAppropriation

Amount
$116,955,193
$279,265
$250,000
$175,000
$340,542
$118,000,000

Contact:MarnieGlaser
DirectorofEarlyLearning
Marnie.glaser@tea.texas.gov
5124638886