SB 1882 PARTNERSHIPS

In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1882, which grants additional funding to school districts that agree to work collaboratively with nonprofit partners. These new partnerships offer SAISD the opportunity to expand options and resources provided to neighborhood schools, bring in targeted expertise for innovation and support, and empower educators with greater autonomy.

SAISD has a long-standing history of working with nonprofit organizations. These new SB 1882 partnerships allow schools to engage mission-aligned nonprofits at a deeper level for the benefit of students and staff.

PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS

  • Support from a mission-aligned organization with expertise in whatever the school needs to be successful, whether it be academic coaching, professional development, new student learning opportunities, or strategic thought partnering.

  • Increased state funding for the partnership school, designed to provide additional resources for every student each year.

  • Enhanced autonomy for campus leaders and teachers over time, talent, and resources, in exchange for greater accountability for performance.

PARTNERSHIP FAQs

Each nonprofit organization will hire a small number of staff to support and coach the school’s leadership, provide professional development opportunities for school staff, and ensure the nonprofit meets all of the district’s expectations, such as producing an annual financial audit. The partner will also create a campus nonprofit governing board comprised of community stakeholders and professionals with the experience and passion necessary to support the school in achieving its goals. The nonprofit governing board will collaborate with the campus in selecting the curriculum, school calendar, and student assessments. If a change in leadership is ever needed at the school, the nonprofit partner will work closely with the district and the school’s community to select the school’s principal.

At any partnership school, the SAISD Board retains ultimate authority and oversight over the school, which will always remain an SAISD campus. The district will hold the partner accountable for strong academic and financial performance through a board-approved performance contract and regular monitoring of the school’s charter by district staff and the SAISD Board.

Partner organizations must be nonprofits, institutions of higher education, or government entities. They must have a strong track record of success, align with SAISD’s mission and core values, and provide specific expertise that meets the unique needs of the partnership schools. In conjunction with the District’s Annual Call for Quality Schools, all partners will be extensively vetted by the school leadership team and district staff prior to being evaluated and approved by the SAISD Board.

Senate Bill 1882 partnerships ultimately exist to improve student outcomes and empower educators, so partnership agreements are written to ensure strong accountability and give the district the flexibility to end the partnership if it’s not benefiting students and staff. The SAISD Board will review the performance of all in-district charter schools and SB 1882 partnerships every 3 to 5 years, as required by Board Policy EL(LOCAL). If a performance evaluation during a review cycle shows that the in-district charter school and its nonprofit partner are not meeting the district’s academic and operational expectations, the district may end the partnership or revoke the in-district charter or place it on probation. If the schools are meeting their 3 to 5-year performance goals, and the partner is fully complying with the partnership agreement and applicable law, then the length of the partnership can be up to 10 years. During the term of the partnership, a nonprofit partner will be subject to a minimum of two and as many as three separate performance review cycles, along with the annual audit requirement.

The district can end the partnership or revoke the in-district charter at any time if any of the following occurs: (i) the schools fail to meet their 3 or 5-year performance metrics; (ii) the school or partner violates applicable state or federal law; (iii) the schools fail to meet generally accepted accounting standards; or (iv) after two years, the schools are rated as “Improvement Required” or are in the bottom 5% in comparison to all district campuses based on academic performance.

MORE SB 1882 FAQs

PARTNERSHIP STRUCTURE

The SAISD Board retains ultimate authority and oversight over all SB 1882 partnership schools, which will always remain SAISD campuses. The Board will hold the nonprofit partner accountable for strong academic and financial performance through a board-approved performance contract and regular monitoring of the school’s charter by district staff and the SAISD Board.

SAISD administrative staff will collaborate with the nonprofit partner on academic support, professional development, legal compliance, and other matters to ensure the partnership schools are successful. As described in the partnership agreement, SAISD may also provide critical business and operation support, such as transportation, food services, and facilities maintenance.

The SB 1882 nonprofit partner will support academic programs, manage the school principals, and provide campus financial oversight, with extensive support and collaboration from SAISD staff. SAISD will also seek mission-aligned nonprofits to provide specific and relevant expertise to schools within their partnership network (e.g., early childhood, International Baccalaureate, in-demand career pathways, single-gender schools, etc.)

Schools that enter into an SB 1882 partnership will remain SAISD schools with SAISD students and SAISD staff. The principal and other campus leaders will be empowered with autonomy over time, talent and resources to improve student achievement. The school staff and students will benefit from increased state funding.

SENATE BILL 1882 PARTNERS

Partnership Agreement

Partnership Agreement

Partnership Agreement

Partnership Agreement

Partnership Agreement

Partnership Agreement

Partnership Agreement

Partnership Agreement

PARTNERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY

Senate Bill 1882 partnerships are governed by a partnership agreement that ensures strong accountability for both the partner and the district. Partnership schools are ​in-district charter schools that remain SAISD schools and are subject to laws on student safety, special education, student enrollment, and other critical protections. The partnership agreements are typically for a term of 10 years, but each ​in-district charter school within the partnership is subject to a rigorous performance contract that is monitored annually and subject to a renewal evaluation every 3 to 5 years.

Additionally, SAISD can end the partnership if (i) the partner violates applicable state or federal law; (ii) the partner breaches the partnership agreement; (iii) the partner fails to meet generally accepted accounting standards or fails to produce an unqualified (“clean”) financial audit; (iv) two or more schools fail to meet their 3 or 5-year performance metrics; or (v) after two years, two or more of the schools are rated as “Improvement Required” or are in the bottom 5% in comparison to all district campuses based on academic performance.