FIRST THROUGH THIRD GRADE SUPPLEMENTARY SUPPORTS.

(a) The commissioner shall establish and administer a program designed to help improve student proficiency in reading by providing a grant in an amount provided under Section 48.317 through which the student's parent may purchase tutoring services from agency-approved providers to:

(1) a student at or below the third grade level who, beginning in the first grade, is required to be provided reading interventions under Section 28.0064; and

(2) a student who is required to be provided accelerated instruction under Section 28.0211(a-1) based on the student's third grade performance.

(b) The agency shall approve as a provider of tutoring services under this section a classroom teacher employed by a school district or open-enrollment charter school who:

(1) holds a current teacher designation under Section 21.3521; and

(2) submits the teacher's name to the agency to offer tutoring services designed to help improve student proficiency in reading.

(c) The agency shall:

(1) maintain a system of online accounts under which each student described by Subsection (a) is assigned an account for the student's parent to access the grant described by Subsection (a); and

(2) implement the program in a manner that ensures:

(A) ease of use for parents of students who are eligible for a grant under this section;

(B) fidelity of spending; and

(C) a parent of a student awarded a grant under this section is provided a period of one year from the date on which the grant is awarded to obtain services for which grant money may be used.

(d) A student may not receive more than one grant under Subsection (a)(1) and one grant under Subsection (a)(2) unless the legislature provides for additional grants by appropriation.

(e) The agency may reserve from the total amount of money available for purposes of the program an amount, not to exceed five percent of the total amount, to cover the agency's cost of administering the program.

(f) A school district or open-enrollment charter school in which a student who receives a grant under this section is enrolled remains subject to the requirements to provide reading interventions under Section 28.0064 and accelerated instruction under Section 28.0211, as applicable.

(g) A school district or open-enrollment charter school shall provide to the parent of a student described by Subsection (a) notice of the student's eligibility for a grant under this section, in a form and manner established by the agency.

(h) A decision by the commissioner regarding the program under this section is final and may not be appealed.

(i) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this section.