By: Menéndez S.B. No. 549               A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to creating a fine arts allotment under the public school   finance system.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 48, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 48.116 to read as follows:          Sec. 48.116. FINE ARTS ALLOTMENT. (a) For each student in   average daily attendance enrolled in a fine arts education course   approved by the agency under Subsection (b) in grades 6 through 12,   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:                (1)  1.3 for a student in grades 6 through 8;                (2)  1.2 for a student in grade 9 or 10; and                (3)  1.1 for a student in grade 11 or 12.          (b)  The agency shall approve fine arts education courses   that qualify for the allotment provided under this section.  The   approved courses must include fine arts education courses that:                (1)  are authorized by the State Board of Education,   including music, art, theater, and dance;                (2)  provide students with the knowledge and skills   necessary for success in the fine arts; and                (3)  require a student in full-time attendance to   receive not less than 225 minutes of fine arts instruction per week.          (c) Of the funds allocated under this section:                (1)  at least 25 percent of the funds allocated under   Subsection (a)(1) must be used in a manner that prioritizes   providing fine arts education to students in grades six through   eight who are eligible for the compensatory education allotment   under Section 48.104;                (2)  50 percent of the total funds allocated under this   section must be used to provide fine arts education courses to   students in grades six through eight; and                (3)  except as necessary to meet the requirement under   Subdivision (2), at least 75 percent of funds allocated under   Subsections (a)(2) and (3) must be used to provide fine arts   education courses to students in grades 9 through 12.          (d)  The agency shall annually publish a list of fine arts   courses approved under Subsection (b).          SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.