HB 686 - Student Transformative Academic Restoration Act (STAR)

• Abolishes Academic Distress Commissions: Dissolves existing academic distress commissions and replaces them with community learning centers that provide comprehensive educational, developmental, family, and health services during and outside school hours.

• Establishes Community Learning Centers: Requires school districts to initiate community learning center processes for low-performing buildings (receiving "F" grades for three consecutive years), with mandatory school action teams conducting performance audits and developing improvement plans.

• Creates State Business Intervention Fund: Establishes a new fund (5UN0) with $600,000 initial funding to engage business intervention teams and individuals to help school districts address administrative issues and at-risk student concerns.

• Establishes Office of Grants and Philanthropic Gestures: Creates a new department office to serve as a clearinghouse for grant information, solicit private donations, identify business barriers, establish liaisons in major school districts, and create public-private partnerships addressing at-risk factors like poverty, hunger, substance abuse, and literacy problems.

• Creates Teacher Education Advancement Program: Allows elementary and secondary school teachers with 10+ years of service to pursue advanced degrees tuition-free at state universities, with a five-year service commitment requirement after degree completion.