BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1522
87R11834 MEW-F	By: Taylor
	Education
	4/6/2021
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

In the spring of 2020, Texas schools had to rapidly change the way students are educated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes switched from the traditional method of in-person instruction to virtual instruction to ensure students could continue to learn while social distancing from their classmates. Though students were enabled to continue their education, the quick transition created its own problems. Attendance of students in Texas dropped by three percent across all grade levels from October 2019 to October 2020. To ensure that schools were able to continue operating despite a decline in their funding, the State of Texas offered a Hold Harmless agreement. The agreement allows districts to receive funding based on their historic average daily attendance trends in the same manner that was provided during Hurricane Harvey. Currently though, there is no set amount of time that the agreement can last. S.B. 1522 aims to hold school districts accountable for educating the students they receive funding for while allowing a grace period for them to adapt to a calamity.

Specifically, S.B. 1522 limits the amount of instructional days that may be adjusted by the commissioner of education (commissioner), in addition to providing an adjustment for the amount of instructional days during the semester in which the calamity first occurred, equivalent to one school year. S.B. 1522 also gives the commissioner ability to divide the adjustment between two consecutive school years.

As proposed, S.B. 1522 amends current law relating to the adjustment of the average daily attendance of a school district on the basis of a calamity.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 48.005(d), Education Code, as follows:

(d) Authorizes an adjustment under Section 48.005 (Average Daily Attendance), in addition to providing the adjustment for the amount of instructional days during the semester in which the calamity first occurred, only to be provided based on a particular calamity for an additional amount of instructional days equivalent to one school year. Authorizes the commissioner of education to divide the adjustment between two consecutive school years.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2021.