Honorable Larry Taylor, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1171 by Taylor (Relating to the electronic administration of assessment instruments in public schools and to certain measures to support Internet connectivity for purposes of those assessment instruments.), As Introduced
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1171, As Introduced : a negative impact of ($30,216,702) through the biennium ending August 31, 2023.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five- Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2022
($17,110,351)
2023
($13,106,351)
2024
$0
2025
$0
2026
$0
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
Fiscal Year
Probable (Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2021
2022
($17,110,351)
1.0
2023
($13,106,351)
1.0
2024
$0
0.0
2025
$0
0.0
2026
$0
0.0
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would add services, equipment, and infrastructure necessary to ensure Internet connectivity to the list of allowable local education agency (LEA) expenditures of funds from the Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment. The bill would also authorize the Commissioner of Education to establish a matching grant program to ensure that all LEAs have the necessary infrastructure to administer assessment instruments electronically. The grant program would expire at the end of the 2023 fiscal year.
Methodology
The Texas Education Agency estimates that there would be a $4.0 million cost associated with one-time network infrastructure upgrades for LEAs in fiscal year 2022 and a $13.1 million cost associated with increased bandwidth and personnel costs. While the network infrastructure upgrades would only exist in fiscal year 2022, the other costs would occur in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
The agency estimates that one FTE would be required to administer the grant program in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Local Government Impact
According to the Texas Education Agency, LEAs may see additional costs to prepare for the administration of online assessments, although those costs could be partially offset by the matching grant program and through the broadened use of Technology and Instructional Materials Allotment funds.