TO:	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 certain required assessment instruments, measures to support Internet connectivity for purposes of those assessment instruments, and the adoption and administration of certain optional interim assessment instruments.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

General Revenue-Related Funds, Five- Year Impact:

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

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 bill would require the commissioner to  prioritize applicants seeking funding for one-time investments in broadband network infrastructure. If funds are available after grants are awarded to each eligible applicant the commissioner would be authorized to award grants to applicants seeking funding for annual bandwidth and personnel costs associated with electronic administration of assessment instruments.

 

The grant program would expire at the end of the 2025 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. Aside from costs associated with the grant program itself, this analysis assumes that TEA could implement the bill using existing resources.

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.