MMA C.S.H.B. 571 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS HIGHER EDUCATION C.S.H.B. 571 By: Rangel 4-11-97 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND The State of Texas faces a shortage of certified teachers due to rising student enrollment, rapid turnover, and the growing numbers of teachers reaching retirement age. Educational aides who work in the classroom on a daily basis, many of whom want to become certified teachers, represent a ready pool of potential entrants into the teaching profession. However, most teacher aides earn low salaries and find it difficult to pay for tuition in a college program leading to a teaching certificate. PURPOSE C.S.H.B. 571 would provide tuition exemptions to low-income educational aides who seek a teaching certificate and meet other requirements. Tuition exemptions for educational aides would be funded with state savings derived from the Early High School Graduation Scholarship Program under Subchapter K, Chapter 56, Education Code. Tuition exemptions for educational aides would be funded only to the extent that savings remain in the Foundation School Fund after scholarships for early high school graduates and one-year exemptions for AFDC students have been paid. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does expressly grant additional rulemaking authority to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (coordinating board) in SECTION 3 [Sec. 54.214 (e) and referred to in Subsection (c) (5) and (7)]. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 21.050, Education Code, by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: (c) Exempts from student teaching internship requirements those educational aides who receive tuition exemptions for coursework leading to a teaching certificate and who have at least two years of experience working directly with students in a school district. SECTION 2. Amends Section 54.213, Education Code, as follows: Sec. 54.213. FUNDING OF EXEMPTIONS. (a) Authorizes an institution of higher education to provide tuition exemptions for educational aides from local funds or from funds appropriated to the institution. (b) Requires that savings to the Foundation School Fund produced by the Early High School Graduation Scholarship Program first fund tuition credits for AFDC students, and from remaining savings fund tuition credits for educational aides. Requires the Texas Education Agency to accept and make available gifts, grants, and donations made to the agency for the purpose of funding tuition exemptions for educational aides. SECTION 3. Amends Subchapter D, Chapter 54, Education Code, by adding Section 54.214 as follows: Sec. 54.214. EDUCATIONAL AIDES. (a) Defines "coordinating board." (b) Requires the governing board of an institution of higher education to exempt eligible educational aides from payment of tuition and fees, but not class or laboratory fees. (c) Requires that in order to be eligible for an exemption under this section, a person must be a Texas resident, state-certified as an educational aide, have at least two years of experience working directly with students, be employed as an educational aide while attending college under the exemption, establish financial need, be enrolled in classes leading to a teaching certificate, maintain an acceptable grade point average, and comply with any other requirements adopted by the coordinating board. (d) Requires the coordinating board to determine whether a person is eligible to receive an exemption and must, in turn, notify the educational aide, the appropriate institution of higher education, and the school district employing the educational aide of the determination of eligibility. (e) Requires that the coordinating board adopt rules to implement this section and distribute a copy of the rules to each school district and institution of higher education in this state. SECTION 4. Effective date for changes made by Sections 2 and 3 of this Act take effect beginning with the fall semester, 1997. SECTION 5. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 571 adds language to SECTION 2, Sec. 54.213 (b) which requires the Texas Education Agency to accept and make available gifts, grants, and donations made to the agency for the purpose of providing tuition exemptions for educational aides.