LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  April 8, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Teel Bivins, Chair            IN RE:  Senate Bill No. 1627
          Committee on Education                              By: Duncan
          Senate
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB1627 ( Relating 
to the provision of certain comparison data for public school 
districts.) this office has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by SB1627-As Introduced
         
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.


         

         
 
          
This bill would relate to the provision of certain comparison 
data for public school districts.  The bill would direct the 
Texas Education Agency to make available on the Internet  information 
on students, student performance, staffing and financing of 
public schools using data from the Public Education Information 
Management System (PEIMS).   The bill would also direct the 
State Auditor's Office (SAO) to discontinue publication of the 
annual Savings Profile System for Texas School Districts reports. 
 The Texas Education Agency shall make available upon request 
to school districts a report containing data comparable to that 
provided in the Savings Profile until TEA makes the information 
available on the Internet.  

The Texas Performance Review 
published by the Comptroller of Public Accounts included a recommendation 
to eliminate the SAO's Savings Profile publication.  The savings 
associated with discontinuation of the report is estimated to 
be $80,000.  This fiscal note assumes that any additional cost 
to the Texas Education Agency associated with including data 
comparable to that of the Savings Profile would be offset by 
the commensurate reduction in the SAO. 

The Texas Education 
Agency currently makes available aggregated school district 
data via the agency's Internet Web page.   Data can be printed 
and downloaded from the site, but there is no query capability. 
 This estimate assumes that the current method of dissemination 
(the Web page) is sufficient to meet the requirements on the 
bill.  It is reasonable to assume that if the legislation intends 
broader capability (such as increased query capability) that 
there would be a cost to the agency.  

No fiscal implication 
to units of local government is anticipated.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   308   State Auditor's Office
                                         304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
                                         701   Texas Education Agency - Administration
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,LP ,UP