SRC-JJJ S.B. 592 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 592 76R6201 ESH-DBy: Shapiro Education 3/25/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, Texas law provides a school facilities assistance program. If a shortage exists in the program, the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency is instructed to rank applicants by wealth per student, while taking into consideration only whether a school district was denied assistance in the previous biennium. Fast-growth districts are school districts which enrolled at last 2,500 students in the 1997-1998 school year, and have experienced growth rates that exceed the state average of 10 percent over the past five years. S.B. 592 would allow include "fast-growth" status to be considered along with school district wealth as factors for consideration of the school facilities assistance program. PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 592 establishes state assistance for school facilities in certain fast-growth school districts. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 46.006, Education Code, to establish that a school district's wealth per student is reduced if a district has had substantial student enrollment growth in the preceding five-year period. Provides that the reduction is, in addition to certain other reductions, computed after the district's wealth per student is reduced. Sets forth percentages by which a school district's wealth per student is reduced. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.