LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
April 18, 1999
TO: Honorable Paul Sadler, Chair, House Committee on Public
Education
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB1129 by Longoria (Relating to the implementation of a
public education curriculum based on scientific
research), As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB1129, As Introduced: negative impact of $(6,223,530) through *
* the biennium ending August 31, 2001. *
* *
* The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal *
* basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of *
* the bill. *
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General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2000 $(6,115,265) *
* 2001 (108,265) *
* 2002 (108,562) *
* 2003 (108,265) *
* 2004 (108,265) *
****************************************************
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Savings/(Cost) from Change in Number of State *
* Year General Revenue Fund Employees from FY 1999 *
* 0001 *
* 2000 $(6,115,265) 2.0 *
* 2001 (108,265) 2.0 *
* 2002 (108,562) 2.0 *
* 2003 (108,265) 2.0 *
* 2004 (108,265) 2.0 *
***************************************************************************
Fiscal Analysis
The bill requires that the state curriculum and graduation requirements
be based on scientific research. The State Board of Education (SBOE),
Regional Education Service Centers RESC's local school districts, and the
State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) would all be required to
take action to implement the provisions of the legislation.
The SBOE is responsible for statewide curriculum development. In order
to ensure that the curriculum is based on scientific research, the staff
of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) would engage in a comprehensive
review of the current curriculum and analyze its components against a
review of the literature on scientific education research.
RESCs would be responsible for implementing a training program for
educators in the new curriculum, and in instructional methods based on
scientific research.
SBEC would be responsible for ensuring that certification standards for
elementary school teachers and principals include a requirement that a
knowledge of educational curricula and teaching methods based on
scientific research be demonstrated.
Finally, local school districts would be required to administer an
assessment instrument to students sent to the principal's office for the
first time. The legislation requires that the assessment be in reading
decoding and comprehension and in mathematics. School districts would
also be required to set educational objectives and implement a
curriculum based on scientific research.
Methodology
This estimate assumes that the cost of the assessment instrument would be
the responsibility of the state, rather than local school districts.
TEA estimates that the cost of developing such an instrument would be
$5.5 million. The bill places this testing requirement in Chapter 37 of
the Education Code, not under the statewide assessment program in
Chapter 39. Therefore, the test cannot be funded as a set aside from the
Compensatory Education Allotment, as is the TAAS test.
This estimate also assumes that the affected agencies would incur
administrative cost to implement the required curriculum and training
components of the bill. The requirement for SBEC to amend certification
requirements for elementary teachers takes effect on September 1, 2000
and expires on January 1, 2001; it is therefore assumed that most of the
cost associated with the SBEC requirements would be borne in the current
biennium. This estimate includes cost for two additional full-time
staff and other administrative costs for implementation of the
legislation.
Local Government Impact
Local school district, Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program
(JJAEP), and RESC operations could be significantly impacted by this
legislation.
TEA estimates that the cost to train all teachers in the state in
scientific research based techniques could cost $224 million, based on
the cost of training recently provided to all kindergarten teachers in
the state on a revised kindergarten curriculum. Local school districts
pay RESC's for services, so a portion of that cost would be passed on to
the districts.
The legislation requires that students sent to the principal's office be
given a reading and mathematics assessment and, if the student does not
demonstrate certain competencies, place that student in a corrective
program. Students entering JJAEP's would also be required to take the
assessment. Costs for administering the instrument and for the
corrective program depend on how many students are sent to the
principal's office, or in the case of the JJAEP's, on how many students
are not performing at grade level.
Source Agencies: 701 Texas Education Agency - Administration
LBB Staff: JK, CT, UP