LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 76th Regular Session
  
                              April 26, 1999
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Teel Bivins, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Education
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  SB3  by Bivins (relating to master reading teaching
               certification, grants, and stipends), Committee Report
               1st House, Substituted
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  SB3, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted:  negative impact of     *
*  $(12,350,000) 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.                                                             *
**************************************************************************
  
General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
          ****************************************************
          *  Fiscal Year  Probable Net Positive/(Negative)   *
          *               Impact to General Revenue Related  *
          *                             Funds                *
          *       2000                           $(350,000)  *
          *       2001                         (12,000,000)  *
          *       2002                         (12,000,000)  *
          *       2003                         (12,000,000)  *
          *       2004                         (12,000,000)  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
         *****************************************************
         * Fiscal Year      Probable Savings/(Cost) from      *
         *                      General Revenue Fund          *
         *                              0001                  *
         *      2000                               $(350,000) *
         *      2001                             (12,000,000) *
         *      2002                             (12,000,000) *
         *      2003                             (12,000,000) *
         *      2004                             (12,000,000) *
         *****************************************************
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill would create a master reading teacher grant program. The
commissioner of education would make grants to school districts and
charter schools to pay stipends to selected certified master reading
teachers who teach a high-need campuses.  High-need campuses would be
identified by criteria established in the  commissioner's rules,
including performance on the TAAS reading test.  Although grant would be
reduced based on the amounts appropriated, the bill would

Also, the State Board for Educator Certification would be required to
develop and issue a master reading teacher certificate to each eligible
person.
  
  
Methodology
  
This note estimates that the commissioner will issue grants totaling $12
million each year beginning in fiscal year 2001.  Also, the note
includes $350,000 in fiscal year 2000 for the development of master
reading teacher standards and the master reading teacher exam by the
State Board for Educator Certification.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
School districts would receive additional state funding for master
reading teaching grants, estimated at $12 million per year beginning in
the second year of the 2000-01 biennium.
  
  
Source Agencies:   
LBB Staff:         JK, CT, RN