HBA-NRS H.B. 3313 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3313
By: Dunnam
Public Education
4/3/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law authorizes the commissioner of education (commissioner) to
except a school district from a class size limit if the commissioner finds
the limit works an undue hardship on the district. Waiver exceptions may be
granted for hardships such as teacher shortages, facilities shortages, or
unanticipated enrollment growth. School districts who ask for waivers must
submit a compliance plan that states how the districts will meet class size
requirements. House Bill 3313 requires that a campus or district that is
granted an exception from the commissioner from the 22 student per class
limit to provide written notice of the exception to the parent of or a
person standing in parental relation to each student. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 3313 amends the Education Code to require that a campus or
district that is granted an exception from the commissioner of education
(commissioner) from the 22 student per class limit to provide written
notice of the exception to the parent of or a person standing in parental
relation to each student affected by the exception not later than the 31st
day after the first day of the school year or the date the exception is
granted, if the exception is granted after the beginning of the school
year. The bill requires the Texas Education Agency to include in the
regional and district level report to certain state officials the number of
campuses and classes at each campus, rather than the number of districts,
granted class size exceptions and the performance rating of each campus
granted an exception to class size. The bill prohibits the commissioner
from granting an exception for more than two consecutive semesters at any
one campus.  
EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.