By Flores                                             H.B. No. 2442
         77R8060 ESH-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to minimum salaries for educational aides employed by
 1-3     school districts.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Subchapter I, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 21.4031 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 21.4031.  MINIMUM SALARY SCHEDULE FOR EDUCATIONAL AIDES.
 1-8     (a)  A school district must pay each educational aide not less than
 1-9     the minimum annual salary, based on the employee's level of
1-10     experience, determined by the following schedule and any adjustment
1-11     to that schedule required by Subsection (b):
1-12     Years Experience       0         1         2         3         4   
1-13     Annual Salary        16,500    17,000    17,500    18,000    18,500
1-14     Years Experience       5         6         7         8         9   
1-15     Annual Salary        19,000    19,500    20,000    20,500    21,000
1-16     Years Experience      10        11        12        13        14   
1-17     Annual Salary        21,500    22,000    22,500    23,000    23,500
1-18     Years Experience      15        16        17        18        19   
1-19     Annual Salary        24,000    24,500    25,000    25,500    26,000
1-20     Years Experience      20   
1-21     Annual Salary        26,500
1-22           (b)  Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, the minimum
1-23     annual salary required under Subsection (a) for a particular level
1-24     of experience is increased each year by the greater of:
 2-1                 (1)  the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index
 2-2     for All Urban Consumers, published by the Bureau of Labor
 2-3     Statistics of the United States Department of Labor, from the
 2-4     preceding September to September of the year for which the
 2-5     computation is made;
 2-6                 (2)  the percentage change in the minimum salary
 2-7     schedule for certain professional staff under Section 21.402 from
 2-8     the preceding September to September of the year in which the
 2-9     computation is made; or
2-10                 (3)  five percent.
2-11           (c)  The minimum annual salary required under Subsection (a)
2-12     is based on employment of an educational aide under a 10-month
2-13     contract under which the educational aide provides the number of
2-14     days of service required to be provided by an educator under
2-15     Section 21.401.  A school district shall pay an educational aide
2-16     employed under a different arrangement an adjusted salary that
2-17     proportionately reflects the different number of days of service
2-18     provided by the educational aide.
2-19           SECTION 2. (a)  Section 21.4031, Education Code, as added by
2-20     this Act, applies beginning with the 2001-2002 school year.
2-21           (b)  In placing an educational aide on the minimum annual
2-22     salary schedule prescribed by Section 21.4031, Education Code, as
2-23     added by this Act, a school district shall credit the educational
2-24     aide for each year of experience as an educational aide, regardless
2-25     of whether the experience was gained before, during, or after the
2-26     2001-2002 school year.
2-27           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 3-1     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
 3-2     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
 3-3     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
 3-4     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.