By:  Lucio                                             S.B. No. 538
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to a study of duties performed by public school
 1-3     counselors.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  (a)  The comptroller of public accounts shall
 1-6     conduct a comprehensive statewide study of the duties public school
 1-7     counselors perform.
 1-8           (b)  In conducting the study, the comptroller of public
 1-9     accounts shall:
1-10                 (1)  include all public school counselors, regardless
1-11     of whether the counselors are employed by a school district that
1-12     receives funds as provided by Subsection (i), Section 42.152,
1-13     Education Code;
1-14                 (2)  determine the percentage of total employment time
1-15     public school counselors spend in performing:
1-16                       (A)  duties relating to:
1-17                             (i)  assessment and testing;
1-18                             (ii)  schedule changes;
1-19                             (iii)  group counseling;
1-20                             (iv)  individual counseling;
1-21                             (v)  parent conferences;
1-22                             (vi)  teacher conferences;
1-23                             (vii)  admission, review, and dismissal
1-24     meetings; and
1-25                             (viii)  provision of information concerning
 2-1     institutions of higher education;
 2-2                       (B)  each duty described by Section 33.005 or
 2-3     33.006, Education Code, that is not addressed by Paragraph (A) of
 2-4     this subdivision; and
 2-5                       (C)  each additional duty not addressed by
 2-6     Paragraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision that public school
 2-7     counselors perform, as identified by the comptroller; and
 2-8                 (3)  determine the public school counselor-to-student
 2-9     ratio statewide and in each school district at the elementary,
2-10     middle or junior high, and high school levels.
2-11           (c)  Not later than January 1, 2003, the comptroller of
2-12     public accounts shall submit a report to the legislature containing
2-13     the findings and any recommendations resulting from the study.
2-14           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
2-15                          COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1
2-16           Amend SB 538 as follows;
2-17           On page 2, line 1, strike, [institutions of higher], and
2-18     insert career awareness and postsecondary.
2-19                                                                Oliveira