LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              April 4, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Paul Sadler, Chair, House Committee on Public
               Education
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB79  by Gallego (Relating to computation of the number
               of educationally disadvantaged students in certain public
               school districts.), As Introduced
  
**************************************************************************
*  Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for    *
*  HB79, As Introduced:  negative impact of $(9,600,000) through the     *
*  biennium ending August 31, 2003.                                      *
*                                                                        *
*  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                *
          *       2002                         $(4,800,000)  *
          *       2003                          (4,800,000)  *
          *       2004                          (4,800,000)  *
          *       2005                          (4,800,000)  *
          *       2006                          (4,800,000)  *
          ****************************************************
  
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
  
         *****************************************************
         * Fiscal Year      Probable Savings/(Cost) from      *
         *                     Foundation School Fund         *
         *                              0193                  *
         *      2002                             $(4,800,000) *
         *      2003                              (4,800,000) *
         *      2004                              (4,800,000) *
         *      2005                              (4,800,000) *
         *      2006                              (4,800,000) *
         *****************************************************
  
Fiscal Analysis
  
The bill authorizes the commissioner to adopt rules that would allow for
counting certain students for compensatory education allotment purposes
(Texas Education Code  42.152) that are educated in districts or schools
that do not participate in the national school lunch program.  Under
current law, the basis for funding most of the compensatory education
allotment is the best six-month average of participation in the national
school lunch program.
  
  
Methodology
  
At the present time, there are 81 school districts or open-enrollment
charter schools eligible for participation in the Foundation School
Program that do not participate in the national school lunch program.
For the 1999-2000 school year, there were 12,795 students enrolled at
those school districts and open-enrollment charter schools, of whom 1,796
were reported as low-income.

There are 113 individual campuses that have chosen not to participate in
the program in districts that do have some participation.  For the
1999-2000 school year, there were 18,164 students enrolled at these
schools, of whom 2,563 were reported as low-income.

Within the Foundation School Program, the average amount allotted by the
compensatory education allotment is $569.  Because the districts that do
not participate in the school lunch program are generally small, an
average allotment of $700 is assumed for purposes of this estimate. Each
student would generate additional funding through the guaranteed yield
program, estimated at approximately $400.

Because the funding implications of this bill depend upon on the precise
wording of a rule yet to be adopted, this estimate can approximates the
final result.  Using the low-income students reported in 1999-2000 at
campuses and districts not participating in the national school lunch
program as a guide for the number of students that would qualify under a
commissioner rule, the impact would be approximately $4.8 million in
additional annual state costs.
  
  
Local Government Impact
  
School districts would receive additional revenue in the same amount
reflected as a state cost.  The additional revenue stream would continue
beyond the five-year time period covered by this fiscal note.
  
  
Source Agencies:   701   Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff:         JK, CT, PF, RN