LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                                May 7, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Teel Bivins, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Education
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB660  by Seaman (Relating to career and technology
               education and training.), As Engrossed
  
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*  No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.        *
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Local Government Impact
  
School districts would be required to alter their site-based decision
making process to include business and industry representation.

School districts would be permitted but not required to provide
instruction in career awareness at the middle and junior high school
level.  Many school districts already make such programs available at the
middle and high school level.  To the extent that school districts make
additional course offerings available at the middle and junior-high
school level, there may be fiscal consequences to those districts.  There
is no impact on the revenues to the district from this expansion of
offerings, since career and technology services at the middle and junior
high school level are not eligible for the weighted funding authorized in
Chapter 42, Education Code.  Schools may need to hire additional faculty
with appropriate certifications in order to provide courses at campuses
that choose to begin offering career awareness programs regularly at the
affected grade levels.

Costs that might be experienced by school districts would include
additional staffing for middle and junior high schools to make career
awareness instruction available in those schools that choose to provide
the instruction.  Because districts have the discretion to choose
whether to offer the career awareness instruction, it is assumed that
local decision-makers will carefully consider any additional costs that
may be incurred before implementing the instructional program.
  
  
Source Agencies:   781   Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 701
                   Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff:         JK, CT, RN