LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
March 13, 2001
TO: Honorable Paul Sadler, Chair, House Committee on Public
Education
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB946 by Telford (Relating to character education
programs in public schools and in certain alternative
education programs.), As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB946, As Introduced: negative impact of $(5,166,178) through the *
* biennium ending August 31, 2003. *
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General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Net Impact:
****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2002 $(2,608,089) *
* 2003 (2,558,089) *
* 2004 (2,608,089) *
* 2005 (2,558,089) *
* 2006 (2,608,089) *
****************************************************
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Savings/(Cost) from Change in Number of State *
* Year General Revenue Fund Employees from FY 2001 *
* 0001 *
* 2002 $(2,608,089) 1.0 *
* 2003 (2,558,089) 1.0 *
* 2004 (2,608,089) 1.0 *
* 2005 (2,558,089) 1.0 *
* 2006 (2,608,089) 1.0 *
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Fiscal Analysis
This bill authorizes, but does not require school districts to implement
character education programs. If a district so chooses, the program must
conform to certain parameters set out in the legislation. The Texas
Education Agency (TEA) is requested in the bill to maintain list of
programs that conform to those parameters. The district must also
involve parents in selection of the district's character education
program.
TEA would be required to review and evaluate the effectiveness of
character education programs, and assess the impact of such programs on
student discipline, academic achievement, and other performance
indicators; the agency's findings would be included in a comprehensive,
biennial report to the legislature.
The bill would require TEA to award grants to school districts for
implementing and providing innovative character education programs from
funds appropriated for that purpose. School districts would be
authorized to recognize individual campuses for character education
programs, classes, teachers, and students. The district would be
authorized to provide a monetary or other type of award and to use
district or community funds for such awards.
School districts would be required to include character education
programs meeting the requirements listed for the voluntary program above
in disciplinary alternative education programs DAEP's required under
Chapter 37.008 Education Code.
Juvenile justice alternative education programs (JJAEP's), operated in
counties with more than 125,000 residents, would also be required to
included character education programs meeting the requirements listed
above. The bill would not increase the current $59 per student per day
in attendance rate the Juvenile Probation Commission is required to
allocate under current law to the JJAEP's.
Methodology
There would be a fiscal impact to the TEA associated with the creation of
a new function related to character education programs. The agency
would be responsible for constructing, maintaining, and distributing a
list of district-approved character education programs. The agency would
also be responsible for awarding grants for the purpose of implementing
and providing innovative character education programs. In addition, the
agency would be responsible for a biennial review and evaluation of
character education programs, and incorporating the results into the
biennial report.
In order to annually identify and distribute a list of district-approved
character education programs, award grants, and monitor contractual
biennial evaluation activities, it is estimated that an additional TEA
employee would be required.
The bill provides the basis for an appropriation but makes no
appropriation for grants to school districts for innovative character
education programs. Assuming an average grant award of $50,000 and
awards to approximately 50 districts statewide each year, the annual
grant cost would be $2,500,000.
The bill requires review and evaluation of the effectiveness of character
education programs approved by school districts. It is assumed that the
initial evaluation would begin in fiscal year 2002 with results reported
in the next biennial report (2003). As noted above, it is assumed that
the review and evaluation would include a contracted activity, with a
price of approximately $50,000 every two years.
Local Government Impact
School districts would be required to adopt a character education
curriculum for use in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs. To
the extent they choose to offer it to all students, local costs would
increase. It is assumed that the grants program would offset the cost of
the program in those districts receiving the award.
JJAEP's are currently allocated $59 per attendance day for mandatory
placements. The character education requirement would represent an
additional cost to such programs, but would not increase their state
per-student allocation.
Source Agencies: 701 Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff: JK, CT, UP