LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
April 17, 2001
TO: Honorable Paul Sadler, Chair, House Committee on Public
Education
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB1407 by McCall (Relating to participation in school
district services and activities by home-schooled
students.), As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB1407, As Introduced: negative impact of $(152,625,000) 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. *
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General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:
****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2002 $(51,125,000) *
* 2003 (101,500,000) *
* 2004 (151,875,000) *
* 2005 (202,250,000) *
* 2006 (252,625,000) *
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All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Savings/(Cost) from Probable Savings/(Cost) from *
* Year Foundation School Fund State Textbook Fund *
* 0193 0003 *
* 2002 $(50,000,000) $(1,125,000) *
* 2003 (100,000,000) (1,500,000) *
* 2004 (150,000,000) (1,875,000) *
* 2005 (200,000,000) (2,250,000) *
* 2006 (250,000,000) (2,625,000) *
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Fiscal Analysis
The bill allow the part-time enrollment of a home-schooled student in a
public school upon written agreement between the district and the child's
parent or guardian. Students enrolled on a part-time basis would
participate in classes on the same basis as regularly enrolled students.
School districts would be prohibited from charging tuition for part-time
enrollment but would be allowed to charge all applicable fees that are
charged to regularly enrolled students.
The bill allows school districts to receive funding for the average daily
attendance of home-schooled students, who are enrolled part-time,
participate in an on-line course, use an off-campus laboratory or other
facility, receive textbooks, or participate in an extracurricular
activity. School districts would be allowed to count participating
home-schooled students' attendance as full-day attendance for any day
that a home-schooled student receives services or textbooks or
participates in a course or extracurricular activity.
The bill permits a school district to furnish textbooks without cost to a
home-schooled student.
The bill prohibits a school district from administering state-mandated
assessment instruments (TAAS) to a home-schooled student included in a
school district's average daily attendance.
Methodology
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) based this cost estimates on figures
provided by the Texas Home School Coalition. Based on those figures,
TEA assumes, for the purpose of this fiscal note, that the total
population of home-schooled children is about 250,000 children. Under
the bill, a school district is allowed to count a home-school student in
attendance for a full-day for funding purposes for any school days for
which a service or textbook is provided. The maximum implication for
state aid, if all of the estimated home-school population were counted in
full-day attendance for a full school year, would be about $1.0 billion.
However, it is not likely that the entire population of home-schooled
students would participate in a manner requiring full funding.
For the purpose of this estimate, it is assumed that the average daily
attendance (ADA) generated by the participation of home-schooled students
would initially be equivalent to about five percent of home-schooled
student population (12,500) increasing over time to about 25 percent of
the population (62,500). It is assumed that the attendance attributed to
participating home-schooled students would be based on the provision of
a textbook for a single course per student (for example, mathematics
textbooks). Textbook costs are estimated at $60 per textbook plus $30
per consumable for a total of about $90 per participating student.
As noted above, it is assumed that state aid generated by attendance
attributed to home-schooled students would initially represent about
12,500 ADA increasing to 62,500 ADA at full implementation. The cost of
textbooks shown above would be for the incremental increase in the
number of textbooks needed each year plus the annual cost of
consumables, assuming that the textbooks would returned to the district
by home-school students after instruction to be reassigned to other
home-schooled students.
Local Government Impact
School districts would incur additional costs associated with serving
participating home-schooled students. However, these costs would be
offset by the additional revenue generated through the attendance
attributed to these students.
Source Agencies: 701 Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff: JK, CT, RN