LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
May 15, 2001
TO: Honorable James E. "Pete" Laney, Speaker of the House,
House of Representatives
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB1475 by Kitchen (Relating to master technology teacher
certification, grants, and stipends.), As Passed 2nd House
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB1475, As Passed 2nd House: negative impact of $(502,829) *
* 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 $(260,417) *
* 2003 (242,412) *
* 2004 (2,688,495) *
* 2005 (7,273,495) *
* 2006 (8,585,295) *
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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 $(260,417) 1.0 *
* 2003 (242,412) 1.0 *
* 2004 (2,688,495) 1.0 *
* 2005 (7,273,495) 1.0 *
* 2006 (8,585,295) 1.0 *
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Fiscal Analysis
The bill establishes the Master Technology Teacher Grant Program, and
related teacher training, testing, and certification. The provisions of
the bill would require the Commissioner of Education to establish and
develop rules to implement a program to give $5,000 stipends to master
technology teachers. Priority would be given to master technology
teachers in high-need districts and charters as designated by the
commissioner.
The bill would require the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC)
to establish a master technology teacher certificate (MTT). MTT
certification would require candidates to satisfy either of the
following conditions: (1) already hold a technology applications
certificate, complete a course of study the bill prescribes, and
satisfactorily perform on an examination prescribed by SBEC; or (2) hold
a teaching certificate, have at least three years of teaching
experience, complete the prescribed course of study, and satisfactorily
perform on the prescribed examination.
Methodology
Section 1 of the bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish
a master technology teacher grant program (MTT program or program) to
encourage teachers to obtain MTT certification and to help other teachers
also achieve such certification. This fiscal note assumes that,
beginning in fiscal year 2004, 750 candidates would take the MTT exam,
and 525 or 70 percent will pass and be eligible for $5,000 stipends. The
result would be partial year stipends, for a total stipend cost in
fiscal year 2004 of $2,625,000. From fiscal year 2005 through fiscal
2006, the number of examinees and qualified certificate applicants is
expected to rise eight percent each year.
SBEC would incur test-development costs for the new exam and would need
one additional employee to oversee development of the test and approval
of MTT training programs offering the prescribed course of study. For the
2002-2003 biennium, total development and program administration costs
for SBEC are estimated to be $503,000. For future fiscal years, the
cost is projected to be $63,500.
SBEC would realize additional fee revenue from giving the new
MTT-certificate exam and issuing the new MTT certificate. The agency
estimates that the state would gain $29,880 in fiscal year 2004, and
increasing amounts in subsequent years as the number of MTT test-takers
and certificate holders rises.
Local Government Impact
Payment of additional stipend amounts and reporting teacher information
should be a relatively minimal impact for school districts.
School districts that assign technology teachers to mentoring other
teachers may need to employ additional staff to take over the teaching
duties the master teacher formerly performed. The localized impact of
the master teacher assignment will vary widely depending on each district
and campus's specific staffing patterns and current practice.
Source Agencies: 701 Texas Education Agency, 705 State Board for
Educator Certification
LBB Staff: JK, CT, RN