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: HB1475 by Kitchen (Relating to master technology teacher
certification, grants, and stipends.), As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB1475, As Introduced: negative impact of $(1,315,579) 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 (1,055,162) *
* 2004 (4,345,120) *
* 2005 (7,172,650) *
* 2006 (8,484,382) *
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All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
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*Fiscal Probable Probable Revenue Change in Number of *
* Year Savings/(Cost) from Gain/(Loss) from State Employees from *
* General Revenue Fund Certification and FY 2001 *
* 0001 Assessment Fees *
* (General Revenue *
* Fund) *
* 0751 *
* 2002 $(260,417) $0 1.0 *
* 2003 (1,117,412) 62,250 1.0 *
* 2004 (4,438,495) 93,375 1.0 *
* 2005 (7,273,495) 100,845 1.0 *
* 2006 (8,585,295) 100,913 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 and complete a course of study the bill prescribes; or (2)
hold a teaching certificate, have at least three years of teaching
experience, and complete the prescribed course of study. SBEC may
prescribe other requirements for either or both of the categories of
candidates. Requirements for the certificate include teaching
experience, applicable course-work and training and peer-mentoring
techniques. SBEC may also establish collaborative training courses on
the topics.
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 500
candidates would take the MTT exam, and 350 or 70 percent would pass it
in the spring of fiscal year 2003. The result would be partial year
stipends, for a total stipend cost in fiscal year 2003 of $875,000.
Assuming that 525 qualify for certification in fiscal year 2004, the cost
would rise to $4,375,000
The bill does not require candidates to pass an exam, but this cost
estimate assumes the author intends SBEC to prescribe an MTT test.
Consequently, 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. A total of 500
candidates are projected to take the exam during the second half of
fiscal year 2003, the first year of administration, and pay $72 each or
a total of $36,000. Out of this group of examinees, 70 percent or 350 of
them are projected to pass and to satisfy other MTT-certification
requirements and thus each pay the $75 certification fee for a total of
$26,250. In fiscal year 2004, the first full year of testing, SBEC
projects 750 will test and 525 will qualify for certification. From FY
2005 through FY 2007, the number of examinees and qualified certificate
applicants is expected to rise eight percent each year.
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