C.S.H.B. 558 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 558 By: Grusendorf Public Education Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND Under current law, a person who is employed as a teacher by a school district for the first time, or who has not been employed by the district for two consecutive school years subsequent to August 28, 1967, is required to be employed under a probationary contract. Teacher contract laws do not allow a school district to hire a former teacher who has had a lapse in service from that school district on a probationary contract, if the teacher had attained term or continuing contract status in that district before the lapse in service. This discourages school districts from rehiring experienced teachers who are not currently teaching. Retired educators or other teachers with a lapse in service are generally employed under a term contract if they return to service. Probationary contracts allow school districts a greater latitude over personnel policies without the administration cost associated with a term contract. PURPOSE The purpose of C.S.H.B. 558 is to provide school districts more flexibility to hire an experienced teacher under a probationary contract when the teacher retires and then returns to service. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 558 amends the Education Code to specify that a person previously employed as a teacher by a district may be employed under a probationary contract after at least a two-year lapse in district employment. This Act applies beginning with the 2003-2004 school year. EFFECTIVE DATE Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2003. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 558 modifies the original version by specifying that a person previously employed as a teacher by a district may be employed under a probationary contract after at least a two-year lapse in district employment.