C.S.H.B. 2102 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 2102 By: Wong Public Education Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND Currently, neither the Texas Education Agency or local school districts have a program that allows contract teachers to take a sabbatical. PURPOSE C.S.H.B. 2102 would permit school districts to grant a sabbatical to teachers who meet certain requirements. 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. 2102 amends the Education Code to permit a school board to grant a sabbatical to a teacher who has at least 10 years of experience and meets certain requirements set by the board. The sabbatical is not to exceed two regularly scheduled semesters or, if the teacher is assigned to a school operated on a year-round system, an equivalent period. The bill requires that another teacher teach each class otherwise taught by the teacher on sabbatical. The cost of the sabbatical may be paid for with federal funds, funds or grants awarded to, or funds donated to the school district. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2003 COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 2102 modifies the original version by reducing from 20 to 10 the number of years experience a teacher must have to be eligible for a sabbatical. C.S.H.B. 2102 modifies the original version by requiring a teacher, rather than an administrator, to teach the classes otherwise taught by the teacher on sabbatical.