BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 824
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Section 46.006, Education Code, provides procedures for prioritizing funding of instructional facilities under the instructional facilities allotment (IFA) in the event that insufficient funds are appropriated to cover all submitted requests for aid. Districts that have submitted a qualified request for IFA funding are ranked from poorest to wealthiest and their requests are funded until the limit of funds appropriated has been reached. Adjustments are made if a district did not receive funding for a project in the prior biennium, if a district has had a growth rate over the preceding five years of at least 10 percent (with successively higher preference for higher rates of growth), or if a district has no outstanding debt at the time of application.
Some Texas school districts may receive a substantial and sudden influx of new students as a result of troop realignments under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (BRAC). This might be sufficient to qualify a smaller district for some preference under the fast-growth provision of current law, but the impact averaged over five years may be insufficient to provide preference for a larger district, even if that district must suddenly construct one or more new schools or substantially expand existing instructional facilities.
As proposed, S.B. 824 adds an additional preference for facilities to be constructed in districts with significant growth substantially related to the enrollment of children of military personnel as a result of BRAC, as determined by the commissioner of education. This would assure that these children, as well as the children of military personnel already stationed at those bases, would have appropriate facilities for their education available in a timely manner. The provision may also assist in portraying Texas military bases as suitable sites to receive personnel from bases being closed under BRAC.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 46.006, Education Code, by adding Subsection (c-1) and amending Subsection (d), as follows:
(c-1) Reduces a school district's wealth per student by 25 percent for purposes of this section if the district has had significant student enrollment growth that, as determined by the commissioner of education, is substantially related to the enrollment of children of military personnel transferred to a military base near the district following the closure or realignment of another military base under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990. Provides that the reduction is in addition to any reduction under Subsection (a), (b), or (c) (pertaining to the reduction of a district's wealth per student) and is computed before the district's wealth per student is reduced under those subsections, if applicable.
(d) Makes a conforming change.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2005.