LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 80TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 18, 2007

TO:
Honorable Florence Shapiro, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
 
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
SB553 by Shapleigh (Relating to a dual language education pilot project in certain school districts. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted



Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB553, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($2,950,262) through the biennium ending August 31, 2009.

The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.



Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2008 ($1,463,231)
2009 ($1,487,031)
2010 ($1,426,016)
2011 ($1,426,016)
2012 ($1,426,016)




Fiscal Year Probable Savings/(Cost) from
GENERAL REVENUE FUND
1
2008 ($1,463,231)
2009 ($1,487,031)
2010 ($1,426,016)
2011 ($1,426,016)
2012 ($1,426,016)



Fiscal Year Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2007
2008 2.0
2009 2.0
2010 1.0
2011 1.0
2012 1.0

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would create a dual language educator certification and a dual language education pilot project on not more than 20 campuses statewide.  School districts participating in the pilot project would be required to participate for at least three years, with the first year being a planning year.  The bill would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to conduct an evaluation of the pilot program.

Methodology

No fiscal impact to the state is anticipated associated with the dual language educator certification.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) estimates start-up costs for similar programs at $512 per student served on average. The average per pupil cost for on-going operations of a dual language program is estimated at about $525 per student, with smaller programs experiencing relatively greater per pupil costs and larger programs experiencing relatively lesser per pupil costs.

Based on $512 average per pupil start-up costs and $525 average per pupil operations costs and assuming that 130 students are served per campus on 20 campuses each year, the cost of funding the dual language pilot program grant awards is estimated at about $1.3 million in FY2008 and $1.4 million in each subsequent year.  Costs may vary according to program size.

It is estimated that 2.0 FTEs would be required at TEA to administer the pilot program in the first two years of implementation.  In the subsequent years, through the August 1, 2013 expiration of the pilot period, it is estimated that 1.0 FTE would be required to administer the program.  Associated administrative costs are estimated at about $132,031 in fiscal year 2008, $122,031 in fiscal year 2009, and about $61,016 in each subsequent year through 2013.

It is assumed that the agency would contract with an independent provider for the evaluation required by the bill at an estimated cost of $200,000 allocated across the three-year period between 2011 and 2013.


Local Government Impact

School districts would be eligible to apply to participate in the dual language pilot program and would be assumed to receive funds associated with participation.


Source Agencies:
701 Central Education Agency
LBB Staff:
JOB, JSp, UP, JSc