BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 196
S/C on Base Realignment & Closure
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Tens of thousands of military dependent students from other states and overseas will relocate to Texas over the next few years due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions and the relocation of active duty service members. Additionally, children of Texas-based soldiers serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom face a special set of challenges, whether it be adjusting to a new school and community or the fact that one or both parents are stationed abroad in a war zone. S.B. 196 helps schools focus on the particular needs of children transferring due to BRAC, as well as the students whose parents are serving abroad in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As proposed, S.B. 196 entitles a school district to an additional annual allotment for each student who is a military dependent and authorizes the use of the funds only for certain purposes. The bill caps the amount appropriated for the allotments at $9.9 million per year and authorizes the commissioner of education to adjust allotments proportionally if that cap is exceeded.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 42.152, Education Code, by adding Subsections (s), (s-1), (s-2), and (s-3), as follows:
(s) Entitles a school district, in addition to the allotment provided under Subsection (a) (relating to an allotment for certain educationally disadvantaged students), to an annual allotment equal to $650:
(1) for each student in average daily attendance who has a parent or guardian who is serving on active duty in a combat zone as a member of the armed forces of the United States; and
(2) for each student in average daily attendance who has a parent or guardian serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States and has transferred to a campus in the district during the school year as a result of a change in residence because of an action taken under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (10 U.S.C. Section 2687).
(s-1) Authorizes a school district, notwithstanding any other provision of this section, to use funds allotted to the district under Subsection (s) only to provide supplemental programs and services described by Subsection (c) (relating to design to eliminate any disparity in performance on assessment instruments or high school completion) for students described by Subsection (s) who are enrolled in the district.
(s-2) Prohibits the amount appropriated for allotments under Subsection (s) from exceeding $9.9 million in a school year. Requires the commissioner of education to reduce each district's allotment under Subsection (s) proportionally if the total amount of allotments to which districts are entitled under that subsection for a school year exceeds the amount appropriated for allotments under that subsection.
(s-3) Provides that Subsections (s), (s-1), (s-2), and this subsection expire September 1, 2012.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2009.