| TO: | Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB2893 by Hochberg (Relating to the technology demonstration sites project. ), As Passed 2nd House |
The bill would convert the existing technology immersion pilot project (TIP), which expires August 31, 2011, into the technology demonstration sites project (TDSP). The TDSP would end August 31, 2013.
The bill would allow the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to establish sites in school districts or campuses that would demonstrate the use of technology for improving teaching and learning, leverage digital tools and resources to extend learning opportunities from school to home, and exemplify instructional practices and lessons that support learning in the classroom and home. The TDSP would be required to leverage existing home computing devices or provide access through electronic device check-out to extend learning at home.
TEA would be required to select at least five districts, with at least one TDSP to include students in grades 6 through 12. The TEA could select at least one entire school district.
The bill would require the commissioner of education to implement procedures for distributing to participating schools any surplus or salvage data processing equipment made available to the program or computers donated or purchased for that purpose with funds from any available source. The bill would require the commissioner, by January 1 of each year, to submit to the legislature a report regarding the program.
The bill stipulates that if a state agency's surplus or salvage data processing equipment is not transferred to another entity, the state agency would make the equipment available to the commissioner of education for use in the computer lending pilot program. The bill would require that if the surplus or salvage data processing equipment of a state charity organization or an institution or agency of higher education is not disposed of under other law, the entity make the equipment available to the commissioner of education for use in the computer lending pilot program.
The pilot program and its enabling legislation would expire September 1, 2014.
According to the Texas Education Agency, implementation would require one additional Program Specialist VI position, including approximately $68,500 in salary and benefits, to assist with establishing procedures to administer the pilot program and preparing the required annual report. The position would also be responsible for writing commissioner rules for the program, tracking inventory of computer-based equipment at the state level, and providing technical assistance. Other operating costs, for a cubicle, a PC, a phone, and supplies for the new position, would be $16,000 in fiscal year 2010. Other operating costs would be $8,000 annually in subsequent fiscal years.
A school district could apply to participate in the TDSP. Participating school districts would have to send an annual progress report to the TEA by August 1 of each year. A participating school district could incur some administrative costs related to participation in the TDSP. Costs would vary depending on a district's level of participation. Any costs would end with the 2012–2013 school year, when the TDSP expires.
Participating schools would incur costs to operate computer lending programs and to develop these programs if they did not already operate them. Costs would vary depending on the size of the program a school chose to operate.
| Source Agencies: | 701 Central Education Agency
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, SD, JGM, JSp, RN
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