81(R) SB 548 - Engrossed version

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


May 11, 2009

TO:	Honorable Rob Eissler, Chair, House Committee on Public Education

FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	SB548 by Zaffirini (Relating to public school accountability for bilingual education and English as a second language and other special language programs.), As Engrossed

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB548, As Engrossed: a negative impact of ($1,765,300) through the biennium ending August 31, 2011.

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

General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2010	($781,561)
2011	($983,739)
2012	($959,739)
2013	($1,174,112)
2014	($1,150,112)

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1	Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2009
2010	($781,561)	9.0
2011	($983,739)	12.0
2012	($959,739)	12.0
2013	($1,174,112)	14.5
2014	($1,150,112)	14.5

The bill would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to disaggregate academic excellence indicators for bilingual and English as a Second Language (special language programs) at the school district, campus, and open-enrollment charter school level and would create additional indicators. New indicators include comparative data regarding grade-level retention rates of students of limited English proficieny (LEP students) and non-LEP students, comparative data regarding the performance on state assessments of LEP and non-LEP students, and comparative data regarding the dropout rate betwen LEP and non-LEP students.

The bill would require that lead monitors of bilingual and special language programs be certified for bilingual education, English as a Second Language, or other special language programs. Emergency endorsements would not qualifiy as certification for these purposes.

TEA would be required to notify school districts or charter schools of a campus that is non-compliant with respect to bilingual or special language programs in writing within 30 days after an intervention begins. The bill specifies areas that school districts and charter schools would be required to review in response to notification of intervention.

The bill would require TEA to review annual improvement in bilingual or special language programs in relation to annual improvement goals set by the school district or charter school.

TEA estimates that the provisions of the bill would require 8.0 additional FTEs in the Performance Based Monitoring division at a cost of $708,663 in FY2010 and $644,663 in each subsequent year, inclusive of salary, benefits, and other expenses.

TEA estimates that the provisions of bill would result in additional on-site monitoring visits, which would require 1.0 FTE in FY2010 at a cost of $72,897, 4.0 FTEs in FY2011 and FY2012 at a cost of $327,576 in FY2011 and $303,576 in FY2012, and 6.5 FTEs in FY2013 and FY2014 at a cost of $512,949 in FY2013 and $488,949 in FY2014. All FTE costs are inclusive of salary, benefits, and other expenses. Travel expenses are estimated at $10,000 annually in FY2011 and FY2012 and $15,000 annually in FY2013 and FY2014.

Costs for training and certification of monitors serving as lead monitors to comply with the provisions of the bill are estimated at $1,500 per year beginning in FY2011.

Local Government Impact

School districts and open-enrollment charter schools might incur additional costs related to interventions if programs were found to be ineffective or related to corrective actions if the districts or schools failed to meet one or more annual improvement goals.