| TO: | Honorable Rob Eissler, Chair, House Committee on Public Education |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1460 by Shapiro (Relating to professional development academies designed for public school teachers who provide instruction to certain students of limited English proficiency.), As Engrossed |
| Fiscal Year | Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds |
|---|---|
| 2010 | ($6,670,000) |
| 2011 | ($5,770,000) |
| 2012 | ($6,120,000) |
| 2013 | ($5,770,000) |
| 2014 | ($5,770,000) |
| Fiscal Year | Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1 |
|---|---|
| 2010 | ($6,670,000) |
| 2011 | ($5,770,000) |
| 2012 | ($6,120,000) |
| 2013 | ($5,770,000) |
| 2014 | ($5,770,000) |
The bill would require the Commissioner of Education to establish professional development academies for teachers providing instruction to students with limited English proficiency (LEP) in grades 7 and above.
The bill would require attendance at the academies for eligible teachers for whom a deficit in the delivery of instruction to LEP students has been identified through an appraisal process who provide instruction in a special language program, reading, English language arts, mathematics, science, or social students on a campus at which the academic performance of LEP students needs improvement. The bill directs the Commissioner to adopt criteria for the selection of other teachers to participate in the academies.
The bill would entitle participating teachers to a stipend in an amount determined by the Commissioner.
The bill directs the Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs) to assist in the design, establishment, and operation of the academies at the request of the Commissioner.
The bill directs the Commissioner to conduct or contract for a comprehensive evaluation of the academies using a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies including the use of comparison groups. The Commissioner would be required to report the results of the evaluation to the legislature not later than December 1, 2012.
For purposes of this estimate, it is assumed that an academy created under the provisions of the bill would include three days of training and one day of online follow-up content.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) estimates a one-time cost for content development in FY2010 of $900,000.
TEA notes that this training would be allowed for general education teachers who have one or more LEP students in their classroom as well as English as a Second Language teachers. The agency estimates that over 100,000 teachers could be eligible for training, although the subset of teachers required to attend the training under the bill's provisions would be significantly smaller. Based on TEA experience with the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies (TALA) conducted during the 2008-09 biennium, TEA estimates that 8,500 teachers would be trained annually, including teachers providing instruction in special language programs and general education teachers serving LEP students in their classrooms.
Assuming stipends of $500 for teachers for four days of training, the associated cost is estimated at $4.25 million per year. Assuming cost of providing the training at $120 per teacher, the estimated cost of providing training would be $1.02 million annually. Should the agency establish academies that would serve more than 8,500 teachers per year, costs would increase proportionately.
RESCs would coordinate registration and payment of the stipends, participate in the evaluation, and assist with delivery of the training at an estimated cost of $25,000 per RESC annually. The annual cost statewide for 20 RESCs would be $500,000.
An estimated $350,000 in FY2012 would be expended to conduct the evaluation required by the bill.
| Source Agencies: | 701 Central Education Agency
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, JSp, JGM, JSc
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