LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 29, 2009

TO:	Honorable Florence Shapiro, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB2083 by Shapiro (relating to outcome measurement and reporting concerning school district and open-enrollment charter school special education programs and grants to public school entitites that perform well on the measurements. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB2083, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($6,061,236) 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	($3,428,312)
2011	($2,632,924)
2012	($2,670,484)
2013	($2,670,484)
2014	($2,670,484)

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	($3,428,312)	6.5
2011	($2,632,924)	6.5
2012	($2,670,484)	6.5
2013	($2,670,484)	6.5
2014	($2,670,484)	6.5

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to develop an Internet-based data collection platform to survey current and former special education students and their parents.  TEA would be required to develop a survey instrument regarding specified topics related to special education services.  TEA would be required to conduct surveys for current students in special education programs at specified ages, for graduates who were served by special education programs one year and five years after graduation, and for students served by special education services who withdrew from the district or the program as soon as practicable after their withdrawal. 
 
TEA would be required to publish current and historical survey results on the Internet and to provide relative performance statistics for school districts, campuses, and schools among peers in the state and nation based on student outcomes and other indicators determined appropriate by the agency.
 
TEA would be required to develop a special education snapshot indicating performance of special education students, disaggregated by disability and grade or age, that school districts and charter schools would be required to provide to parents of all students participating in special education programs.
 
The bill would create the special education success grant program which would provide funding to school districts and charter schools with high relative performance statistics on special education snapshots established by the bill.  Receipt of a grant award would require the grantee to submit a written description of the special education program and aspects of the program tied to student success.  TEA would be required to publish the descriptions on the Internet.
 
The bill would require TEA to perform and post statistical analysis on the results of surveys required by the bill.
 
School districts and charter schools would be required to begin conducting surveys not later than September 1, 2010.

Methodology

TEA estimates technology costs of $591,534 in FY2010, $37,560 in FY2011, and $75,120 in each subsequent year to develop the survey instrument and Internet-based survey platform.  These costs include professional services for programming, the design and development of software, purchase of software tools, and data center services contract costs.

TEA estimates technical professional costs to produce the special education snapshot required by the bill at $278,122 in FY2010 and $92,708 in each subsequent year. 

TEA assumes that $2 million in grants would be awarded annually under the provisions of the bill. TEA estimates it would require 2.0 additional FTEs to implement the grant program at a cost of $178,216 in FY2010 and $162,216 in each subsequent year inclusive of salary, benefits, and other operating expenses.

TEA estimates it will require 4.5 additional FTEs to perform statistical analyses and to perform functions related to maintaining confidentiality of data as required by the bill and by federal law at a cost of $380,440 in FY2010 and $340,440 in each subsequent fiscal year, inclusive of salary, benefits, and other operating expenses.

Technology

TEA estimates technology costs of $591,534 in FY2010, $37,560 in FY2011, and $75,120 in each subsequent year to develop the survey instrument and Internet-based survey platform.  These costs include professional services for programming, the design and development of software, purchase of software tools, and data center services contract costs.

TEA estimates technical professional costs to produce the special education snapshot required by the bill at $278,122 in FY2010 and $92,708 in each subsequent year. 

Local Government Impact

School districts would be required to administer surveys to current students in special education programs once per school year, to graduates who were served by special education programs one year and five years after graduation, and to students served by special education services who withdrew from the district or the program one year after their withdrawal.  Costs associated with administering services could be incurred and would vary.

School districts with high performance rankings related to special education services could be eligible to receive grants under the provisions of the bill.

Source Agencies:

701 Central Education Agency

LBB Staff:

JOB, JSp, JGM, JSc