LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 82ND LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 6, 2011

TO:	Honorable Florence Shapiro, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
FROM:	John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB1620 by Duncan (Relating to an approval process for substitution of certain career and technology courses for mathematics and science courses otherwise required under the recommended and advanced high school programs.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill creates an approval process to allow certain career and technology courses to be eligible for mathematics and science credit under the recommended and advanced high school programs.  The State Board of Education would establish a process under which applied Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses that meet the approval criteria could be substituted for mathematics and science courses required under those programs. 

The bill would eliminate certain restrictions on substituting a STEM course for a mathematics or science course to meet recommended or advanced high school program requirements.  The requirement that a student complete certain prerequisite courses, and the limit on the number of course substitutions, would also be eliminated.

The Commissioner of Education would be required to implement the new process by September 1, 2012.

The TEA estimates some costs of convening an expert panel to review STEM courses for approval, but these costs are not expected to be significant.  It is assumed that any teacher training performed by the agency in these courses would be conducted to the extent that existing resources permitted.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

701 Central Education Agency

LBB Staff:

JOB, LXH, JGM, RN, AW