BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 2012

By: Villarreal

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Interested parties report that the public and the legislature are in need of quality information relating to the salaries and costs of living for teachers and other professional employees of our public schools across the state. C.S.H.B. 2012 seeks to address this need.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

 

ANALYSIS

 

C.S.H.B. 2012 amends the Education Code to add temporary provisions, set to expire September 1, 2015, to require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to collect information from school districts regarding salaries paid to classroom teachers, full-time librarians, full-time speech pathologists, full-time certified counselors, and full-time school nurses entitled to the minimum monthly salary. The bill requires TEA to provide for public use of such information in summary form on TEA's Internet website in a manner that indicates, by school district, the average salaries of such employees by position and for classroom teachers, also by subject and grade level. The bill requires TEA to use the collected data regarding salaries paid to classroom teachers to conduct a cost-of-living salary comparability analysis in each region of the state to determine how classroom teacher salaries compare to salaries in similar professions. The bill requires the commissioner of education to delineate the geographic boundaries of the regions of the state and designate the professions that constitute similar professions for purposes of conducting the salary comparability analysis. The bill requires TEA, not later than December 1, 2014, to prepare and deliver a report of the analysis to certain specified recipients and to post a copy of the report on TEA's Internet website. The bill requires TEA to collect data and conduct the analysis using only available funds and resources from public or private sources.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

While C.S.H.B. 2012 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and highlighted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

 

INTRODUCED

HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 7, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 7.038 to read as follows:

Sec. 7.038.  CLASSROOM TEACHER SALARY STUDY.  (a)  The agency shall collect classroom teacher salary data from school districts through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS).

(b)  The agency shall provide the data collected under Subsection (a) in summary form on the agency's Internet website in a manner that indicates, by school district, the average salaries of classroom teachers by subject and grade level.

 

 

(c)  The agency shall use the data collected under Subsection (a) to conduct a cost-of-living salary comparability analysis in each region of the state to determine how classroom teacher salaries compare to salaries in similar professions.  The commissioner shall delineate the geographic boundaries of the regions of the state and designate the professions that constitute similar professions for purposes of conducting the salary comparability analysis under this subsection.  Not later than December 1, 2014, the agency shall prepare and deliver a report of the salary comparability analysis conducted under this subsection to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and presiding officer of each standing legislative committee with primary jurisdiction over public education.  The agency shall post a copy of the report on the agency's Internet website.

 

(d)  The agency shall collect data and conduct the cost-of-living salary comparability analysis under this section using only available funds and resources from public or private sources.

(e)  This section expires September 1, 2015.

 

SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 7, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 7.038 to read as follows:

Sec. 7.038.  PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEE SALARY INFORMATION.  (a)  The agency shall collect information from school districts regarding salaries paid to employees entitled to the minimum monthly salary under Section 21.402.

(b)  The agency shall provide for public use of the information collected under Subsection (a) in summary form on the agency's Internet website in a manner that indicates, by school district, the average salaries of employees to whom Subsection (a) applies by position and for classroom teachers, also by subject and grade level.

(c)  The agency shall use the data collected under Subsection (a) regarding salaries paid to classroom teachers to conduct a cost-of-living salary comparability analysis in each region of the state to determine how classroom teacher salaries compare to salaries in similar professions.  The commissioner shall delineate the geographic boundaries of the regions of the state and designate the professions that constitute similar professions for purposes of conducting the salary comparability analysis under this subsection.  Not later than December 1, 2014, the agency shall prepare and deliver a report of the salary comparability analysis conducted under this subsection to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and presiding officer of each standing legislative committee with primary jurisdiction over public education.  The agency shall post a copy of the report on the agency's Internet website.

(d)  The agency shall collect data and conduct the cost-of-living salary comparability analysis under this section using only available funds and resources from public or private sources.

(e)  This section expires September 1, 2015.

 

SECTION 2.  Subchapter C, Chapter 7, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 7.064 to read as follows:

Sec. 7.064.  TEACHING AND WORKING CONDITIONS SURVEY.  (a)  The commissioner by rule shall develop an online survey to be administered statewide at least biennially to superintendents, principals, supervisors, classroom teachers, counselors, and other appropriate full-time professional employees who are required to hold a certificate issued under Subchapter B, Chapter 21.

(b)  In developing the survey under this section, the commissioner shall ensure that the survey is designed to elicit information relating to the following issues:

(1)  teaching and working conditions as predictors of student achievement and growth;

(2)  the relationship between teaching and working conditions and teacher retention;

(3)  the influence of school leadership on teaching and learning conditions, including:

(A)  meaningful involvement of teachers in determining professional development needs;

(B)  meaningful involvement of teachers in campus decisions and initiatives; and

(C)  support for teachers in student disciplinary matters;

(4)  the relationship between teaching and working conditions and student attendance and graduation;

(5)  the appropriate time during the day for collaborative instructional planning;

(6)  facilities resources needs; and

(7)  other supports needed for educators to be successful in the classroom.

(c)  The commissioner shall contract with a third-party entity with appropriate research and evaluation expertise to administer the survey required by this section.  The third-party survey administrator shall collect responses and protect the identity of the respondents.  The third-party survey administrator shall provide the survey responses to the commissioner or a person designated by the commissioner not later than the 60th day after the date the survey is administered.

(d)  After the administration of each survey, the commissioner may make the survey results available to the public. The commissioner shall provide the survey results to school districts and campuses.

(e)  Each school district shall use the survey results to review and revise, as appropriate, district-level improvement plans and plans for each campus in the manner provided under Subchapter F, Chapter 11.

(f)  The commissioner shall use the survey results to develop, review, and revise:

(1)  agency professional development offerings;

(2)  agency initiatives aimed at teacher retention; and

(3)  standards for principals and superintendents.

(g)  The commissioner shall carry out duties under this section, including contracting for the administration of the survey, using only available funds and resources from public and private sources.

 

No equivalent provision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2013.

 

SECTION 2. Same as introduced version.