83(R) SB 1775 - House Committee Report version

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


April 15, 2013

TO:	Honorable Dan Patrick, Chair, Senate Committee on Education

FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	SB1775 by West (Relating to school campus information, student transfers, and the public education grant program.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1775, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($1,200,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2015.

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
2014	($1,000,000)
2015	($200,000)
2016	($200,000)
2017	($200,000)
2018	($200,000)

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2014	($1,000,000)
2015	($200,000)
2016	($200,000)
2017	($200,000)
2018	($200,000)

The bill would require each school district, open-enrollment charter school, or regional education service center to display on its website certain information about each campus.

The bill would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to contract with one or more third-party contractors to develop, implement, maintain, and publicize a website that enables the public to identify by zip code campuses of school districts and open-enrollment charter schools located within the student's district of residence and contiguous districts that match identified performance and program offerings and include the process by which a student may enroll in a campus that is not the campus to which the student is assigned.

The bill would require a school district board of trustees or its designee to assign and transfer a student from one school facility or classroom to another in the board's jurisdiction in conformity with rules adopted by the commissioner.

The bill would require school districts to permit open enrollment, with some exceptions, to any campus in the district, and would require a board of trustees of a school district to adopt an admissions policy with criteria for admission to a campus or program, including a magnet campus or program, that offered specialized study or focus for students.

The bill would require a district that had more applicants for transfer than available positions to give priority to students at risk of dropping out of school and to fill available positions by lottery. The bill would allow the student to attend that campus and the campuses at higher grade levels assigned to that campus until the student graduates.

Based on information provided by TEA, the estimated cost to develop the required website and any required updates to the Public Education Information Management System would be $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2014 and $200,000 in subsequent years.

TEA indicates that the bill would not have a significant fiscal impact to the Foundation School Program.

Local Government Impact

School districts and open-enrollment charter schools could incur administrative costs to gather and post the required information on each campus and to process and document student transfers. Any costs would vary depending on the size of a district or open-enrollment charter school and the number of requests for transfers received.