BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 490

By: Lucio

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that the Public Education Information Management System could better serve its purpose as a resource for education policymakers if the system collected more detailed information about school counselors. S.B. 490 seeks to address this issue by providing for the reporting of information relating to school counselors.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 2 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 490 amends the Education Code to require the commissioner of education by rule to require each public school district and open-enrollment charter school to report through the Public Education Information Management System information regarding the availability of school counselors at each campus. The bill requires the rules to require a district or school to report the number of full-time equivalent school counselors providing 40 hours of counseling services per week at a campus. The bill requires the Texas Education Agency to maintain the information reported to the system under the bill's provisions. The bill includes among the contents of a district's annual performance report the number of school counselors providing counseling services at each campus.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.