LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 85TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 27, 2017

TO:
Honorable Dan Huberty, Chair, House Committee on Public Education
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB816 by Bernal (Relating to a school district assigning a mentor teacher to a new classroom teacher.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted



Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB816, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($3,097,824) through the biennium ending August 31, 2019.

The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.



Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2018 ($1,552,912)
2019 ($1,544,912)
2020 ($1,544,912)
2021 ($1,544,912)
2022 ($1,544,912)




Fiscal Year Probable (Cost) from
General Revenue Fund
1
Probable (Cost) from
Foundation School Fund
193
Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2017
2018 ($102,912) ($1,450,000) 1.0
2019 ($94,912) ($1,450,000) 1.0
2020 ($94,912) ($1,450,000) 1.0
2021 ($94,912) ($1,450,000) 1.0
2022 ($94,912) ($1,450,000) 1.0

Fiscal Analysis

The bill creates a new Foundation School Program statutory entitlement called the Mentor Program Allotment in Education Code Chapter 42. The bill authorizes the commissioner of education to establish a formula determining the entitlement for each participating school district, and repeals the existing mentor stipend grant program in Education Code Chapter 21. The bill specifies additional mentor requirements and requires the commissioner to adopt rules regarding the number of teachers that may be assigned to a mentor.
 
The bill would take effect September 1, 2017, or immediately if passed with the necessary voting margins, and would apply beginning with school year 2017-18.

Methodology

The impact specified in this note is based on an assumption that the Commissioner would adopt an allotment entitlement of $250 per mentoring program participant. However, actual impact to the Foundation School Program would vary depending on the actual district entitlement amounts adopted by the commissioner. 

There were an estimated 58,000 teachers in the first or second year of their career during the 2015-16 school year. Assuming that ten percent of these teachers participated in the mentoring program, and that each mentor had only one new teacher assigned to them, the total anticipated impact from the allotment would be $1.45 million per year (5,800 participants each generating $250 of entitlement = $1.45 million). These costs would be reduced to the extent that the commissioner adopts rules allowing a teacher mentor to have multiple teacher assignments without an increase to their entitlement.  

In addition, TEA estimates the bill would require one Program Specialist V to draft rules, work through the formula allotment, and for program administration. This position would cost an estimated $102,912 in fiscal year 2018 and $94,912 in subsequent years.

Technology

TEA estimates the administration of a Teacher Mentor program can be absorbed within current technology resources. 

Local Government Impact

School district that choose to participate in a mentoring program would absorb the costs associated with operating the program that are not covered by the allotment provided by the Foundation School Program.


Source Agencies:
701 Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff:
UP, SL, THo, AM