Honorable Larry Taylor, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1696 by Lucio (relating to a periodic study on participation of public schools in a universal lunch program offered through the United States Department of Agriculture.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Education Code to require the Texas Education Agency (TEA), with assistance from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), to perform a study on the number of school districts and open-enrollment charter schools eligible to provide a universal lunch to all students through participation in the Community Eligibility Provision administered through the United States Department of Agriculture. Each odd-numbered year, the bill would require the TEA to notify eligible districts by May 1 and would require districts and schools notified to perform an analysis and report on that analysis and certain details by November 15. Each even-numbered year, the bill would require the TEA to report to the Legislature and the Governor's office by January 31 a list of districts and schools eligible to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision and the potential cost savings each could achieve through participation.
TEA estimates there would be administrative costs associated with performing the eligibility calculations, notifying districts and schools, and compiling the required report. This analysis assumes that TDA would assist TEA with the requirements of the bill and that the agencies could use existing resources to implement the provisions of the bill.
Local Government Impact
School districts and open-enrollment charter school would incur costs to perform a cost savings study of how much each entity would save if it participated in the Community Eligibility Provision program; however, these costs are anticipated to be minimal.
Source Agencies:
551 Department of Agriculture, 701 Texas Education Agency