BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 102

By: Bernal

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls to strengthen mentor programs for new classroom teachers and ensure adequate funding for those programs. H.B. 102 seeks to help reduce teacher turnover and improve student learning by establishing a mentor program allotment and setting out certain mentor program requirements.

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 this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 102 amends the Education Code to require a teacher, to be assigned as a mentor to a classroom teacher, to agree to serve as a mentor teacher for at least two school years. The bill requires the mentor assignment to begin on the first day of employment of the mentor’s assigned classroom teacher. The bill includes among the rules the commissioner of education is required to adopt to administer statutory provisions relating to mentor teachers rules concerning the number of classroom teachers that may be assigned to a mentor. The bill includes among the qualifications adopted by rule to serve as a mentor teacher a requirement that the mentor demonstrate interpersonal skills, instructional effectiveness, and leadership skills. The bill requires a public school district to provide training to mentor teachers and any appropriate district and campus employees who work with the classroom teacher or supervise the classroom teacher and requires the training to be completed before the beginning of the school year. The bill requires the district to also provide supplemental training to mentor teachers and employees during the school year. The bill requires the training to include content related to best mentorship practices.

H.B. 102 sets out the minimum time a mentor teacher is required to meet with each of the mentor’s assigned classroom teachers and the content of the mentoring sessions. The bill requires a district to designate a specific time during the regularly contracted school day for meetings between mentor teachers and the mentor’s assigned classroom teachers and to schedule release time or a reduced teaching load for mentor teachers and classroom teachers to facilitate mentoring activities.

H.B. 102 entitles a district that has implemented such a mentoring program for classroom teachers who have less than two years of teaching experience to an allotment to fund the mentoring program and to provide stipends for mentor teachers. The bill requires the commissioner to adopt a formula to determine the amount of the allotment to which each district is entitled. The bill restricts the use of the allotment to providing mentor teacher stipends, scheduled release time for mentor teachers and their assigned classroom teachers for meeting and engaging in mentoring activities, and mentoring support through providers of mentor training.

H.B. 102 applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

H.B. 102 repeals Section 21.458(c), Education Code, relating to providing funding to districts that assign mentor teachers.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.