BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1276

By: Rosenthal

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised over the number of uncertified and inexperienced teachers employed by some public school districts in Texas and the effect on student learning. C.S.H.B. 1276 seeks to address these concerns by prohibiting elementary school students in the first through sixth grade in a district with 5,000 or more enrolled students from being assigned for two consecutive school years to a teacher who has less than one year of teaching experience and who does not hold the appropriate certificate, with certain exceptions.

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

C.S.H.B. 1276 amends the Education Code to prohibit a student in first through sixth grade who attends an elementary school in a public school district with an enrollment of 5,000 or more students from being assigned for two consecutive school years to a teacher teaching a subject in the foundation curriculum who has less than one year of teaching experience and who does not hold the appropriate certificate. The bill provides exceptions from this prohibition for the assignment of a student to a teacher during the first year a student transfers into a district and for circumstances in which the student's parent or other person standing in parental relation to the student and a school counselor or school administrator agree otherwise.

C.S.H.B. 1276 authorizes the commissioner of education to grant a waiver from the bill's requirements to a district if the commissioner finds that extreme circumstances in the district warrant the waiver but establishes that such a waiver is otherwise prohibited. The bill authorizes the commissioner to adopt rules as necessary to implement the bill's provisions. The bill applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1276 differs from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways.