BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 2073
	By: Taylor
	Education
	6/11/2019
	Enrolled

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The 84th Legislature passed H.B. 2610, converting 180 student instructional days to minutes. The purpose behind the change was to give school districts more flexibility in their school calendars. In many cases, districts have used the new law to provide a longer school day, allowing them to have a shorter number of total instructional days. However, a concurrent change was not made to state law requiring teacher contracts to be a minimum of 187 days. This lack of parity between instructional days and teacher contract days has caused situations in which the number of student instructional days can be significantly fewer than teacher contract days, in some cases several weeks shorter.

The result is that teachers are working longer days than before this change in law, but still working the same number of days as before the law changed.

Some districts wish to reduce the number of teacher contract days proportionately without reducing teacher salaries in recognition that teachers are working longer days given the change in instructional days to minutes. However, they feel that they cannot do so because they've received no clear indication from the Texas Education Agency that they can receive a waiver to reduce the number of teacher contract days.

S.B. 2073 allows school districts who anticipate providing less than 180 days of student instruction during the school year to reduce the educators' required days of service in proportion. A reduction in days of service does not reduce an educator's salary. S.B. 2073 only applies to contracts executed on or after the effective date of this Act. (Original Author's/Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

S.B. 2073 amends current law relating to a reduction in required days of service for educators in public schools under certain circumstances.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

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

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 21.401, Education Code, by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c-1), as follows:

(b) Creates an exception under Subsection (c-1) to the requirement that an educator employed under a 10-month contract provide a minimum of 187 days of service.

(c-1) Authorizes a school district, if the district anticipates providing less than 180 days of instruction for students during a school year, as indicated by the district's academic calendar, to reduce the number of days of service required by this section (Minimum Service Required) proportionately. Establishes that a reduction by the district does not reduce an educator's salary.

SECTION 2. Makes application of Section 21.401, Education Code, as amended by this Act, prospective.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.