86(R) HB 663 - Introduced version

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 86TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


February 25, 2019

TO:	Honorable Dan Huberty, Chair, House Committee on Public Education

FROM:	John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB663 by King, Ken (Relating to a revision of the essential knowledge and skills of the public school foundation curriculum and proclamations for the production of instructional materials.), As Introduced

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB663, As Introduced: a negative impact of ($246,750) through the biennium ending August 31, 2021.

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

General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2020	$0
2021	($246,750)
2022	$0
2023	$0
2024	$0

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2020	$0
2021	($246,750)
2022	$0
2023	$0
2024	$0

The bill would require the State Board of Education (SBOE) to review the essential knowledge and skills for Texas' foundation curriculum and revise the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to narrow the number and scope of student expectations for each subject and grade level. The scope of each TEKS for each subject and grade level of the foundation curriculum would have to be narrower than the scope as of January 1, 2019. The scope would also have to require less time for demonstration of mastery than that which was required by January 1, 2019. The review and revision of TEKS for each grade and subject would have to be completed by September 1, 2022 and would apply to each subject and grade level that was last reviewed prior to September 1, 2016.

The bill has certain requirements with which the SBOE would have to comply in the actions required under the bill, including a requirement that TEKS revision could not result in the need for the adoption of new instructional materials.

The bill would require that, for any biennium, the SBOE could only issue instructional materials proclamations in which the total estimated cost did not exceed 75 percent of the total amount used to fund instructional materials in that biennium. For a TEKS that was revised due to the bill's requirements, the SBOE would be required to determine whether a proclamation was necessary. The SBOE would then have to issue: a full call aligned to the TEKS for the subject and grade level; a supplemental call aligned to new or expanded TEKS for the subject and grade level; a call for new information demonstrating the alignment of current materials to the revised TEKS; or some combination of these options.

In determining the disbursement of money to the Available School Fund (ASF) and the amount of the disbursement to be used for the Technology and Instructional Materials Allotment, the SBOE would be required to consider the cost of all required technology and instructional materials for the upcoming biennium.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2019.

According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the only foundation subject that was last revised before September 1, 2016 was mathematics. This TEKS would have to be revised in advance of its next scheduled review. Costs associated with this review would total approximately $246,750. These costs would primarily result from reimbursement for 75 work group members for their travel to Austin to participate in the review and recommendation process.

Local Government Impact

Under the bill, the SBOE could only issue proclamations for instructional materials in which the total cost did not exceed 75 percent of the amount used to fund the technology and instructional materials allotment in a biennium. The SBOE would also have to consider the cost of all instructional materials and technology requirements for the upcoming biennium when determining the disbursement of money to the ASF and disbursement from the ASF used to fund the technology and instructional materials allotment. Based on these provisions, school districts could choose to allocate their technology and instructional materials allotment differently as a result of the bill.