Honorable Dan Huberty, Chair, House Committee on Public Education
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB4030 by Dominguez (Relating to funding for school districts to provide inclusive and accessible playgrounds.), As Introduced
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time, as the extent to which the bill's requirements are currently satisfied is not known.
The bill would amend the Education Code to require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to distribute funds to each school district to provide at least one playground that is inclusive and accessible for students with disabilities. The number of districts that currently meet this standard are not known, therefore the fiscal impact of the bill cannot be determined at this time.
However, the following hypothetical cost scenario is provided as an example of the potential scope of the costs that may result from the bill. TEA assumes an average cost of $350,000 to purchase each inclusive and accessible playground. Assuming half of the current 1,200 school districts and charter entities statewide would receive grant funding to construct one playground, the estimated statewide cost would total $210.0 million in fiscal year 2020. However, costs would vary significantly based on the number of school districts that already have at least one inclusive and accessible playground.
Local Government Impact
TEA assumes funds distributed to districts could be used to offset district costs to replace playground equipment.