LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 86TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 15, 2019

TO:
Honorable Larry Taylor, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
 
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director     Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director
Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
SB1453 by Taylor ( Relating to the use of calculator applications in place of graphing calculators in public schools.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted



Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1453, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($200,000) 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.



Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2020 ($200,000)
2021 $0
2022 $0
2023 $0
2024 $0




Fiscal Year Probable Savings/(Cost) from
General Revenue Fund
1
2020 ($200,000)
2021 $0
2022 $0
2023 $0
2024 $0

Fiscal Analysis

The bill would require school districts to permit a student enrolled in a course requiring graphing calculators to use a calculator application on a computing device, including a personal, laptop, or tablet computer, that provides the same functionality, unless the district makes available to the student a graphing calculator at no cost to the student. 

The bill  would also require the agency to conduct an evaluation of best practices for the use of a calculator application on a computing device by a student during an assessment instrument. On completion of the evaluation, the agency would be required to adopt rules establishing a policy for the permitted use of a calculator application on a computing device. The rules would be required to specify the types of calculator applications and computing devices students are authorized to use and the circumstances under which each calculator application and computing device may be used. The agency would be required to post to its website and communicate to each school district the adopted policy and a list of approved calculator applications and computing devices, including information relating to the cost and functionality of each listed calculator application and computing device.

Methodology

TEA estimates a cost of approximately $200,000 to conduct the required evaluation, create the list of approved calculator applications and computing devices, and provide information on cost and functionality of each calculator application and computing device.

Technology

No technology impact is expected.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.


Source Agencies:
701 Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff:
WP, CPa, AM, SL