Honorable Brandon Creighton, Chair, Senate Committee on Higher Education
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1888 by Creighton (relating to the establishment of certain programs to facilitate early high school graduation and enrollment at public institutions of higher education and to the repeal of the Early High School Graduation Scholarship program.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time because it is unknown how many students would graduate early from high school under the Texas First Early High School Completion Program and enroll in an eligible institution under the Texas First Scholarship Program.
The Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board are required to implement this Act only if the legislature appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If the legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that purpose, the agency and the coordinating board may, but are not required to, implement this Act using other appropriations available for that purpose.
The bill would create the Texas First Early High School Completion Program to allow public high school students who demonstrate early readiness for college to graduate early from high school. The bill would allow any district to continue to count a student who graduates early under the program and is enrolled in an eligible institution in its average daily attendance.
The bill would also create the Texas First Scholarship Program to work in conjunction with the Texas First Early High School Completion Program in order to provide awards to students who graduated early under the Texas First Early High School Completion Program and went on to attend an eligible institution.
Texas Education Agency (TEA) used Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) graduation data and found 4,518 early graduates statewide. However, because it is not possible to know how many students will participate in the program and attend an eligible institution of higher education, the cost to the Foundation School Program (FSP) of the Texas First Early High School Completion Program or the cost of the Texas First Scholarship Program cannot be determined at this time.
Local Government Impact
Based on information provided by TEA, local education agencies would receive a net $2,500 for each student graduating early.