SB 341 - HB 1130 FISCAL NOTE Fiscal Review Committee Tennessee General Assembly March 15, 2025 Fiscal Analyst: Alan Hampton | Email: alan.hampton@capitol.tn.gov | Phone: 615-741-2564 SB 341 - HB 1130 SUMMARY OF BILL: Requires the Department of Education (DOE) to allocate to each local education agency (LEA) sufficient funds for the LEA to employ one full-time licensed professional school counselor position at each high school in the LEA that enrolls at least 600 students in grades 10-12. Authorizes an LEA to use funding from the DOE to employ an additional part-time or full-time school counselor or to supplant the cost to LEAs that employ school counselors under certain conditions. Requires each LEA to employ one full-time licensed professional school counselor at each high school for which the LEA receives such funding from the department. Requires the State Board of Education promulgate rules to establish the amount of time each full- time licensed professional school counselor whose position is funded pursuant to this act must dedicate to providing high school students counseling services required; provided, that each full-time licensed professional school counselor must dedicate at least 70 percent of the counselor's time to working directly with high school students. FISCAL IMPACT: STATE GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES General Fund FY25-26 & Subsequent Years $10,369,900 LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE Mandatory FY25-26 & Subsequent Years $10,369,900 EXPENDITURES Mandatory FY25-26 & Subsequent Years $10,369,900 Article II, Section 24 of the Tennessee Constitution provides that: no law of general application shall impose increased expenditure requirements on cities or counties unless the General Assembly shall provide that the state share in the cost. Assumptions: SB 341 - HB 1130 2 • The proposed legislation requires LEAs to allocate funding received from the DOE for full-time licensed professional school counselors as follows: o One full-time licensed professional school counselor position at each high school in the LEA that enrolls at least 600 students in grades 10-12; o To employ a part-time school counselor on a full-time basis if an LEA employs one or more part-time school counselors at a high school that enrolls at least 600 students in grades 10-12; and o To supplant the cost to the LEA of employing the number of full-time licensed professional school counselors required to meet the specified ratio, if an LEA employs one school counselor for every 250 student members of the LEA. • The proposed legislation specifies that the funds allocated to an LEA pursuant to this act are in addition to the funds allocated to the LEA for the purposes of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA); therefore, the allocation will be entirely state funded. • The average cost for an instructional position is estimated to be $76,814 ($57,755 salary + $19,059 benefits). • Based on 135 schools with more than 600 students in grades 10-12, the cost to fund 135 counselors will increase state expenditures by $10,369,890 ($76,814 x 135). • Six districts employ counselors at a ratio of 1:250 per average daily membership (ADM). These districts would be able to use any funding received pursuant to the proposed legislation to supplant the cost to the LEA of employing the number of counselors required to meet the specified ratio. • The SBE will promulgate rules using existing staff and resources, without an increase in state expenditures. • The total increase in state expenditures and corresponding increases in local revenue and expenditures is estimated to be $10,369,890 in FY25-26 and subsequent years. CERTIFICATION: The information contained herein is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Bojan Savic, Executive Director