81R1593 CAS-D
By: Madden H.B. No. 550
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to annual courses on public school finance offered to the
public by regional education service centers.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 8.052, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 8.052. STATE INITIATIVES. (a) As directed by the
commissioner, each regional education service center shall, as
necessary, use funds distributed under Section 8.123 to implement
initiatives identified by the legislature, including the annual
course on public school finance required by Subsection (b).
(b) Once each year, each regional education service center
shall offer to members of the public who reside within the center's
region a course on public school finance. The center may not charge
a fee for a course provided under this subsection. The course must
include information concerning the following:
(1) each source of public money used to finance public
primary and secondary education in this state;
(2) the factors the board of trustees of a school
district generally consider and the process a district generally
uses in adopting ad valorem tax rates:
(A) for district maintenance and operations; and
(B) for purposes of paying the principal of and
interest on district bonds;
(3) the effect of district spending decisions on
district ad valorem tax rates;
(4) any reliable data concerning a correlation between
the amount of money spent on education and the level of or
improvement in student performance; and
(5) resources, including Internet websites, that may
be useful in researching the amount and purposes of district
expenditures.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.