By: Lucio S.B. No. 2190
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to an interim study to determine public school facility
needs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 44, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 44.907 to read as follows:
Sec. 44.907. INTERIM STUDY REGARDING PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITY
NEEDS; ADVISORY PANEL. (a) The commissioner shall establish an
advisory panel to conduct a study of public school facility needs.
The advisory panel is composed of six members as follows:
(1) one member is the state demographer or the state
demographer's designee;
(2) one member who is a superintendent or a chief
financial officer of a small school district;
(3) one member who is a superintendent or a chief
financial officer of a midsize school district;
(4) one member who is a superintendent or a chief
financial officer of an urban school district;
(5) one member who is a superintendent or a chief
financial officer of a rural school district; and
(6) one member who is a superintendent or a chief
financial officer of a fast growth school district. A fast growth
school district is any school district that has more than 3,400
weighted students in average daily attendance (WADA), and has
enrollment growth of at least 10 percent over the last five years,
or has a net increase of 5000 WADA in any given year.
(7) All members of this advisory panel, except for the
state demographer or the state demographer's designee, represent
districts that have a total taxable property value per student in
average daily attendance that is less than the total taxable
property value per student in average daily attendance available to
the Austin Independent School District as of September 1, 2009.
(b) The commissioner shall by rule establish criteria for
the school district categories specified by Subsection (a).
(c) The commissioner shall designate one member of the
advisory panel as the presiding officer.
(d) The state demographer shall design a survey to request
that each school district, with a total taxable property value per
student in average daily attendance that is less than the total
taxable property value per student in average daily attendance
available to the Austin Independent School District as of September
1, 2009, project the facility needs of the school district for the
next five years by:
(1) identifying the number of:
(A) new facilities needed; and
(B) potential projects requiring the expansion
or renovation of existing facilities; and
(2) classifying each item listed in Subdivision (1) by
academic level and purpose, including administrative,
instructional, athletic, or support.
(e) After the state demographer has designed the survey, the
advisory panel shall review the survey to determine if:
(1) the survey is properly designed to obtain the
information intended to be obtained; and
(2) each school district can reasonably complete the
survey.
(f) The advisory panel may require the state demographer to
make changes to the survey, including providing or requesting
additional information.
(g) After the advisory panel approves the survey, each
regional education service center shall:
(1) distribute the survey to each school district in
the region;
(2) provide a method for each district to return the
survey results to the regional education service center; and
(3) report the results collected in response to the
survey to the advisory panel.
(h) Not later than September 1, 2010, the advisory panel
shall report the results and any conclusions the advisory panel
draws from the results to the agency, the governor, the lieutenant
governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the
standing legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over
public education.
(i) In addition to the survey described by Subsection (d),
the state demographer shall provide to the advisory panel a
projection of student enrollment growth in each school district for
the next 10 years.
(j) The section expires September 1, 2011.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.