By: Hochberg H.B. No. 3709
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to reducing costs in public school extracurricular
activities.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 33, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 33.090 to read as follows:
Sec. 33.090. COST REDUCTIONS IN EXTRACURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES. (a) The University Interscholastic League shall
establish rules and policies to achieve annual savings of at least
20 percent in costs expended by school districts for University
Interscholastic League athletic programs. The University
Interscholastic League shall implement these rules and policies no
later than the start of the 2012-2013 school year and shall continue
the rules and policies throughout at least the 2016-2017 school
year. The rules and policies proposed under this section shall be
approved by the commissioner prior to implementation by the
University Interscholastic League.
(b) In approving the rules and policies proposed by the
University Interscholastic League under this section, the
commissioner shall ensure that the proposed rules and policies will
achieve the annual cost savings under Subsection (a) and will
distribute cost savings proportionally under Subsection (d).
(c) To achieve the annual savings required in Subsection
(a), University Interscholastic League may consider the following
cost saving measures including, but not limited to:
(1) setting limits on the number of coaches and
support staff for one or more sports;
(2) requiring all coaches who are full-time employees
of the school district to teach a minimum of one course each
semester from the required curriculum under Section 28.002;
(3) reducing the number of games played per season;
(4) reducing the number of tournaments played per
season;
(5) limiting the number of games and tournaments on
weekdays;
(6) requiring varsity and sub-varsity participants to
travel together where schedules permit to reduce school district
travel costs;
(7) reducing the size of officiating crews;
(8) requiring coaches to coach more than one sport;
(9) allowing coaches to be employed by the school
district on a part-time or voluntary basis; or
(10) any other cost saving measure approved by the
commissioner.
(d) To the extent practicable, the rules and policies
implemented under this section shall distribute cost savings
proportionally to the cost of each sport.
(e) The rules and policies implemented under this section
shall not be changed before 2016-2017 unless replaced with similar
cost saving measures approved by the commissioner.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.