Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB192 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R1189 GCB-F
2	2	By: Garcia S.B. No. 192
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to a comprehensive review by the Texas Education Agency of
8	8	weights, allotments, and adjustments under the public school
9	9	finance system.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 42, Education Code, is
12	12	amended by adding Section 42.010 to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 42.010. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE
14	14	WEIGHTS, ALLOTMENTS, AND ADJUSTMENTS. (a) The agency shall
15	15	conduct a comprehensive review of weights, allotments, and
16	16	adjustments under the public school finance system, including all
17	17	current weights, allotments, and adjustments provided under this
18	18	chapter and any additional weights, allotments, and adjustments
19	19	that the agency determines may be appropriate. The review must
20	20	determine the effectiveness of existing weights, allotments, and
21	21	adjustments in fulfilling the mission of the public education
22	22	system stated in Section 4.001(a) and furthering the state policy
23	23	stated in Section 42.001. At a minimum, the review must determine
24	24	how closely and appropriately each of the following elements
25	25	reflects and provides financing for costs beyond the control of
26	26	school districts:
27	27	(1) adjustments for costs related to the geographic
28	28	variation in known resource costs and costs of education,
29	29	controlling for the impact of unequalized wealth and hold-harmless
30	30	provisions, and properly reflecting the impact of high
31	31	concentrations of poverty on the compensation that school districts
32	32	must pay to attract and retain teachers of comparable or
33	33	appropriate quality;
34	34	(2) adjustments for costs related to the size and
35	35	diseconomies of scale of school districts;
36	36	(3) adjustments for costs related to the varying
37	37	instructional needs and characteristics of students and the extent
38	38	to which the adjustments provide each student with access to
39	39	programs and services that are appropriate to the student's
40	40	educational needs;
41	41	(4) other factors, in addition to economic status,
42	42	that correlate to at-risk status and the need for compensatory
43	43	education, and the degree to which those factors correspond to
44	44	additional educational costs; and
45	45	(5) the manner in which the cost adjustments are
46	46	applied to and affect the overall school finance system.
47	47	(b) The review of the adjustments described in Subsection
48	48	(a)(1) must:
49	49	(1) address all uncontrollable costs that can
50	50	reasonably be quantified;
51	51	(2) consider the qualifications, experience, and
52	52	turnover rate of personnel and the impact of those factors on
53	53	student achievement in considering the adequacy and comparability
54	54	of salaries;
55	55	(3) properly address the impact of factors that have a
56	56	large impact on certain types of school districts, such as extreme
57	57	isolation, regardless of general state impact;
58	58	(4) include only factors for which a rational economic
59	59	argument can be made;
60	60	(5) be carefully constructed to make sure that a cost
61	61	factor does not significantly affect more than one variable; and
62	62	(6) not be artificially adjusted to meet predetermined
63	63	outcomes and must not use arbitrary limits.
64	64	(c) In determining whether any additional weights,
65	65	allotments, and adjustments are appropriate under the public school
66	66	finance system, as required by Subsection (a), the agency shall
67	67	include consideration of an additional weight for educational
68	68	services provided to students in prekindergarten on a half-day
69	69	basis and on a full-day basis.
70	70	(d) The agency may contract with one or more consultants if
71	71	necessary to enable the agency to perform its duties under this
72	72	section.
73	73	(e) The Legislative Budget Board, the comptroller, the
74	74	state auditor, and any other state agency, official, or personnel
75	75	shall cooperate with the agency in carrying out its duties under
76	76	this section.
77	77	(f) Not later than December 1, 2018, the agency shall
78	78	provide a report that:
79	79	(1) states the findings of the review conducted under
80	80	this section; and
81	81	(2) includes recommendations for updated weights,
82	82	allotments, and adjustments and any other statutory changes
83	83	considered appropriate by the agency.
84	84	(g) This section expires January 1, 2019.
85	85	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
86	86	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
87	87	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
88	88	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
89	89	Act takes effect September 1, 2017.