Bill Caption

Relating to a grant program for certain school districts to provide summer instruction primarily for students who are educationally disadvantaged and summer teaching opportunities for high-performing, new, and student teachers.

Fiscal Notes

The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time because the bill does not specify a methodology for determining grant awards, and the number of districts that could qualify is too large to estimate the population that could potentially be served. No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. TEA indicates that two full-time equivalents would be required to administer the program and provide technical assistance to applicants and grant applicants at a cost of $84,408 in fiscal year 2014 and $76,408 in subsequent years including salary, benefits, and other operating expenses. TEA indicates that the evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the program would cost an estimated $250,000 in fiscal year 2015 and $100,000 in fiscal year 2017.

Bill Analysis

Summary: HB 742 would provide grant programs to not more than 10 school districts that provide summer education for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students who are considered disadvantaged. The legislation would intend to educate students, provide professional development for new teachers as well as student teachers, and add compensation for existing teachers by furthering their employment through the summer. HB 742 would require the districts to submit an annual report to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the districts would have to receive an evaluation by a third-party vendor.

Analysis: This legislation seeks to address the very real problem of the summer learning gap that especially affects lower income families. Unfortunately HB 742 would expand the scope of government by essentially developing a costly pilot program for year round school attendance that would also increase the tax burden. This could also provide a basis for mandatory year round schools in the future. Finally, formal pre-k education has not been demonstrated to have a long term benefit. To assist disadvantaged students, non-profit organizations can address this need and educate students more efficiently with no mandated cost to taxpayers. We oppose HB 742.