Bill
SB 164
84(R) - 2015
Senate Education
Senate Education
Education
Vote Recommendation
Yes
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
Author(s)
Eddie Lucio Jr.
Bill Caption
Relating to a notification requirement if a school counselor is not assigned to a public school campus.
Fiscal Notes
No significant fiscal implication to the State.
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is
anticipated. There would be some administrative costs to school
districts and schools to provide notices on their respective websites
and to keep copies for audit purposes. There could be additional costs
if the notices had to be prepared in multiple languages to accommodate
the various languages used by parents or guardians.
Bill Analysis
SB 164 would require public schools and open-enrollment charter schools that do not have a full-time counselor assigned to the campus for more than 30 instructional days to notify parents of the lack of a full-time counselor. The notice must be posted on the district website and school website and provided in bilingual form.
Vote Recommendation Notes
This bill does not affirm or abridge any of the principles of liberty, therefore we are neutral on this legislation. There is a concern, however, that SB 164 may lead to a mandate in the future on schools to have a full-time counselor and this bill is creating an artificial demand for counselors by putting pressure on schools. The necessity is a counselor at school is questionable and some rural schools may not be able to afford this extra cost.
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