Bill

SB 1353

85(R) - 2017
Senate Education
House Public Education
Senate Education
House Public Education
Education
Finance

Vote Recommendation

Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral

Author(s)

Larry Taylor

Sponsor(s)

Wayne Faircloth

Bill Caption

Relating to state financial assistance for a school district to which an academically unacceptable school district is annexed.

Fiscal Notes

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1353, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($10,143,429) through the biennium ending August 31, 2019, assuming that the 85th Legislature appropriates money for the implementation of the bill. The Commissioner of Education would be required to implement the legislation only if the Legislature specifically appropriates funds for the purposes of the legislation. If the Legislature does not appropriate funds for that purpose, the Commissioner may, but would not be required to, implement the legislation using other appropriations available for the purposes of the legislation.

The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

Bill Analysis

SB 1353 would give districts, which absorb academically unacceptable school districts, additional state financial aid for five years beginning on the year it was annexed to assist with the costs of facility renovation, repair, and replacement. The amount of aid will be determined by the commissioner each year by dividing the amount of debt service taxes received by the district during the preceding tax year by the number of students enrolled in the district, and multiplying that result by the number of additional students enrolled in the district on September 1 after the date of annexation. Additional funds from the Foundation School Program would also be used to provide state aid. 

This bill would apply to any annexation that occurred on or after July 1, 2016.

Vote Recommendation Notes

As the state outlines how academically unacceptable districts are to be handled it is important to ensure that the annexation of an unacceptable district does not adversely affect the annexing district. It is to be expected that a well-performing school district would need extra funding to bring and annexed unacceptable district up to acceptable standards. Whether this specific mechanism is the most efficient and cost effective way to go about this is indeterminate at this time. For these reasons we remain neutral on HB 1353.