HBA-MPM H.B. 728 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 728
By: Delisi
Public Education
3/11/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, Texas classroom teachers are paid according to a single salary
schedule.  Because this salary schedule focuses solely on years of service,
it may not adequately reward teachers for developing their professional
knowledge and skills through such measures as certification or for advanced
degrees, or teaching in subject areas lacking in quality teachers. 

H.B. 728 creates the Lone STAR Teacher Incentive Program to recognize
classroom teachers for continuous acquisition of knowledge and skills
relating to teaching and to give them a certain monetary award. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter H, Chapter 21, Education Code, by adding
Section 21.358, as follows: 

Sec. 21.358.  LONE STAR TEACHER INCENTIVE PROGRAM.  (a)  Requires the
Commissioner of Education (commissioner) to administer the Lone STAR
Teacher Incentive Program (program) to recognize and reward classroom
teachers (teachers) for continuous acquisition of knowledge and teaching
skills.   

(b)  Outlines and describes a visual representation of the color-coded,
nine-tier State Teacher Advancement and Remuneration (STAR) credit system,
which the program uses to measure teacher advancement. 

(c)  Sets forth conditions under which a teacher may participate in the
program. 

(d)  Sets forth terms under which a teacher may earn STAR credits (STARs).

(e)  Specifies that any hours of continuing professional education and
college credit hours earned in the completion of a master's or doctoral
degree may not be counted toward STARs. 

(f)  Entitles a teacher to a STAR earned during certain year-long
assignments under Subsection (d) only for the year in which the STAR is
earned, and for any other STAR as long as the teacher complies with this
subsection.  Requires a teacher to advance at least one tier every five
years during the teacher's participation in the program. Specifies that a
teacher who does not meet this requirement falls back to, or remains at,
the lower STAR within the teacher's current tier.  Requires the
commissioner to allow a teacher additional time to meet this continuous
advancement requirement under certain circumstances. 

(g)  Specifies that a certification other than that for a teacher, such as
for a principal, superintendent, counselor, or educational aide, may not be
counted toward STARs. 
 
(h) Requires the commissioner to compile and publicize a list of critical
teaching shortage areas for the following school year no later than June 1
of each year using information obtained from the Public Education
Information Management System (PEIMS) and the State Board for Educator
Certification (board).  Requires the commissioner to annually compute the
number and distribution of STARs to which teachers are entitled for that
school year using information from PEIMS and the board, and to report this
information to the teachers, school districts, State Board of Education,
and governor.  Requires the commissioner to annually determine the monetary
value of a STAR based on the appropriations available and total number of
STARs to which teachers were entitled to for the preceding school year,
provided that each STAR has an equal value, and to annually award each
district with an amount of money equal to the STARs to which the district's
teachers were entitled for the preceding school year, multiplied by the
monetary value for that year, subject to available money.  Requires the
commissioner to annually provide each district a list specifying the
monetary value of a STAR, the number of STARs to which each participating
teacher in the district is entitled, and the amount of money awarded.
Requires the commissioner to develop and publicize guidelines determining
which continuing professional education programs, college courses, and
advanced degrees are considered to be in the areas of teacher
certification. 

(i)  Requires a district receiving grants under this section to pay each
teacher an amount of money equal to the number of STARs they are entitled
to for the preceding school year, multiplied by the monetary value of a
STAR.  Requires the district to pay each teacher one-half of the teacher's
money on the last payday of the fall semester or December 15, whichever is
later, and the remainder on the last payday of the spring semester or June
15, whichever is later. 

(j)  Sets forth specific documentation a teacher is responsible for
maintaining and updating.  Requires the teacher to notify the commissioner
of any errors or omissions in the teacher's record. 

(k)  Specifies that a teacher is not required to participate in the program
as a condition of continued certification. 

(l)  Specifies that the program is funded by money appropriated from the
state lottery account or from other available resources, including gifts,
grants and donations. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 466.355(b), Government Code, to include the
transfer of money from the state lottery account to the Texas Education
Agency for the Lone STAR Teacher Incentive Program among a list of purposes
for which the money is to be distributed.  Redesignates existing
Subdivision (b)(4) to Subdivision (b)(5).  Makes nonsubstantive changes. 

SECTION 3.  Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2000-2001
school year.  Provides that a teacher is entitled to credit for an advanced
degree, an additional certification, continuing education, or college
credit under the Lone STAR Teacher Incentive Program regardless of when the
degree or certification was obtained or the continuing professional
education or college credit was completed.  Entitles a teacher to credit
under this program for an assignment to teach a course specified by Section
21.358(d)(1)(C), Education Code, only for an assignment for the 2000-2001
school year or subsequent school year. 

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.