HBA-MPM C.S.S.B. 576 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 576
By: Armbrister
Public Education
5/21/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Texas Education Agency and school districts report campus
and district-wide class size averages.  Such averages may not provide the
public with an accurate accounting of actual class size among grade levels,
subject areas, and programs.  C.S.S.B. 576 requires school districts to
include information about average class sizes organized by grade level, and
subject on the campus report card delivered to parents. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority previously delegated to the commissioner of education is modified
in SECTION 1 (Section 39.052, Education Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Sections 39.052(b) and (c), Education Code, to require
report cards to include the average class size by grade level and subject,
rather than student/teacher ratios.  Requires the commissioner of education
to adopt rules for requiring dissemination of appropriate class size, as
well as student performance portions of campus report cards. 

SECTION 2.  Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 1999-2000
school year. 

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.S.B. 576 modifies the original by deleting SECTION 1 (proposed Sections
25.113 and 25.114, Education Code) which required each school district to
report to the Texas Education Agency the number of students enrolled in
each class, at the kindergarten level through grade 12, by grade level,
subject, and special programs, as applicable.  Furthermore, the original
required the school district to give to a parent written notice of the
number of students enrolled in each class or subject with the parent's
child. 

C.S.S.B. 576 modifies the original by redesignating SECTION 2 of the
original as SECTION 1 of the substitute and by deleting the requirement
that the report card reflect the average class size by special program. 

C.S.S.B. 576 modifies the original by redesignating SECTION 3 and SECTION 4
(emergency clause) as SECTIONS 2 and 3 of the substitute.