HBA-JEK C.S.S.B. 108 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 108 By: Lucio Public Education 4/23/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The trend in Texas schools over the past decade has been for school districts to move their school start dates earlier and earlier into August. Last year, 95 percent of public schools in Texas started between August 7th and August 18th. As a result, student absentee rates and school utility costs have climbed higher and higher for the month of August. Shorter summer school breaks decrease the income of working students and teachers who work second jobs during the summer. The comptroller of public accounts estimates that the Texas tourism industry loses $332 million per year and that migrant farm workers lose out on another $27 million in earnings foregone due to the early school start dates. C.S.S.B. 108 prohibits a school district from beginning instruction for students for the school year earlier than August 21 beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. 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. ANALYSIS C.S.S.B. 108 amends the Education Code to prohibit a school district from beginning instruction for students for the school year earlier than August 21. The bill authorizes a school district that was and operating under a year-round system for the 2000-2001 school year to modify the date of the first day of the school year. A school district that intends to apply for a waiver from the start date prohibition must publish notice in a newspaper, hold a public hearing, and include a summary of the opinions expressed at the hearing in the waiver application. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. The Act applies beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.S.B. 108 differs from the original bill by prohibiting a school district from beginning instruction for students for the school year earlier than August 21, rather than before the week in which August 21 falls. The substitute sets forth provisions regarding an application for a waiver from the start date prohibition.