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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the salary paid to certain professional employees of |
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public schools. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 21.402(a), Education Code, as effective |
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September 1, 2017, is amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Except as provided by Subsection (e-1) or (f), a school |
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district must pay each classroom teacher, full-time librarian, |
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full-time school counselor certified under Subchapter B, or |
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full-time school nurse not less than the minimum monthly salary[,
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based on the employee's level of experience in addition to other
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factors, as determined by commissioner rule,] determined as |
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provided by Subsection (b) [the following formula:
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[MS = SF x FS
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[where:
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["MS" is the minimum monthly salary;
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["SF" is the applicable salary factor specified by Subsection
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(c); and
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["FS" is the amount, as determined by the commissioner under
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Subsection (b), of the basic allotment as provided by Section
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42.101(a) or (b) for a school district with a maintenance and
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operations tax rate at least equal to the state maximum compressed
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tax rate, as defined by Section 42.101(a)]. |
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SECTION 2. Sections 21.402(b), (c-1), and (e-1), Education |
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Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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(b) The commissioner shall adopt rules to establish a method |
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for annually setting a salary schedule for classroom teachers, |
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full-time librarians, full-time school counselors certified under |
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Subchapter B, and full-time school nurses based on the employee's |
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level of experience. The commissioner's method must provide a |
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salary level for each year of experience from 0 years through 20 |
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years. The commissioner shall ensure that the salary schedule is |
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consistent with the national average salary, based on experience, |
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for those employees as determined by statistics gathered by the |
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National Center for Education Statistics or a similar independent |
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education-oriented institution. Not later than June 1 of each |
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year, the commissioner shall determine, based on the salary |
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schedule, the minimum monthly salary for each classroom teacher, |
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full-time librarian, full-time school counselor certified under |
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Subchapter B, and full-time school nurse for the following school |
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year [the basic allotment and resulting monthly salaries to be paid
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by school districts as provided by Subsection (a)]. |
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(c-1) Notwithstanding Subsections (a) and (b), each school |
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district shall pay a monthly salary to each classroom teacher, |
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full-time speech pathologist, full-time librarian, full-time |
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school counselor certified under Subchapter B, and full-time school |
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nurse that is at least equal to the following monthly salary or the |
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monthly salary determined by the commissioner under Subsection |
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[Subsections (a) and] (b), whichever is greater: |
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(e-1) If the minimum monthly salary determined under |
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Subsection (b) [(a)] for a particular level of experience is less |
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than the minimum monthly salary for that level of experience in the |
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preceding year, the minimum monthly salary is the minimum monthly |
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salary for the preceding year. |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter E, Chapter 42, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 42.2520 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 42.2520. ADDITIONAL STATE AID OR CREDIT AGAINST COST |
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OF ATTENDANCE CREDITS FOR PROFESSIONAL STAFF SALARIES. (a) For |
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each school year, a school district, including a school district |
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that is otherwise ineligible for state aid under this chapter, is |
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entitled to state aid in an amount, as determined by the |
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commissioner, equal to the difference between the district's salary |
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cost under Section 21.402, as amended by __.B. ___, Acts of the 85th |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, 2017, for all classroom teachers, |
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full-time librarians, full-time school counselors certified under |
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Subchapter B, Chapter 21, and full-time school nurses employed by |
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the district and an amount equal to what the district's salary costs |
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would have been for that school year under Section 21.402, as it |
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existed before amendment by __.B. ___, Acts of the 85th |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, 2017. |
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(b) A school district that is required to take action under |
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Chapter 41 to reduce its wealth per student to the equalized wealth |
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level is entitled to a credit, in the amount of state aid to which |
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the district is entitled under this section, against the total |
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amount required under Section 41.093 for the district to purchase |
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attendance credits. |
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(c) A determination by the commissioner under this section |
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is final and may not be appealed. |
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(d) The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this |
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section. |
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SECTION 4. Section 21.402(c), Education Code, is repealed. |
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SECTION 5. Not later than March 1, 2018, the commissioner of |
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education shall adopt rules to establish a method for annually |
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setting a salary schedule as provided by Section 21.402(b), |
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Education Code, as amended by this Act. |
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SECTION 6. This Act applies beginning with the 2018-2019 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017, if it |
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receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each |
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house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. |
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If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for effect on that |
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date, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the |
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legislative session. |
