Bill Text: TX SB69 | 2017 | 85th Legislature 1st Special Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating to the creation of a commission to evaluate the effect on school districts of the loss of additional state aid for tax reduction and recommend improvements to the public school finance system.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-07-18 - Filed [SB69 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-SB69-Introduced.html

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85S10561 KKA-D
By: Perry S.B. No. 69

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of a commission to evaluate the effect on
school districts of the loss of additional state aid for tax
reduction and recommend improvements to the public school finance
system.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 42, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter L to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER L. TEXAS COMMISSION ON PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE
Sec. 42.601. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "commission"
means the Texas Commission on Public School Finance.
Sec. 42.602. TEXAS COMMISSION ON PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE.
(a) The Texas Commission on Public School Finance is established
to:
(1) evaluate the effect on school districts of the
loss of additional state aid for tax reduction; and
(2) develop and make recommendations for improvements
to the current public school finance system or for new methods of
financing public schools.
(b) The commission is composed of 15 members, consisting of
the following:
(1) four members appointed by the governor;
(2) three members appointed by the lieutenant
governor;
(3) three members appointed by the speaker of the
house of representatives;
(4) the chair of the senate committee on education, or
a representative designated by the chair;
(5) the chair of the senate committee on finance, or a
representative designated by the chair;
(6) the chair of the house of representatives
committee on public education, or a representative designated by
the chair;
(7) the chair of the house of representatives
committee on appropriations, or a representative designated by the
chair; and
(8) a member of the State Board of Education, as
designated by the chair of that board.
(c) In making appointments under Subsections (b)(1), (2),
and (3), the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the
house of representatives shall coordinate to ensure that the
membership of the commission reflects, to the extent possible, the
ethnic diversity of this state and includes at least one of each of
the following representatives:
(1) an administrator in the public school system or an
elected member of the board of trustees of a school district;
(2) a member of the business community; and
(3) a member of the civic community.
Sec. 42.603. PRESIDING OFFICER. The governor shall
designate the presiding officer of the commission.
Sec. 42.604. COMPENSATION AND REIMBURSEMENT. A member of
the commission is not entitled to compensation for service on the
commission but is entitled to reimbursement for actual and
necessary expenses incurred in performing commission duties.
Sec. 42.605. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND FUNDING.
(a) Staff members of the agency shall provide administrative
support for the commission.
(b) Funding for the administrative and operational expenses
of the commission shall be provided by appropriation to the agency
for that purpose.
Sec. 42.606. EVALUATION OF EFFECT ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF
LOSS OF ADDITIONAL STATE AID FOR TAX REDUCTION. (a) The commission
shall evaluate the effect on school districts of the loss of
additional state aid for tax reduction formerly provided under
Section 42.2516 and discontinued after the 2016-2017 school year.
(b) The evaluation must include:
(1) determination of the degree to which the loss of
additional state aid for tax reduction resulted in campus closures,
reductions in school district staff, and other adverse educational
program changes;
(2) for each school district that received additional
state aid for tax reduction during at least one of the 2012-2013
through 2016-2017 school years, identification of the percentage of
the district's total maintenance and operations budget provided by
the additional state aid for each year during which the aid was
received; and
(3) a focused assessment of the effect of the loss of
additional state aid for tax reduction on rural school districts
and the communities served by those school districts, particularly
school districts in counties in which only one school district
campus is located.
Sec. 42.607. RECOMMENDATIONS. (a) The commission shall
develop recommendations under this subchapter to address issues
related to the public school finance system, including:
(1) the purpose of the public school finance system
and the relationship between state and local funding in that
system;
(2) the appropriate levels of local maintenance and
operations and interest and sinking fund tax effort necessary to
implement a public school finance system that complies with the
requirements under the Texas Constitution; and
(3) policy changes to the public school finance system
necessary to adjust for student demographics and the geographic
diversity in the state.
(b) The commission may establish one or more working groups
composed of not more than five members of the commission to study,
discuss, and address specific policy issues and recommendations to
refer to the commission for consideration.
Sec. 42.608. REPORT. Not later than December 31, 2018, the
commission shall prepare and deliver a report to the governor and
the legislature that recommends statutory changes to improve the
public school finance system, including any adjustments to funding
to account for student demographics.
Sec. 42.609. PUBLIC MEETINGS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION.
(a) The commission may hold public meetings as needed to fulfill
its duties under this subchapter.
(b) The commission is subject to Chapters 551 and 552,
Government Code.
Sec. 42.610. COMMISSION ABOLISHED; EXPIRATION OF
SUBCHAPTER. (a) The commission is abolished January 8, 2019.
(b) This subchapter expires January 8, 2019.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the
legislative session.