The challenge will be to find funding to implement the measures required by many of the new laws, Superintendent John Folks said.
“We understand and support the intent of these bills, but question how the state expects local taxpayers to pay for them,” Folks said. “In addition to these unfunded mandates, the Legislature didn’t provide districts with any additional operational funds to account for inflation and the rising costs of running schools.”
Northside leaders will continue to analyze all pieces of legislation to fully understand the impact on schools, students, and employees.
Here’s a roundup of important bills that the state Legislature passed this session:
House Bill 1: Budget Appropriations
Lawmakers gave a $425 across-the-board salary increase to teachers, counselors, nurses, and librarians, and funneled an additional $342.7 million into the state’s incentive pay programs, the Educator Excellence Award and the Awards for Student Achievement.
House Bill 323: School Bus Seat Belts
All school buses purchased from 2010 on must have three-point seatbelts.
Funding: Unknown – This bill only takes effect if the Legislature appropriates the money to fund it.
House Bill 2237: High School Success
This bill creates the High School Completion and Success Council, which will establish strategies for lowering the dropout rate and increasing college and workforce readiness.
Funding: Grants would be made available to schools or districts that have high dropout rates.
Senate Bill 7: Defibrillators
Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) will be required on all campuses. An employee who is trained to use an AED must be present any time there are a substantial number of students on campus.
Northside already has two AEDs on every high school campus and one on every middle school campus and is working to put the equipment on every elementary campus in NISD.
Funding: The Legislature appropriated $6 million for reimbursement to districts, but districts must demonstrate a need for funding. Because NISD already has purchased the devices, it is unlikely the District will be reimbursed.
Senate Bill 8: Steroid Testing
A statistically significant number of students at 30 percent of high school campuses in the state must be tested for steroids. Coaches also must complete an educational program for the prevention of illegal steroid use.
Funding: The Legislature earmarked $6 million for this testing program.
Senate Bill 9: Background Checks
The Department of Public Safety must establish a national criminal history clearinghouse that will be shared with TEA. School districts must subscribe to the clearinghouse and require all employees, educators, and applicants to complete a national criminal history record information (CHRI) review as soon as possible.
Funding: Unknown.
Senate Bill 82: Safety Training
Coaches, trainers, and sponsors for any extracurricular athletic activity and marching band directors must complete a safety training program that includes training in emergency action planning, CPR, and recognizing the symptoms of potentially catastrophic injuries. Every student who participates in an extracurricular athletic activity and a parent or guardian must complete and sign a UIL medical history form and the “acknowledgement of rules” form.
Funding: Unknown.
Senate Bill 530: Physical Education Requirements
All students in kindergarten though eighth grade must participate in strenuous physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day, or a total of 135 minutes per week. In addition, the bill requires all students in grades 3 through 12 to be assessed for physical fitness annually.
Funding: Unknown.
Senate Bill 1031: End-of-course Exams
TAKS tests in high school will be replaced with 12 end-of-course tests in Algebra I and II, geometry, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, II, and III, world geography, world history, and U.S. history. To graduate, students must score an average of 70 out of 100 on all tests taken. The tests will count for 15 percent of the final grade in the subject. This bill will have no impact on TAKS tests given in elementary and middle schools and will not be implemented until 2011-12, when this year’s fifth graders are in the ninth grade.
Funding: State.
Senate Bill 1846: Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
This bill allows the Teacher Retirement System to give retirees a one-time 13th check in lieu of a cost-of-living increase.
Funding: The bill authorizes increasing the contribution rate of current employees from 6.4 percent to 6.58 percent to fund retiree’s compensation. In addition, the state’s contribution to TRS will increase from 6 percent to 6.58 percent.
