| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the salary paid to certain professional employees of |
|
|
public schools. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 21.402(a), Education Code, as effective |
|
|
until September 1, 2017, is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (f), a school district |
|
|
must pay each classroom teacher, full-time librarian, full-time |
|
|
school counselor certified under Subchapter B, or full-time school |
|
|
nurse not less than the minimum monthly salary[, based on the
|
|
|
employee's level of experience in addition to other factors, as
|
|
|
determined by commissioner rule,] determined as provided by |
|
|
Subsection (b) [the following formula:
|
|
|
[MS = SF x FS
|
|
|
[where:
|
|
|
["MS" is the minimum monthly salary;
|
|
|
["SF" is the applicable salary factor specified by Subsection
|
|
|
(c); and
|
|
|
["FS" is the amount, as determined by the commissioner under
|
|
|
Subsection (b), of the basic allotment as provided by Section
|
|
|
42.101(a) or (b) for a school district with a maintenance and
|
|
|
operations tax rate at least equal to the state maximum compressed
|
|
|
tax rate, as defined by Section 42.101(a)]. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 21.402(a), Education Code, as effective |
|
|
September 1, 2017, is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (e-1) or (f), a school |
|
|
district must pay each classroom teacher, full-time librarian, |
|
|
full-time school counselor certified under Subchapter B, or |
|
|
full-time school nurse not less than the minimum monthly salary[,
|
|
|
based on the employee's level of experience in addition to other
|
|
|
factors, as determined by commissioner rule,] determined as |
|
|
provided by Subsection (b) [the following formula:
|
|
|
[MS = SF x FS
|
|
|
[where:
|
|
|
["MS" is the minimum monthly salary;
|
|
|
["SF" is the applicable salary factor specified by Subsection
|
|
|
(c); and
|
|
|
["FS" is the amount, as determined by the commissioner under
|
|
|
Subsection (b), of the basic allotment as provided by Section
|
|
|
42.101(a) or (b) for a school district with a maintenance and
|
|
|
operations tax rate at least equal to the state maximum compressed
|
|
|
tax rate, as defined by Section 42.101(a)]. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Sections 21.402(b) and (c-1), Education Code, |
|
|
are amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) The commissioner shall adopt rules to establish a method |
|
|
for annually setting a salary schedule for classroom teachers, |
|
|
full-time librarians, full-time school counselors certified under |
|
|
Subchapter B, and full-time school nurses based on the employee's |
|
|
level of experience. The commissioner's method must provide a |
|
|
salary level for each year of experience from 0 years through 20 |
|
|
years. The commissioner shall ensure that the salary schedule is |
|
|
consistent with the national average salary, based on experience, |
|
|
for those employees as determined by statistics gathered by the |
|
|
National Center for Education Statistics or a similar independent |
|
|
education-oriented institution. Not later than June 1 of each |
|
|
year, the commissioner shall determine, based on the salary |
|
|
schedule, the minimum monthly salary for each classroom teacher, |
|
|
full-time librarian, full-time school counselor certified under |
|
|
Subchapter B, and full-time school nurse for the following school |
|
|
year [the basic allotment and resulting monthly salaries to be paid
|
|
|
by school districts as provided by Subsection (a)]. |
|
|
(c-1) Notwithstanding Subsections (a) and (b), each school |
|
|
district shall pay a monthly salary to each classroom teacher, |
|
|
full-time speech pathologist, full-time librarian, full-time |
|
|
school counselor certified under Subchapter B, and full-time school |
|
|
nurse that is at least equal to the following monthly salary or the |
|
|
monthly salary determined by the commissioner under Subsection |
|
|
[Subsections (a) and] (b), whichever is greater: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SECTION 4. Section 21.402(e-1), Education Code, as |
|
|
effective September 1, 2017, is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(e-1) If the minimum monthly salary determined under |
|
|
Subsection (b) [(a)] for a particular level of experience is less |
|
|
than the minimum monthly salary for that level of experience in the |
|
|
preceding year, the minimum monthly salary is the minimum monthly |
|
|
salary for the preceding year. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Section 42.2516, Education Code, as effective |
|
|
until September 1, 2017, is amended by adding Subsection (e-1) to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(e-1) The amount of state aid or credit to which a school |
|
|
district is entitled under Section 42.2518 is in addition to the |
|
|
amount of revenue to which the district is entitled under |
|
|
Subsection (b). This subsection expires September 1, 2017. |
|
|
SECTION 6. Subchapter E, Chapter 42, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 42.2518 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 42.2518. ADDITIONAL STATE AID OR CREDIT AGAINST COST |
|
|
OF ATTENDANCE CREDITS FOR PROFESSIONAL STAFF SALARIES. (a) For |
|
|
each school year, a school district, including a school district |
|
|
that is otherwise ineligible for state aid under this chapter, is |
|
|
entitled to state aid in an amount, as determined by the |
|
|
commissioner, equal to the difference between the district's salary |
|
|
cost under Section 21.402, as amended by __.B. ___, Acts of the 84th |
|
|
Legislature, Regular Session, 2015, for all classroom teachers, |
|
|
full-time librarians, full-time school counselors certified under |
|
|
Subchapter B, Chapter 21, and full-time school nurses employed by |
|
|
the district and an amount equal to what the district's salary costs |
|
|
would have been for that school year under Section 21.402, as it |
|
|
existed before amendment by __.B. ___, Acts of the 84th |
|
|
Legislature, Regular Session, 2015. |
|
|
(b) A school district that is required to take action under |
|
|
Chapter 41 to reduce its wealth per student to the equalized wealth |
|
|
level is entitled to a credit, in the amount of state aid to which |
|
|
the district is entitled under this section, against the total |
|
|
amount required under Section 41.093 for the district to purchase |
|
|
attendance credits. |
|
|
(c) A determination by the commissioner under this section |
|
|
is final and may not be appealed. |
|
|
(d) The commissioner may adopt rules to implement this |
|
|
section. |
|
|
SECTION 7. Section 21.402(c), Education Code, is repealed. |
|
|
SECTION 8. Not later than January 1, 2016, the commissioner |
|
|
of education shall adopt rules to establish a method for annually |
|
|
setting a salary schedule as provided by Section 21.402(b), |
|
|
Education Code, as amended by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 9. This Act applies beginning with the 2016-2017 |
|
|
school year. |
|
|
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
