88S30250 ANG-D     By: Hinojosa H.B. No. 177       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to a bonus payment for certain public school employees and   to the public school finance system.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter I, Chapter 21, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 21.4023 to read as follows:          Sec. 21.4023.  BONUS PAYMENT FOR 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR.  (a)     For the 2023-2024 school year, a school district shall provide to   each classroom teacher, full-time librarian, full-time school   counselor certified under Subchapter B, or full-time school nurse   employed by the district a one-time bonus payment of $15,000 in   addition to the employee's compensation for the 2023-2024 school   year to be paid to the employee at the end of the 2023-2024 school   year.          (b)  A bonus payment provided to a classroom teacher under   this section is not considered in determining whether a school   district is paying the teacher the minimum monthly salary under   Section 21.402.          (c)  This section expires September 1, 2024.          SECTION 2.  Subchapter A, Chapter 22, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 22.008 to read as follows:          Sec. 22.008.  BONUS PAYMENT FOR 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR FOR   SUPPORT STAFF.  (a)  For the 2023-2024 school year, a school   district shall provide to each employee, other than an   administrator or an employee subject to the minimum salary schedule   under Section 21.402, who is compensated less than $100,000 per   year in salary or wages a one-time bonus payment of $5,500 in   addition to the employee's compensation for the 2023-2024 school   year to be paid to the employee at the end of the 2023-2024 school   year.          (b)  This section expires September 1, 2024.          SECTION 3.  Effective September 1, 2024, Section 48.051,   Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (c) and   adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to read as follows:          (a)  Subject to adjustment under Subsection (a-1), for [For]   each student in average daily attendance, not including the time   students spend each day in special education programs in an   instructional arrangement other than mainstream or career and   technology education programs, for which an additional allotment is   made under Subchapter C, a district is entitled to an allotment   equal to the lesser of $8,947 [$6,160] or the amount that results   from the following formula:   A = $8,947 [$6,160] X TR/MCR   where:          "A" is the allotment to which a district is entitled;          "TR" is the district's tier one maintenance and operations   tax rate, as provided by Section 45.0032; and          "MCR" is the district's maximum compressed tax rate, as   determined under Section 48.2551.          (a-1)  Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, the basic   allotment provided to a district under Subsection (a) or (b) is   adjusted annually to increase the allotment by the amount that   results from applying the inflation rate, as determined by the   comptroller on the basis of changes in the Consumer Price Index for   All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of   the United States Department of Labor, to the allotment for the   preceding school year.          (a-2)  If the inflation rate for a school year is less than   zero, the inflation rate to be used for purposes of Subsection (a-1)   is zero.          (c)  During any school year for which the maximum amount of   the basic allotment provided under Subsection (a) or (b) is greater   than the maximum amount provided for the preceding school year, a   school district must use at least 40 [30] percent of the amount, if   the amount is greater than zero, that equals the product of the   average daily attendance of the district multiplied by the amount   of the difference between the district's funding under this chapter   per student in average daily attendance for the current school year   and the preceding school year to provide compensation increases to   full-time district employees other than administrators as follows:                (1)  75 percent must be used to increase the   compensation paid to classroom teachers, full-time librarians,   full-time school counselors certified under Subchapter B, Chapter   21, and full-time school nurses, prioritizing differentiated   compensation for classroom teachers with more than five years of   experience; and                (2)  25 percent may be used as determined by the   district to increase compensation paid to full-time district   employees.          SECTION 4.  Section 48.102, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:          (a-1)  To address the extraordinary gap between the amount of   the allotment under this section and school district expenses for   special education, a school district that for the 2023-2024 school   year spent a greater amount for students in a special education   program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, than the amount the   district received from the allotment under this section is entitled   to additional funding for the 2024-2025 school year in an amount   equal to twice the amount of the difference between the total of   those amounts.  This subsection expires September 1, 2025.          SECTION 5.  Section 48.115, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsection (a-2) to read as follows:          (a-2)  To address the extraordinary gap between the amount of   the allotment under this section and school district expenses for   school safety and security improvements, a school district that for   the 2023-2024 school year spent a greater amount for school safety   and security improvements than the amount the district received   from the allotment under this section is entitled to additional   funding for the 2024-2025 school year in an amount equal to the   difference between the total of those amounts.  This subsection   expires September 1, 2025.          SECTION 6.  Subchapter D, Chapter 48, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 48.157 to read as follows:          Sec. 48.157.  SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT TO ADDRESS EDUCATIONAL   NEEDS FOLLOWING COVID-19 PANDEMIC.  (a)  For the 2023-2024 school   year, a school district is entitled to a grant of $800 for each   student enrolled in the district to ensure that the school district   has adequate funding to address the educational needs of the   district's students following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)   pandemic.          (b)  This section expires September 1, 2024.          SECTION 7.  Effective September 1, 2024, Section   48.202(a-1), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:          (a-1)  For purposes of Subsection (a), the dollar amount   guaranteed level of state and local funds per weighted student per   cent of tax effort ("GL") for a school district is:                (1)  the greater of the amount of district tax revenue   per weighted student per cent of tax effort available to a school   district at the 96th percentile of wealth per weighted student or   the amount that results from multiplying $8,947 [6,160], or the   greater amount provided under Section 48.051(a-1) or (b)   [48.051(b)], if applicable, by 0.016, for the first eight cents by   which the district's maintenance and operations tax rate exceeds   the district's tier one tax rate; and                (2)  subject to Subsection (f), the amount that results   from multiplying $8,947 [$6,160], or the greater amount provided   under Section 48.051(a-1) or (b) [48.051(b)], if applicable, by   0.008, for the district's maintenance and operations tax effort   that exceeds the amount of tax effort described by Subdivision (1).          SECTION 8.  Subchapter F, Chapter 48, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 48.2521 to read as follows:          Sec. 48.2521.  ADDITIONAL STATE AID FOR ONE-TIME BONUSES FOR   CERTAIN PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES.  (a)  For the 2023-2024 school   year, a school district, including a school district that is   otherwise ineligible for state aid under this chapter, is entitled   to annual state aid in the sum of:                (1)  the amount equal to the product of $15,000   multiplied by the number of 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                (2)  the amount equal to the product of $5,500   multiplied by the number of employees, other than an administrator   or an employee subject to the minimum salary schedule under Section   21.402, employed by the district who are compensated less than   $100,000 per year in salary or wages.          (b)  A school district shall use the amount received under   this section for purposes of providing the one-time bonus payments   under Sections 21.4023 and 22.008.          (c)  This section expires September 1, 2024.          SECTION 9.  Except as otherwise provided by this Act, 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.