HBA-NRS H.B. 3313 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3313 By: Dunnam Public Education 4/3/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law authorizes the commissioner of education (commissioner) to except a school district from a class size limit if the commissioner finds the limit works an undue hardship on the district. Waiver exceptions may be granted for hardships such as teacher shortages, facilities shortages, or unanticipated enrollment growth. School districts who ask for waivers must submit a compliance plan that states how the districts will meet class size requirements. House Bill 3313 requires that a campus or district that is granted an exception from the commissioner from the 22 student per class limit to provide written notice of the exception to the parent of or a person standing in parental relation to each student. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 3313 amends the Education Code to require that a campus or district that is granted an exception from the commissioner of education (commissioner) from the 22 student per class limit to provide written notice of the exception to the parent of or a person standing in parental relation to each student affected by the exception not later than the 31st day after the first day of the school year or the date the exception is granted, if the exception is granted after the beginning of the school year. The bill requires the Texas Education Agency to include in the regional and district level report to certain state officials the number of campuses and classes at each campus, rather than the number of districts, granted class size exceptions and the performance rating of each campus granted an exception to class size. The bill prohibits the commissioner from granting an exception for more than two consecutive semesters at any one campus. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.