In recent days, the Legislative Budget Board released the report, Texas State Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report: Selected Issues and Recommendations (GEER). The LBB issues an update to this report at the start of each Legislative session, and the current report contains 49 analyses and 106 recommendations concerning selected state agencies and programs.
Public education-related analyses and recommendations are found under the report subtitles shown below.
- Ensure Solvency and Accountability of the Teacher Retirement System Retiree Insurance Fund
- Increase Fiscal Accountability and Transparency of School Districts’ General Fund Balances
- Trends in Number of Salaries of Administrators in Texas Public Schools
- Overview of Funding and Accountability for Bilingual and English as a Second Language Programs in Texas Public Schools
- Overview of Texas Education Agency’s Project Share Online Resources
On the topic of the Teacher Retirement System Retiree Insurance Fund, the LBB states that the TRS’s exceptional item request of $727 million for the 2016-17 biennium will not address longer-term funding deficiencies and solvency issues. The LBB’s recommendations on this topic include increasing state appropriations, deleting rider language concerning Legislative intent for no retiree premium increases, and improving accountability in the future to the public about the status of the TRS-Care fund.
Regarding school districts’ fund balances in the General Fund, the LBB expressed overall concerns about fund balance positions. The report discloses that fund balances are relatively low in 49 school districts and relatively high in over 100 school districts as a percentage of the districts’ operating expenditures. Accordingly, the LBB recommends: (1) amend state law to require the Texas Education Agency to reinstate a requirement that school districts maintain a minimum fund balance in the General Fund; (2) require school districts to report intended use of fund balance amounts in excess of certain percentage(s) established by the Texas Education Agency; and (3) amend state law to require school district boards of trustees to formally adopt fund balance policies.
Concerning the number of administrators and salaries in Texas public schools, the LBB report states, “During the past 10 school years, the number of administrators increased at a greater annual rate than teachers, auxiliary staff, and educational aides, but at a lesser rate than professional support staff. The average salary of central and campus administrators each increased at greater rates than the average salaries of teachers and professional support staff… From school years 2004–05 to 2008–09, the rate of growth for the number of school administrators exceeded the rate of enrollment growth. That trend reversed in 2009–10, when the annual rate of enrollment growth exceeded the rate of growth among administrators.” The LBB report also noted public school administrators have key roles in nearly all aspects of school operation and ensuring that schools function smoothly.
Regarding participation in Bilingual and English as a Second Language programs, the LBB report states “approximately 900,000 students in Texas public schools were identified as English language learners during school year 2013–14,” and student participation in Bilingual and ESL programs has trended upward over the past decade. The LBB report indicates a need for additional studies of funding, accountability, and monitoring issues, as “the rate of growth in the number of ELL students was twice the growth rate of student enrollment in school years 2012–13 and 2013–14.”
On the topic of the TEA’s project share online resources, the LBB highlighted how this free platform is widely used by Texas educators for professional development and as a valuable web-based connection with students for lessons and certain assessments. The LBB also mentions TEA’s initiatives to improve and expand technology-based resources in the Texas public school system.
To access the LBB’s Texas State Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report: Selected Issues and Recommendations (GEER) report, click on the link below.
http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Documents/Publications/GEER/Government_Effectiveness_and_Efficiency_Report_2015.pdf