According to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), SB 991 is not expected to have a significant fiscal impact on the state. The bill’s core requirements—expanding the definition of students at risk of dropping out to include chronically absent and truant students, and requiring districts to report related data to the Texas Education Agency (TEA)—are anticipated to be implemented using existing state resources. TEA and school districts already collect student attendance data, which the bill leverages to identify and report additional risk factors without requiring new data systems or infrastructure investments.

At the local level, school districts may experience a minor increase in workload due to the need to track and flag students meeting the new criteria and to report this information through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). However, because the data being used is already collected for existing purposes, these requirements are not expected to impose significant new costs. The fiscal note explicitly states that any such obligations should be absorbable within existing district operations.

Overall, while SB 991 introduces modest administrative tasks for school districts, it does not mandate additional state funding or create new financial obligations for local governments that would rise to the level of a fiscal note requiring legislative appropriations. The bill’s design reflects an intent to improve educational oversight and dropout prevention with minimal fiscal disruption.

SB 991 proposes to amend the Texas Education Code by explicitly defining "chronically absent students" and including them, along with certain truant students, in the category of students "at risk of dropping out of school." This designation would make these students eligible for targeted support services under existing state programs. The bill also mandates that school districts and open-enrollment charter schools report data on these students through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS), with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) aggregating and publishing this data at the campus and district levels.

The inclusion of chronically absent and truant students in the at-risk category aligns with the principle of individual liberty, as it seeks to provide equitable educational opportunities by identifying and supporting students who are at a higher risk of academic failure. By addressing the underlying issues contributing to absenteeism, the bill promotes personal responsibility among students and families, encouraging consistent school attendance as a foundational personal duty.

From a fiscal perspective, the Legislative Budget Board has indicated that SB 991 is not expected to have a significant fiscal impact on the state. The bill leverages existing data collection systems, thereby avoiding the need for substantial new expenditures. This approach supports the principle of limited government by utilizing current resources efficiently without expanding state infrastructure or spending.

While the bill introduces new reporting requirements, it does not impose significant administrative burdens on school districts, as the necessary data is already being collected.

In conclusion, SB 991 addresses a critical issue in student retention by identifying and supporting students who are chronically absent or truant. The bill aligns with key liberty principles by promoting educational equity, personal responsibility, and efficient use of government resources. As such, Texas Policy Research recommends that lawmakers vote YES on SB 991.

• Individual Liberty: The bill enhances individual liberty by recognizing and addressing systemic barriers to educational attainment for students who are chronically absent or truant. By formally categorizing these students as “at risk of dropping out,” the bill extends access to existing support services that can help them succeed academically. This promotes educational equity and helps preserve the right of every student to pursue a quality public education, often a prerequisite for exercising broader freedoms in adulthood. Additionally, by disaggregating and reporting data on absenteeism and support interventions, the bill increases transparency, which can improve accountability and help local communities respond more effectively to student needs.
• Personal Responsibility: The bill reinforces the principle of personal responsibility by recognizing school attendance as a civic and educational duty for students and their families. Chronic absenteeism is strongly linked to academic failure and later life instability. By identifying at-risk students based on their attendance records, the bill encourages timely interventions that support students in fulfilling their educational responsibilities. Furthermore, this policy sends a clear message that attendance matters, not only for academic success but for broader societal participation, without resorting to punitive measures.
• Free Enterprise: Although the bill does not directly affect economic regulation or private markets, it has indirect positive implications for the principle of free enterprise. Students who complete high school are more likely to participate meaningfully in the workforce, earn higher wages, and contribute to a dynamic labor market. By targeting dropout prevention through earlier identification of at-risk students, the bill supports a stronger future workforce and thus contributes to economic mobility and productivity.
• Private Property Rights: The bill does not directly implicate private property rights. However, care must be taken to ensure that student data collected and reported under the new provisions is handled with appropriate safeguards. The aggregation and publication of detailed attendance data should respect the privacy of students and families, which is tangentially connected to liberty interests akin to property and privacy rights.
• Limited Government: The bill leverages existing data and resources to expand support for at-risk students without imposing significant new financial or operational mandates on state or local entities. This restrained approach supports the principle of limited government by solving a pressing issue, dropout prevention, without dramatically expanding the size or scope of the education bureaucracy. That said, the bill does increase state oversight in terms of required data reporting and public disclosure. While this can be beneficial for transparency, it must be balanced against potential overreach. Including explicit safeguards for student data and allowing local discretion in intervention strategies would further reinforce limited government principles.

• HB 213 (Similar To)