School districts would get new state money for every student in an approved fine arts course
What it does
HB 959 would create a new fine arts allotment in the public school finance system. For each student in average daily attendance who is enrolled in an approved fine arts course in grades 6 through 12, a district would get an annual allotment. The amount would equal 0.008 times the basic allotment the district receives for that student, or 0.008 times the basic allotment plus the allotment under Section 48.101 when the district gets that one too. The Texas Education Agency would approve the courses that qualify, and those courses must be authorized by the State Board of Education, cover music, art, theater, or dance, and require full-time students to get at least 225 minutes of fine arts instruction each week. The agency would publish the list of approved courses every year. The bill as filed lists September 1, 2025 as its effective date, even though the 90th Legislature sits in 2027.
What it means for your community
Districts that keep music, art, theater, or dance on the schedule could pick up new state money, and the money would follow students who are enrolled and counted in daily attendance. The catch is the course rule. 225 minutes of fine arts instruction each week is a lot of schedule time, so campus leaders would have to weigh class periods against arts and elective offerings. Your local district would decide how to schedule it, but the state would set the list of courses that count and the attendance rule that triggers the money. Nothing changes unless the Legislature passes the bill.
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