Relating to school district finance by modifying provisions relating to the calculation of the regular program state cost per pupil, establishing a supplementary weighting plan for certain mandatory school district transportation costs, and including effective date provisions

This bill relates to school district finance by modifying provisions relating to the calculation of the regular program state cost per pupil and by establishing a supplementary weighting plan for certain school district transportation costs. Division I of the bill relates to the determination of the regular program state cost per pupil and, by operation of law, the determination of regular program district cost per pupil for school districts. Those amounts are used to determine supplemental state aid amounts for each school budget year, determining the budget authority for each school district, and determining amounts of preschool foundation aid for schools participating in the statewide preschool program for four-year-old children under Code chapter 256C. 9 provides that for the budget year beginning July 1, 2018, the regular program state cost per pupil is the regular program state cost per pupil for the base year plus the regular program supplemental state aid for the budget year, plus $5. Under the bill, for the budget year beginning July 1, 2019, the regular program state cost per pupil is the regular program state cost per pupil for the base year plus the regular program supplemental state aid for the budget year, plus $10. Additionally, for the budget year beginning July 1, 2020, and succeeding budget years beginning before July 1, 2028, the regular program state cost per pupil is the regular program state cost per pupil for the base year plus the regular program supplemental state aid for the budget year, plus $20. Then with the budget year beginning July 1, 2028, and succeeding budget years, the regular program state cost per pupil will again be calculated as the regular program state cost per pupil for the base year plus the regular program supplemental state aid for the budget year without any additional amount added. Division I of the bill takes effect upon enactment. Division II of the bill establishes a supplementary weighting plan for school district transportation costs resulting from the transportation of pupils as required under Code chapter 285. The bill establishes a methodology for calculating the amount of supplementary weighting assigned to each school district. The calculation is made using school district transportation cost data, school district enrollment data, and school district transportation route mile data. The amount of the supplementary weighting is phased in over a period of school budget years beginning with the budget year beginning July 1, 2019. Under the bill, if a school district established as the result of a reorganization does not have sufficient data for the calculation of amounts required under the bill, the department of management is required to use estimated data derived from data for prior budget years from each district involved in the reorganization until such amounts can be calculated using actual data for the reorganized school district. In addition, for specified budget years, if insufficient or incomplete transportation cost data makes the implementation of the bill impractical, the department of management is required to, in consultation with the department of education and the legislative services agency, establish procedures and modified methodologies for calculating supplementary weighting and funding amounts under the bill.34(22). The bill also provides that funding received by a school district as the result of the supplementary weighting must be deposited in the school district’s general fund and may be used for any general fund purpose. Division II of the bill takes effect upon enactment.