Relating to public school funding by modifying provisions relating to the regular program state cost per pupil and to appropriations to the transportation equity fund and including effective date provisions

Under the bill, for the budget year beginning July 1, 2020, 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. Then with the budget year beginning July 1, 2021, 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.16C establishes a transportation equity program to provide additional funding for school districts with a transportation cost per pupil that exceeds the statewide adjusted transportation cost per pupil, as determined by the department of management. The amount of transportation equity aid for each school district is an amount equal to the school district’s actual enrollment for the school year, excluding the shared-time enrollment for the school year, multiplied by the school district’s transportation cost per pupil differential for the budget year.16C establishes a transportation equity fund and appropriates all moneys in the fund to the department of management for purposes of making the transportation equity aid payments.16C(4).16C appropriates from the general fund of the state to the transportation equity fund the sum of the amount appropriated for the immediately preceding fiscal year plus the product of the amount appropriated for the immediately preceding fiscal year multiplied by the categorical percent of growth for the corresponding school budget year. The bill adds an additional $7,253,088 to the appropriation for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020. The bill takes effect upon enactment.