Relating to the state preschool program by establishing a preschool expansion incentive, authorizing state aid for the incentive, and addressing program costs

To be eligible for the preschool expansion incentive, a school district must develop and implement a preschool expansion plan, approved by the department, in order to expand enrollment of eligible students in the school district’s preschool programming. Requirements for the plan are provided in the bill, including how the school district will collaborate with participating families, early care providers, and community partners to expand the district’s preschool enrollment. The department of education is to specify other requirements for the plan and for approval of plans by the department. The bill requires the department of education to analyze the enhancements to the preschool program following the incentives period and submit a report to the general assembly.4 prohibits inclusion in the preschool program of children already included in a school’s enrollment count for purposes of the school aid foundation formula or children who are served by an existing preschool program already receiving state or federal funds for the purpose of providing four-year-old preschool programming while the child is being served by the existing program. The bill allows inclusion of children participating in an existing program if the preschool programming in the existing program has been enhanced as part of the expansion incentive. The incentive program will operate for the three school budget years beginning July 1, 2020, July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022. For those three budget years, a school district is eligible to receive incentive state aid for the increase in the actual enrollment of eligible students in the preschool programming provided by a school district in the immediately preceding school year over the base incentive enrollment. The base incentive enrollment is the average of the actual enrollments of eligible students in the school district’s preschool programming on October 1, 2016, October 1, 2017, and October 1, 2018. The amount of incentive state aid is equal to percent of the regular program state cost per pupil multiplied by the school district’s incentive enrollment in the base year. The incentive state aid is required to be used to defray increases in costs in connection with the school district’s preschool expansion plan. Such costs may include renovation and other facility costs connected with expansion, outreach, one-time expenses, and other costs identified as eligible by the department. The bill also addresses administrative costs under the preschool program by increasing the allowable administrative costs for school districts from to percent.3.16.2. The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates included in the bill.