Relating to education funding, including the amounts for the statewide preschool program and eligibility for payments under the education savings account program, and including applicability provisions

This bill relates to education funding, including the amounts for the statewide preschool program and eligibility for payments under the education savings account program. Under Code chapter 256C, preschool foundation aid is calculated by multiplying the school district’s preschool budget enrollment by the regular program state cost per pupil for the budget year. “Preschool budget enrollment” is defined as the figure that is equal to 50 percent of the actual enrollment of eligible students in the preschool programming provided by a school district approved to participate in the preschool program on October 1 of the base year. The bill modifies the percentage used to calculate “preschool budget enrollment” based on the number of hours of instruction provided. For school districts providing 10 or more hours, but less than 15 hours, per week of instruction, the percentage remains at 50 percent. For school districts providing 15 or more hours, but less than 20 hours, per week of instruction, the percentage is 70 percent. For school districts providing 20 or more hours, but less than 25 hours, per week of instruction, the percentage is 80 percent. For school districts providing 25 or more hours, but less than 30 hours, per week of instruction, the percentage is 90 percent. For school districts providing 30 or more hours per week of instruction, the percentage is 100 percent. The bill also modifies provisions related to eligibility for payments under the education savings account program. Under current law, for school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2025, resident pupils eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 who attend a nonpublic school for the applicable school budget year shall be eligible to receive an education savings account payment. The bill retains this provision for only the school budget year beginning July 1, 2025, and the school budget year beginning July 1, 2026. The bill provides that for school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2027, resident pupils eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 who attend a nonpublic school for the applicable school budget year shall be eligible to receive an education savings account payment if the pupil’s household has an annual income less than or equal to 400 percent of the most recently revised poverty income guidelines published by the United States department of health and human services. The bill applies to school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2027.