ARIZONA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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SB1230: extraordinary special education needs fund |
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PRIME SPONSOR: Senator Allen S, LD 6 BILL STATUS: Education |
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Transers administration of the Extraordinary Special Education Needs
Fund (Fund) from the State Board of Education (SBE) to the Arizona Department
of Education (ADE), modifies the conditions under which a school district or
charter school may qualify for a Fund grant, and appropriates state General
Fund monies to ADE for the Fund.
History
Laws 2001, Chapter 233, §2 created the Fund to provide grants to school districts that would address extraordinary costs associated with pupil services for special education. (Laws 2016, Chapter 87 allowed charter schools to receive these grants.) SBE is responsible for administering the Fund. When applying for a Fund grant, a school district or charter school must include:
· A description and documentation of pupil services required and evidence that the school is not able to absorb the cost of these services;
· Evidence that monies from the fund will not supplant federal, local, or other state efforts; and
· Evidence that the school has made sufficient efforts to seek but has not received funding to cover the costs from all other sources, including federal and other state sources of funding (A.R.S. § 15-744(B)).
The Fund consists of legislative appropriations, gifts, grants, and donations (A.R.S. § 15-744(A)). In FY 2001, the Fund was appropriated $1 million from the state General Fund (Laws 2001, Chapter 236, §31). However, those funds were subsequently transferred to the state General Fund. Since that transfer, the Fund has not received any legislative appropriations and the current fund balance is $0.
Under the K-12 school finance formula, average daily membership (ADM) represents the total enrollment of fractional students and full-time students, minus withdrawals, of each school day through the first 100 days or 200 days in session, as applicable (A.R.S. § 15-901(A)(1)). A school district or charter school's ADM, when combined with its student funding categories (see table below for special education funding categories), determines its weighted student count, and ultimately, its Basic State Aid formula funding entitlement (referred to as its Equalization Base) (A.R.S. §§ 15-943, 15-944, and 15-947).
Special education funding categories
|
Funding category |
Program |
Support level weight |
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HI |
hearing impairments |
4.771 |
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MD-R, A-R, SID-R |
multiple disabilities, autism, severe intellectual disability (resource) |
6.024 |
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MD-SC, A-SC, SID-SC |
multiple disabilities, autism, severe intellectual disability (self-contained) |
5.833 |
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MD-SSI |
multiple disabilities with severe sensory impairment |
7.947 |
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OI-R |
orthopedic impairments (resource) |
3.158 |
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OI-SC |
orthopedic impairments (self-contained) |
6.773 |
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P-SD |
preschool severe delay |
3.593 |
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DD, ED, MIID, SLD, SLI, and OHI |
developmental delays, emotional disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities, specific learning disability, speech/language impairments, other health impairments |
0.003 |
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ED-P |
emotional disabilities (private special education or intensive school district) |
4.822 |
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MOID |
moderate intellectual disabilities |
4.421 |
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VI |
visual impairments |
4.806 |
Source: A.R.S. §§ 15-901(B) and 15-943.
Provisions
1. Transfers responsibility for administering the Fund to ADE. (Sec. 1)
2. Direct a school district or charter school to apply to ADE for grants from the Fund. (Sec. 1)
3. Requires ADE to prescribe the format of applications that school district and charter schools may use to apply for grants from the Fund. (Sec. 1)
4. Clarifies that a school district or charter school is eligible for a grant from the Fund if either of the following conditions are met:
a. A school district's or charter school's weighted student count for the prior fiscal year included at least 10% of its ADM for the following funding categories:
i. Programs for pupils with hearing impairment (HI);
ii. Resource programs for pupils with multiple disabilities, autism and severe intellectual disability (MD-R, A-R and SID-R);
iii. Self-contained programs for pupils with multiple disabilities, autism and severe intellectual disability (MD-SC, A-SC and SID-SC);
iv. Programs for pupils with multiple disabilities with severe sensory impairment (MD-SSI)
v. Resource programs for pupils with orthopedic impairments (OI-R);
vi. Self-contained programs for pupils with orthopedic impairments (OI-SC);
vii. Programs for children who meet the definition of preschool severe delay (P-SD);
viii. Programs for children with developmental delays who are at least 3 years of age but under 10 years of age (DD);
ix. Programs for children with emotional disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities, a specific learning disability, a speech/language impairment and other health impairments (ED, MIID, SLD, SLI and OHI);
x. Programs for children with emotional disabilities who are enrolled in private special education programs (ED-P);
xi. Programs for pupils with moderate intellectual disability (MOID); and
xii. Programs for pupils with visual impairments (VI);
b. A school district or charter school is eligible for the small school weight and in the prior year, its special education expenditures were at least 20% of its total expenditures for maintenance and operations. (Sec. 1)
5. Allows a school district or charter school to apply for and receive more than one grant from the Fund in the same school year. (Sec. 1)
6. Limits to $200,000 the total amount of grants that a school district or charter school can receive from the Fund in the same school year. (Sec. 1)
7. Appropriates $5 million from the state General Fund to ADE in FY 2020 for deposit in the Fund. (Sec. 2)
8. Makes a conforming change. (Sec. 1)
9.
10.
11. ---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------
12. Fifty-fourth Legislature SB 1230
13. First Regular Session Version 1: Education
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15. ---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------