ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-fourth Legislature

Second Regular Session

House: ED DP 12-0-0-1

HB2111: schools; resources; services; consolidation grants

Sponsor:  Representative Udall, LD 25

Caucus & COW

Overview

Establishes a five-year resource and service consolidation grant program conducted by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and appropriates monies for the grant program.

History

The state Constitution establishes the position of county school superintendent for each county (Ariz. Const. art. 12, sec. 3). Statute designates the office of county school superintendent as a local education agency that is eligible to receive and spend local, state and federal monies to provide programs and services to school districts, charter schools, county free library districts, municipal libraries, nonprofit and public libraries, tribal libraries, private schools and tribal schools within a county (A.R.S. § 15-301).

Among a county school superintendent's responsibilities is the requirement that the county school superintendent report, by October 1 annually, to the Superintendent of Public Instruction the amount of monies received from state school funds, special school district taxes, the total expenditures for school purposes and the balance on hand to the credit of each school district at the close of the school year. Additionally, statute authorizes a county school superintendent to provide services in their respective county or jointly with two or more counties (A.R.S. § 15-302).

Provisions

1.    Establishes a five-year resource and service consolidation grant program conducted by ADE. (Sec. 1)

2.    Allows a county school superintendent or a group of county school superintendents to apply for a grant. (Sec. 1)

3.    Requires a superintendent or group of county school superintendents to do all the following to be eligible for a grant:

a)    Submit a proposal that explains how the grant monies would be made available to consolidate resources and develop new services within the jurisdiction of the county school superintendent or superintendents;

b)    Demonstrate the need for resource service consolidation, that local education agencies have requested resource and service consolidation and how the proposal would address those requests;

c)    Demonstrate the cost savings or efficiencies that will result the from resource and service consolidation proposal; and

d)    Demonstrate the resource and service consolidation proposal will be self-sufficient in five years. (Sec. 1)

4.    Requires ADE to award grants before February 2, 2021. (Sec. 1)

5.    States that ADE must disburse grant monies to a county school superintendent or a group of county school superintendents each year for five consecutive years or until ADE determines that the resource and consolidation proposal is self-sufficient, whichever is sooner. (Sec. 1)

6.    Repeals the resource and service consolidation grant program on July 1, 2026. (Sec. 1)

7.    Appropriates $10,000,000 from the state General Fund to ADE in FY 2021. (Sec. 2)

8.    ☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal NoteExempts the appropriation from lapsing. (Sec. 2)

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12.  Initials CH             Caucus & COW

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