HB2608 - 562R

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 15-189.05, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-189.05. Charter school budgets; posting of teacher salary information; annual report

A. The budget for each charter school shall contain the following information:

1. The average salary of all teachers employed by the charter school for the current year.

2. The average salary of all teachers employed by the charter school for the previous year.

3. The dollar increase in the average salary of all teachers employed by the charter school for the current year.

4. The percentage increase in the average salary of all teachers employed by the charter school for the current year.

5. The number of full-time equivalent teachers that the charter school included in the budget for the current year, including the number of teachers included in the budget for each school site, if applicable, disaggregated by subject area and grade level.

B. Each charter school shall prominently post the information required by subsection A of this section on its website home page separately from its budget.

C. On or before November 30 of each year, the department of education shall electronically submit to the joint legislative budget committee and the governor's office of strategic planning and budgeting a report that compiles the information required by subsection A of this section for all charter schools statewide. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Title 15, chapter 5, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-501.02, to read:

START_STATUTE15-501.02. Comprehensive study; teacher retention; annual report

A. The state board of education shall conduct and complete a comprehensive study to determine the retention rate of teachers in school districts and charter schools in this state. The study shall include:

1. The total number of teachers, the retention rate and the turnover rate for each of the following:

(a) Certificated teachers, by each type of teaching certificate pursuant to section 15-501.01, subsection B.

(b) Noncertificated teachers as described in section 15-183, subsection C, paragraph 5.

(i) Subject area taught.

(ii) Grade level taught, including teachers who are assigned to kindergarten programs.

(d) Location, including all of the following:

(i) by school site.

(ii) By school district or charter school.

(iii) By city or town.

(iv) By county.

(e) The number of years of experience of each teacher.

(f) the number of teachers who, within their first three years of teaching, received formal mentorship from an individual with five or more years of teaching experience.

(g) Any other category identified by the board.

2. The number of vacant teaching positions, including the average time to fill a vacancy, for each of the following:

(a) Teaching assignment, including both:

(i) Subject area taught.

(ii) Grade level taught, including teachers who are assigned to kindergarten programs.

(b) Location, including all of the following:

(i) bY SCHOOL SITE.

(ii) By school district or charter school.

(iii) By city or town.

(iv) By county.

3. An analysis of data for each state board-approved teacher preparation program, including:

(a) Data relating to program completion.

(b) Program emphasis, if any, including subject area and grade level.

B. The department of education and state board for charter schools shall collect and provide any data or information requested by the state board of education for the purposes of this section.

C. On or before December 31, 2024 and each year thereafter, the board shall submit the study results and recommendations to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives and shall provide a copy to the secretary of state. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 15-903, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-903. Budget format; prohibited expenditures; annual report

A. The superintendent of public instruction in conjunction with the auditor general shall prepare and prescribe a budget format to be used by all school districts.

B. The budget format shall be designed to allow all school districts to plan and provide in detail for using available monies. The budget format shall contain distinct sections for, but need not be limited to, maintenance and operation, debt service, special projects, capital outlay, adjacent ways and classroom site fund. The maintenance and operation section shall include, but need not be limited to, separate subsections for regular education programs, special education programs and operational expenditures for pupil transportation. Each subsection shall clearly distinguish classroom instruction expenditures. The special education program subsection shall include a subtotal for the disability classifications as defined in section 15-761 and programs for gifted, vocational and technical education, remedial education and bilingual students. The total expenditures for each of these programs shall be included on the budget form. The pupil transportation subsection shall include all operational expenditures relating to transporting pupils, including all operational expenditures within a contract if the school district contracts for pupil transportation.

C. The capital outlay section of the budget shall include a subsection for unrestricted capital outlay. The unrestricted capital outlay subsection shall include budgeted expenditures for acquisitions by purchase, lease-purchase or lease of capital items as defined in the uniform system of financial records and shall include:

1. Land, buildings and improvements to land and buildings, including labor and related employee benefits costs and material costs if work is performed by school district employees.

2. Furniture, furnishings, athletic equipment and other equipment, including computer software.

3. Pupil and nonpupil transportation vehicles and equipment, including all capital expenditures within a contract if the school district contracts for pupil transportation.

4. Textbooks and related printed subject matter materials adopted by the governing board.

5. Instructional aids.

6. Library books.

7. Payment of principal and interest on bonds.

8. School district administration emergency needs that are directly related to pupils.

D. The budget format shall contain distinct subsections for the following:

1. Special programs to improve academic achievement of pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three as provided in section 15-482.

2. School plant funds.

3. Capital outlay budget increases as provided in section 15-481.

4. Property taxation, including the following:

(a) The primary tax rates for the school district for the current year and the budget year.

(b) The secondary tax rates for maintenance and operation, K-3 and capital overrides for the school district for the current year and the budget year.

(d) The secondary tax rates for class B bonds for the school district for the current year and the budget year.

5. A description of any corrections or adjustments made to the budget pursuant to section 15-915.

E. The budget format shall also contain:

1. A statement identifying proposed pupil-teacher ratios and pupil-staff ratios relating to the provision of special education services for the budget year.

2. The number of full-time equivalent teachers that the school district included in the budget for the current year, including the number of teachers included in the budget for each school that is operated by the school district, disaggregated by subject area and grade level.

2. 3. The prominent display of the average salary of all teachers employed by the school district for the current year. The school district shall also prominently post this information on its website home page separately from its budget.

3. 4. The prominent display of the average salary of all teachers employed by the school district for the previous year. The school district shall also prominently post this information on its website home page separately from its budget.

4. 5. The prominent display of the dollar increase in the average salary of all teachers employed by the school district for the current year. The school district shall also prominently post this information on its website home page separately from its budget.

5. 6. The prominent display of the percentage increase in the average salary of all teachers employed by the school district for the current year. The school district shall also prominently post this information on its website home page separately from its budget.

F. The special projects section shall include budgeted expenditures for state special projects, including special adult projects, career education, deficiencies correction fund projects and new school facilities fund projects, such federal special projects as ESEA title programs, vocational education and title IV Indian education, and other special projects.

G. A school district shall not make expenditures for campaign literature associated with school district or charter school officials. If the superintendent of public instruction determines that a school district has violated this subsection, the superintendent of public instruction may withhold any portion of the school district's apportionment of state aid.

H. The budget format shall include an electronic format that shall be submitted for each proposed, adopted and revised budget.

I. On or before November 30 of each year, the department of education shall electronically submit to the joint legislative budget committee and the governor's office of strategic planning and budgeting a report that compiles the information required by subsection E, paragraphs 2 through 5 6 of this section for all school districts statewide. END_STATUTE