REFERENCE TITLE: county superintendents; administration; pilot program

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-sixth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2024

HB 2717

Introduced by

Representatives Gillette: Biasiucci

An Act

establishing a pilot program for county school superintendents to provide administrative services.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. County school superintendents; school district administration; pilot program; policies; reporting requirements; delayed repeal; definition

A. The county school superintendent for each participating county shall conduct a five-year pilot program beginning in fiscal year 2025-2026 to provide administrative services and support to school districts that are located within that participating county. Each county school superintendent participating in the pilot program shall establish at least one county office to provide administrative services, including human resources, school budget and finance, accounting, curriculum management, pupil transportation and capital management, to all school districts that are located within the participating county.

B. Beginning in fiscal year 2025-2026, for the purposes of the pilot program established pursuant to subsection A of this section, the following powers and duties under state and federal law are transferred from the governing board of each school district that is located within the participating county to the county school superintendent:

1. School district budgeting, accounting and other financial matters, including the powers and duties assigned pursuant to title 15, chapters 9, 10 and 10.1 and title 41, chapter 56, Arizona Revised Statutes, subject to the following:

(a) The county school superintendent may not adopt a proposed or final budget that exceeds the general budget limit under section 15-947, Arizona Revised Statutes.

(b) All revenues of a school district that is within the participating county, including private and grant monies, are under the direction and control of the county school superintendent for the duration of the pilot program.

(c) A school district that is located within the participating county is ineligible for accounting responsibility pursuant to section 15-914.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, for the duration of the pilot program.

2. School district employees, including the powers and duties assigned pursuant to title 15, chapter 5, Arizona Revised Statutes.

3. Curriculum management, including prescribing course of study and competency requirements pursuant to title 15, chapter 7, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes.  A school district that is located within the participating county may use a curriculum that is not provided by the county school superintendent pursuant to this paragraph if the curriculum does not generate a financial cost to the district and meets the minimum standards prescribed by law.

C. The county school superintendent of a participating county may enter into an intergovernmental agreement or otherwise contract to provide student transportation services for students who are enrolled in a charter school in the participating county.

D. Notwithstanding any other law, the county school superintendent of a participating county may use up to ten percent of the total school district monies, excluding private monies, that the county school superintendent manages each fiscal year for administrative costs of the pilot program.

E. For the purposes of this section, a school district is within a county if the majority of students who are enrolled in the school district live within the county, regardless of whether the school district's boundaries include territory in more than one county.

F. Any powers, duties, rights or obligations that are not listed in subsection B of this section remain with the school administrators or school district governing board, as prescribed by law.

G. Except as provided in subsection C of this section, this section does not affect the powers, duties, rights or obligations of any charter school that is located within a participating county.

H. The department of education shall develop procedures and guidelines for the county school superintendents of participating counties to implement this section.

I. In addition to all other reporting requirements prescribed by law, on or before December 31, 2030, the county school superintendent of each participating county shall submit a report to the department of education describing the implementation and results of the pilot program established by this section, including any changes that the county school superintendent made relating to school district personnel and finances, pupil transportation, school facilities and school district capital management. The department of education shall compile the reports received pursuant to this subsection and submit the compiled reports and a summary of the results of the pilot program to the joint legislative budget committee and the office of the auditor general.

J. This section is repealed from and after December 31, 2030.

K. For the purposes of this section, "participating county" means Mohave and La Paz counties.