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SB1706 - 572R - I Ver
REFERENCE TITLE:
full-day kindergarten students; ADM
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SB 1706
Introduced by
Senators
Diaz: Bravo, Fernandez, Gonzales, Hatathlie, Kuby, Miranda, Ortiz, Sears
AN
ACT
amending sections 15-808 and 15-901,
Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to school finance.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-808, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
15-808.
Arizona online instruction; reports; definitions
A. Arizona online instruction shall be instituted to
meet the needs of pupils in the information age. The state board of
education shall select district public schools and state-approved charter
authorizers shall sponsor charter schools to be online course providers or
online schools. The state board of education and state-approved
charter authorizers shall develop standards for the approval of online course
providers and online schools based on the following criteria:
1. The depth and breadth of curriculum choices.
2. The variety of educational methodologies employed
by the school and the means of addressing the unique needs and learning styles
of targeted pupil populations, including computer-assisted learning
systems, virtual classrooms, virtual laboratories, electronic field trips,
e-mail
email
, virtual tutoring,
online help desk, group chat sessions and noncomputer-based activities
performed under the direction of a certificated teacher.
3. The availability of an intranet or private
network to safeguard pupils against predatory and pornographic elements of the
internet.
4. The availability of filtered research access to
the internet.
5. The availability of private individual
e-mail
email
between pupils,
teachers, administrators and parents in order to protect the confidentiality of
pupil records and information.
6. The availability of faculty members who are
experienced with computer networks, the internet and computer animation.
7. The extent to which the school intends to develop
partnerships with universities, community colleges and private businesses.
8. The services offered to populations with
developmental disabilities.
9. The grade levels that will be served.
B. Each new school that provides online instruction
shall provide online instruction on a probationary status. After a
new school that provides online instruction has clearly demonstrated the
academic integrity of its instruction through the actual improvement of the
academic performance of its students, the school may apply to be removed from
probationary status. The state board of education or the state-approved
charter authorizer that sponsored the charter school shall remove from Arizona
online instruction any probationary school that fails to clearly demonstrate
improvement in academic performance within three years measured against goals
in the approved application and the state's accountability
system. All pupils who participate in Arizona online instruction
shall reside in this state.� Pupils who participate in Arizona online
instruction are subject to the testing requirements prescribed in chapter 7,
article 3 of this title. On enrollment, the school shall notify the
parents or guardians of the pupil of the state testing requirements. If
a pupil fails to comply with the testing requirements and the school
administers the tests pursuant to this subsection to less than ninety-five
percent of the pupils in Arizona online instruction, the pupil shall not be
allowed to participate in Arizona online instruction.
C. The state board of education and state-approved
charter authorizers shall develop annual reporting mechanisms for schools that
participate in Arizona online instruction.
D. The department of education shall compile the
information submitted in the annual reports by schools participating in Arizona
online instruction. The department of education shall submit the
compiled report to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives
and the president of the senate by November 15 of each year.
E. Each school selected for Arizona online
instruction shall ensure that a daily log is maintained for each pupil who
participates in Arizona online instruction.� The daily log shall describe the
amount of time spent by each pupil participating in Arizona online instruction
pursuant to this section on academic tasks. The daily log shall be
used by the school district or charter school to qualify the pupils who
participate in Arizona online instruction in the school's average daily attendance
calculations pursuant to subsection F of this section.
F. If a pupil is enrolled in a school district or
charter school and also participates in Arizona online instruction, the sum of
the average daily membership, which includes enrollment as prescribed in
section 15-901, subsection A, paragraph 1, subdivisions (a) and (b) and
daily attendance as prescribed in section 15-901, subsection A, paragraph
5, for that pupil in the school district or charter school and in Arizona
online instruction shall not exceed 1.0.� If the pupil is enrolled in a school
district or a charter school and also participates in Arizona online
instruction and the sum of the daily membership or daily attendance for that
pupil is greater than 1.0, the sum shall be reduced to 1.0 and shall be
apportioned between the school district, unless the school district is a career
technical education district subject to the apportionment requirements of
section 15-393, or charter school and Arizona online instruction based on
the percentage of total time that the pupil is enrolled or in attendance in the
school district or charter school and Arizona online
instruction. The uniform system of financial records shall include
guidelines for the apportionment of the pupil enrollment and attendance as
provided in this subsection. Pupils in Arizona online instruction do
not incur absences for purposes of this subsection and may generate an average
daily attendance of 1.0 for attendance hours during any hour of the day, during
any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal
year. For kindergarten programs and grades one through eight,
average daily membership shall be calculated by dividing the instructional
hours as reported in the daily log required in subsection E of this section by
the applicable hourly requirements prescribed in section 15-901.� For
grades nine through twelve, average daily membership shall be calculated by
dividing the instructional hours as reported in the daily log required in
subsection E of this section by nine hundred. The average daily
membership of a pupil who participates in online instruction shall not exceed
1.0. Average daily membership shall not be calculated on the one
hundredth day of instruction for the purposes of this
section. Funding shall be determined as follows:
1. A pupil who is enrolled full-time
in
Arizona online instruction shall be funded for online instruction at ninety-five
percent of the base support level that would be calculated for that pupil if
that pupil were enrolled as a full-time student in a school district or
charter school that does not participate in Arizona online
instruction. Charter additional assistance and district additional
assistance shall be calculated in the same manner they would be calculated if
the student were enrolled in a district or charter school that does not
participate in Arizona online instruction.
2. A pupil who is enrolled part-time
in
Arizona online instruction shall be funded for online instruction at eighty-five
percent of the base support level that would be calculated for that pupil if
that pupil were enrolled as a part-time student in a school district or
charter school that does not participate in Arizona online
instruction. Charter additional assistance and district additional
assistance shall be calculated in the same manner they would be calculated if
the student were enrolled in a district or charter school that does not
participate in Arizona online instruction.
G. If the academic achievement of a pupil declines
while the pupil is participating in Arizona online instruction, the pupil's
parents, the pupil's teachers and the principal or head teacher of the school
shall confer to evaluate whether the pupil should be allowed to continue to
participate in Arizona online instruction.
H. To ensure the academic integrity of pupils who
participate in online instruction, Arizona online instruction shall include
multiple diverse assessment measures and the proctored administration of
required state standardized tests.
I. A school district or charter school may not
charge a fee to a pupil who takes an examination in a particular course to
obtain academic credit, pursuant to section 15-701.01, subsection I, from
the school district or charter school if the academic credit for a course was
previously earned in an Arizona online instruction course or at any public
school in this state.� Any test administered pursuant to this subsection shall
be an assessment that is aligned to the course-relevant state academic
standards.
J. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Full-time student" means:
(a) A student who is at least five years of age
before September 1 of a school year and who is enrolled
either:
(
i
)
In a
school
half-day
kindergarten program that meets at least
three hundred forty-six hours during the school year
.
(
ii
)
In a school full-day kindergarten program that meets at least seven
hundred twelve hours during the school year
.
(b) A student who is at least six years of age
before September 1 of a school year, who has not graduated from the highest
grade taught in the school and who is regularly enrolled in a course of study
required by the state board of education. For first, second and
third grade students, the instructional program shall meet at least seven
hundred twelve hours
during the school year
. For
fourth, fifth and sixth grade students, the instructional program shall meet at
least eight hundred ninety hours during the school year.
(c) Seventh and eighth grade students or ungraded
students who are at least twelve, but under fourteen, years of age on or before
September 1 and who are enrolled in an instructional program of courses that
meets at least one thousand sixty-eight hours during the school year.
(d) For high schools, a student who has not
graduated from the highest grade taught in the school district, or an ungraded
student who is at least fourteen years of age on or before September 1, and who
is enrolled in at least four courses throughout the year that meet at least
nine hundred hours during the school year. A full-time student
shall not be counted more than once for computation of average daily
membership.
2. "Online course provider" means a school
other than an online school that is selected by the state board of education or
a state-approved charter authorizer to participate in Arizona online
instruction pursuant to this section and that provides at least one online
academic course that is approved by the state board of education.
3. "Online school" means a school that
provides at least four online academic courses or one or more online courses
for the equivalent of at least five hours each day for one hundred eighty
school days and that is a charter school that is sponsored by a state-approved
charter authorizer or a district public school that is selected by the state
board of education to participate in Arizona online instruction.
4. "Part-time student" means:
(a) Any student who is enrolled in a program that
does not meet the definition in paragraph 1 of this subsection shall be funded
at eighty-five percent of the base support level that would be calculated
for that pupil if that pupil were enrolled as a part-time student in a school
district or charter school that does not participate in Arizona online
instruction.
(b) A part-time student of seventy-five
percent average daily membership shall be enrolled in at least three subjects
throughout the year that offer for first, second and third grade students at
least five hundred thirty-four instructional hours in a school year and
for fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at least six hundred sixty-eight
instructional hours in a school year. A part-time student of
fifty percent average daily membership shall be enrolled in at least two
subjects throughout the year that offer for first, second and third grade
students at least three hundred fifty-six instructional hours in a school
year and for fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at least four hundred forty-five
instructional hours in a school year. A part-time student of
twenty-five percent average daily membership shall be enrolled in at
least one subject throughout the year that offers for first, second and third
grade students at least one hundred seventy-eight instructional hours in
a school year and for fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at least two
hundred twenty-three instructional hours in a school year.
(c) For seventh and eighth grade students, a part-time
student of seventy-five percent average daily membership shall be
enrolled in at least three subjects throughout the year that offer at least
eight hundred one instructional hours in a school year.� A part-time
student of fifty percent average daily membership shall be enrolled in at least
two subjects throughout the year that offer at least five hundred thirty-four
instructional hours in a school year.� A part-time student of twenty-five
percent average daily membership shall be enrolled in at least one subject
throughout the year that offers at least two hundred sixty-seven
instructional hours in a school year.
(d) For high school students, a part-time student of
seventy-five percent average daily membership shall be enrolled in at
least three subjects throughout the year that offer at least six hundred
seventy-five instructional hours in a school year. A part-time
student of fifty percent average daily membership shall be enrolled in at least
two subjects throughout the year that offer at least four hundred fifty
instructional hours in a school year.� A part-time student of twenty-five
percent average daily membership shall be enrolled in at least one subject
throughout the year that offers at least two hundred twenty-five
instructional hours in a school year.
5. "State-approved charter
authorizer" means any charter school sponsor authorized pursuant to
section 15-183.
END_STATUTE
Sec. 2. Section 15-901, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
15-901.
Definitions
A. In this title, unless the context otherwise
requires:
1. "Average daily membership" means the
total enrollment of fractional students and full-time students, minus
withdrawals, of each school day through the first one hundred days or two
hundred days in session, as applicable, for the current year. For
the purposes of this paragraph, "withdrawals" means students who are
formally withdrawn from schools or students who are absent for ten consecutive
school days, except for excused absences identified by the department of
education. For computation purposes, a student who is absent for
nine or fewer consecutive school days, including the last day of the school
year, is not a withdrawal and may not be subtracted from the total enrollment
of fractional students and full-time students. For the
purposes of this section, school districts and charter schools shall report
student absence data to the department of education at least once every sixty
days in session.� For computation purposes, the effective date of withdrawal
shall be retroactive to the last day of actual attendance of the student or
excused absence. A school district or charter school may satisfy any
of the time and hours requirements prescribed in this subsection in any manner
prescribed in the school district's or charter school's instructional time
model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(a) "Fractional student" means:
(i) For common schools, a preschool child who is
enrolled in a program for preschool children with disabilities of at least
three hundred sixty minutes each week that meets at least two hundred sixteen
hours over the minimum number of days or a kindergarten student who is at least
five years of age before January 1 of the school year and enrolled in a school
half-day
kindergarten program that meets at least three
hundred fifty-six hours
and fewer than seven hundred
twelve hours
for a one hundred eighty-day school year, or the
instructional hours prescribed in this section. In computing the
average daily membership, preschool children with disabilities and
half-day
kindergarten students shall be counted as one-half
of a full-time student. For common schools, a part-time
student is a student enrolled for less than the total time for a full-time
student as defined in this section. A part-time common school
student shall be counted as one-fourth, one-half or three-fourths
of a full-time student if the student is enrolled in an instructional
program that is at least one-fourth, one-half or three-fourths
of the time a full-time student is enrolled as defined in subdivision (b)
of this paragraph.� The hours in which a student is scheduled to attend a
common school during the regular school day shall be included in the
calculation of the average daily membership for that student.
(ii) For high schools, a part-time student who
is enrolled in less than four subjects that count toward graduation as defined
by the state board of education, each of which, if taught each school day for
the minimum number of days required in a school year, would meet a minimum of
one hundred twenty-three hours a year, or the equivalent, in a recognized
high school. The average daily membership of a part-time high
school student shall be 0.75 if the student is enrolled in an instructional
program of three subjects that meet at least five hundred forty hours for a one
hundred eighty-day school year, or the instructional hours prescribed in
this section. The average daily membership of a part-time high
school student shall be 0.5 if the student is enrolled in an instructional
program of two subjects that meet at least three hundred sixty hours for a one
hundred eighty-day school year, or the instructional hours prescribed in
this section. The average daily membership of a part-time high
school student shall be 0.25 if the student is enrolled in an instructional
program of one subject that meets at least one hundred eighty hours for a one
hundred eighty-day school year, or the instructional hours prescribed in
this section. The hours in which a student is scheduled to attend a
high school during the regular school day shall be included in the calculation
of the average daily membership for that student.
(b) "Full-time student" means:
(i) For common schools, a student who is at least
six
five
years of age before January 1 of
a school year, who has not graduated from the highest grade taught in the
school district and who is regularly enrolled in a
school full-day
kindergarten program or a
course of study required by the state board of
education.
Full-day kindergarten,
first,
second and third grade students or ungraded group B children with disabilities
who are at least five, but under six, years of age by September 1 must be
enrolled in an instructional program that meets for a total of at least seven
hundred twelve hours for a one hundred eighty-day school year, or the
instructional hours prescribed in this section. Fourth, fifth,
sixth, seventh and eighth grade students must be enrolled in an instructional
program that meets for a total of at least eight hundred ninety hours for a one
hundred eighty-day school year, or the instructional hours prescribed in
this section, including the equivalent number of instructional hours for
schools that operate on a one hundred forty-four-day school
year. The hours in which a student is scheduled to attend a common
school during the regular school day shall be included in the calculation of
the average daily membership for that student.
(ii) For high schools, a student who has not
graduated from the highest grade taught in the school district and who is
enrolled in at least an instructional program of four or more subjects that
count toward graduation as defined by the state board of education, each of
which, if taught each school day for the minimum number of days required in a
school year, would meet a minimum of one hundred twenty-three hours a
year, or the equivalent, that meets for a total of at least seven hundred
twenty hours for a one hundred eighty-day school year, or the
instructional hours prescribed in this section in a recognized high
school. A full-time student shall not be counted more than
once for computation of average daily membership. The average daily
membership of a full-time high school student shall be 1.0 if the student
is enrolled in at least four subjects that meet at least seven hundred twenty
hours for a one hundred eighty-day school year, or the equivalent
instructional hours prescribed in this section. The hours in which a
student is scheduled to attend a high school during the regular school day
shall be included in the calculation of the average daily membership for that
student.
(iii) If a child who has not reached five years of
age before September 1 of the current school year is admitted to kindergarten
and repeats kindergarten in the following school year, a school district or
charter school is not eligible to receive basic state aid on behalf of that
child during the child's second year of kindergarten. If a child who
has not reached five years of age before September 1 of the current school year
is admitted to kindergarten but does not remain enrolled, a school district or
charter school may receive a portion of basic state aid on behalf of that child
in the subsequent year. A school district or charter school may
charge tuition for any child who is ineligible for basic state aid pursuant to
this item.
(iv) Except as otherwise provided by law, for a full-time
high school student who is concurrently enrolled in two school districts or two
charter schools, the average daily membership shall not exceed 1.0.
(v) Except as otherwise provided by law, for any
student who is concurrently enrolled in a school district and a charter school,
the average daily membership shall be apportioned between the school district
and the charter school and shall not exceed 1.0. The apportionment
shall be based on the percentage of total time that the student is enrolled in
or in attendance at the school district and the charter school.
(vi) Except as otherwise provided by law, for any
student who is concurrently enrolled, pursuant to section 15-808, in a
school district and Arizona online instruction or a charter school and Arizona
online instruction, the average daily membership shall be apportioned between
the school district and Arizona online instruction or the charter school and
Arizona online instruction and shall not exceed 1.0. The
apportionment shall be based on the percentage of total time that the student
is enrolled in or in attendance at the school district and Arizona online
instruction or the charter school and Arizona online instruction.
(vii) For homebound or hospitalized, a student
receiving at least four hours of instruction per week.
(c) "Regular school day" means the
regularly scheduled class periods intended for instructional
purposes. Instructional purposes may include core subjects, elective
subjects, lunch, study halls, music instruction and other classes that advance
the academic instruction of pupils. Instructional purposes do not
include athletic practices or extracurricular clubs and activities.
2. "Budget year" means the fiscal year for
which the school district is budgeting and that immediately follows the current
year.
3. "Common school district" means a
political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students in
programs for preschool children with disabilities and kindergarten programs and
either:
(a) Grades one through eight.
(b) Grades one through nine pursuant to section 15-447.01.
4. "Current year" means the fiscal year in
which a school district is operating.
5. "Daily attendance" means:
(a) For common schools, days in which a pupil:
(i) Of a kindergarten program or ungraded, but not
group B children with disabilities, who is at least five, but under six, years
of age by September 1 attends at least three-quarters of the
instructional time scheduled for the day. If the total instruction
time scheduled for the year is at least three hundred fifty-six hours but
is less than seven hundred twelve hours, such attendance shall be counted as
one-half day of attendance. If the instructional time
scheduled for the year is at least six hundred ninety-two hours,
"daily attendance" means days in which a pupil attends at least one-half
of the instructional time scheduled for the day. Such attendance
shall be counted as one-half day of attendance.� A school district or
charter school may satisfy any of the time and hours requirements prescribed in
this item in any manner prescribed in the school district's or charter school's
instructional time model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(ii) Of the first, second or third grades attends
more than three-quarters of the instructional time scheduled for the
day. A school district or charter school may satisfy any of the time
and hours requirements prescribed in this item in any manner prescribed in the
school district's or charter school's instructional time model adopted under
section 15-901.08.
(iii) Of the fourth, fifth or sixth grades attends
more than three-quarters of the instructional time scheduled for the day,
except as provided in section 15-797. A school district or
charter school may satisfy any of the time and hours requirements prescribed in
this item in any manner prescribed in the school district's or charter school's
instructional time model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(iv) Of the seventh or eighth grades attends more
than three-quarters of the instructional time scheduled for the day,
except as provided in section 15-797. A school district or
charter school may satisfy any of the time and hours requirements prescribed in
this item in any manner prescribed in the school district's or charter school's
instructional time model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(b) For common schools, the attendance of a pupil at
three-quarters or less of the instructional time scheduled for the day
shall be counted as follows, except as provided in section 15-797 and
except that attendance for a fractional student shall not exceed the pupil's
fractional membership:
(i) If attendance for all pupils in the school is
based on quarter days, the attendance of a pupil shall be counted as one-fourth
of a day's attendance for each one-fourth of full-time
instructional time attended.� A school district or charter school may satisfy
any of the time and hours requirements prescribed in this item in any manner
prescribed in the school district's or charter school's instructional time
model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(ii) If attendance for all pupils in the school is
based on half days, the attendance of at least three-quarters of the
instructional time scheduled for the day shall be counted as a full day's
attendance and attendance at a minimum of one-half but less than three-quarters
of the instructional time scheduled for the day equals one-half day of
attendance. A school district or charter school may satisfy any of
the time and hours requirements prescribed in this item in any manner
prescribed in the school district's or charter school's instructional time
model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(c) For common schools, the attendance of a
preschool child with disabilities shall be counted as one-fourth day's
attendance for each thirty-six minutes of attendance, except as provided
in paragraph 1, subdivision (a), item (i) of this subsection for children with
disabilities up to a maximum of three hundred sixty minutes each
week. A school district or charter school may satisfy any of the
time and hours requirements prescribed in this subdivision in any manner
prescribed in the school district's or charter school's instructional time
model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(d) For high schools, the attendance of a pupil
shall not be counted as a full day unless the pupil is actually and physically
in attendance and enrolled in and carrying four subjects, each of which, if
taught each school day for the minimum number of days required in a school
year, would meet a minimum of one hundred twenty-three hours a year, or
the equivalent, that count toward graduation in a recognized high school except
as provided in section 15-797 and subdivision (e) of this paragraph.�
Attendance of a pupil carrying less than the load prescribed shall be
prorated. A school district or charter school may satisfy any of the
time and hours requirements prescribed in this subdivision in any manner
prescribed in the school district's or charter school's instructional time
model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(e) For high schools, the attendance of a pupil may
be counted as one-fourth of a day's attendance for each sixty minutes of
instructional time in a subject that counts toward graduation, except that
attendance for a pupil shall not exceed the pupil's full or fractional
membership. A school district or charter school may satisfy any of
the time and hours requirements prescribed in this subdivision in any manner
prescribed in the school district's or charter school's instructional time
model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(f) For homebound or hospitalized, a full day of
attendance may be counted for each day during a week in which the student
receives at least four hours of instruction. A school district or
charter school may satisfy any of the time and hours requirements prescribed in
this subdivision in any manner prescribed in the school district's or charter
school's instructional time model adopted under section 15-901.08.
(g) For school districts that maintain school for an
approved year-round school year operation, attendance shall be based on a
computation, as prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction, of the
one hundred eighty days' equivalency or two hundred days' equivalency, as
applicable, of instructional time as approved by the superintendent of public
instruction during which each pupil is enrolled. A school district
or charter school may satisfy any of the time and hours requirements prescribed
in this subdivision in any manner prescribed in the school district's or
charter school's instructional time model adopted under section 15-901.08.
6. "Daily route mileage" means the sum of:
(a) The total number of miles driven daily by all
buses of a school district while transporting eligible students from their
residence to the school of attendance and from the school of attendance to
their residence on scheduled routes approved by the superintendent of public
instruction.
(b) The total number of miles driven daily on routes
approved by the superintendent of public instruction for which a private party,
a political subdivision or a common or a contract carrier is reimbursed for
bringing an eligible student from the place of the student's residence to a
school transportation pickup point or to the school of attendance and from the
school transportation scheduled return point or from the school of attendance
to the student's residence. Daily route mileage includes the total number
of miles necessary to drive to transport eligible students from and to their
residence as provided in this paragraph.
7. "District support level" means the base
support level plus the transportation support level.
8. "Eligible students" means:
(a) Students who are transported by or for a school
district and who qualify as full-time students or fractional students,
except students for whom transportation is paid by another school district or a
county school superintendent, and:
(i) For common school students, whose place of
actual residence within the school district is more than one mile from the
school facility of attendance or students who are admitted pursuant to section
15-816.01 and who meet the economic eligibility requirements established
under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts (42 United States Code
sections 1751 through 1793) for free or reduced-price lunches and whose actual
place of residence outside the school district boundaries is more than one mile
from the school facility of attendance.
(ii) For high school students, whose place of actual
residence within the school district is more than one and one-half miles
from the school facility of attendance or students who are admitted pursuant to
section 15-816.01 and who meet the economic eligibility requirements
established under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts
(42 United States Code sections 1751 through 1793) for free or reduced-price
lunches and whose actual place of residence outside the school district
boundaries is more than one and one-half miles from the school facility
of attendance.
(b) Kindergarten students, for purposes of computing
the number of eligible students under subdivision (a), item (i) of this
paragraph, shall be counted as full-time students, notwithstanding any
other provision of law.
(c) Children with disabilities, as defined by
section 15-761, who are transported by or for the school district or who
are admitted pursuant to chapter 8, article 1.1 of this title and who qualify
as full-time students or fractional students regardless of location or
residence within the school district or children with disabilities whose
transportation is required by the pupil's individualized education program.
(d) Students whose residence is outside the school
district and who are transported within the school district on the same basis
as students who reside in the school district.
9. "Enrolled" or "enrollment"
means that a pupil is currently registered in the school district.
10. "GDP price deflator" means the average
of the four implicit price deflators for the gross domestic product reported by
the United States department of commerce for the four quarters of the calendar
year.
11. "High school district" means a
political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students for grades
nine through twelve or that portion of the budget of a common school district
that is allocated to teaching high school subjects with permission of the state
board of education.
12. "Instructional hours" or
"instructional time" means hours or time spent pursuant to an
instructional time model adopted under section 15-901.08.
13. "Revenue control limit" means the base
revenue control limit plus the transportation revenue control limit.
14. "Student count" means average daily
membership as prescribed in this subsection for the fiscal year before the
current year, except that for the purpose of budget preparation student count
means average daily membership as prescribed in this subsection for the current
year.
15. "Submit electronically" means
submitted in a format and in a manner prescribed by the department of
education.
16. "Total bus mileage" means the total
number of miles driven by all buses of a school district during the school
year.
17. "Total students transported" means all
eligible students transported from their place of residence to a school
transportation pickup point or to the school of attendance and from the school
of attendance or from the school transportation scheduled return point to their
place of residence.
18. "Unified school district" means a
political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students in
programs for preschool children with disabilities and kindergarten programs and
grades one through twelve.
B. In this title, unless the context otherwise
requires:
1. "Base" means the revenue level per
student count specified by the legislature.
2. "Base level" means the following
amounts plus the percentage increase to the base level as provided in section
15-902.04:
(a) For fiscal year 2023-2024, $4,914.71.
(b) For fiscal year 2024-2025, $5,013.00.
(c) For fiscal year 2025-2026, $5,113.26.
3. "Base revenue control limit" means the
base revenue control limit computed as provided in section 15-944.
4. "Base support level" means the base
support level as provided in section 15-943.
5. "Certified teacher" means a person who
is certified as a teacher pursuant to the rules adopted by the state board of
education, who renders direct and personal services to schoolchildren in the
form of instruction related to the school district's educational course of
study and who is paid from the maintenance and operation section of the budget.
6. "DD" means programs for children with
developmental delays who are at least three years of age but under ten years of
age.� A preschool child who is categorized under this paragraph is not eligible
to receive funding pursuant to section 15-943, paragraph 2, subdivision
(b).
7. "ED, MIID, SLD, SLI and OHI" means
programs for children with emotional disabilities, mild intellectual
disabilities, a specific learning disability, a speech/language impairment and
other health impairments. A preschool child who is categorized as
SLI under this paragraph is not eligible to receive funding pursuant to section
15-943, paragraph 2, subdivision (b).
8. "ED-P" means programs for
children with emotional disabilities who are enrolled in private special
education programs as prescribed in section 15-765, subsection D,
paragraph 1 or in an intensive school district program as provided in section
15-765, subsection D, paragraph 2.
9. "ELL" means English learners who do not
speak English or whose native language is not English, who are not currently
able to perform ordinary classroom work in English and who are enrolled in an
English language education program pursuant to sections 15-751, 15-752
and 15-753.
10. "FRPL" means students who meet the
eligibility requirements established under the national school lunch and child
nutrition acts (42 United States Code sections 1751 through 1793) for free
or reduced-price lunches, or an equivalent measure recognized for
participating in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program and other
school programs dependent on a poverty measure, including the community
eligibility provision for which free and reduced-price lunch data is not
available.
11. "Full-time equivalent certified
teacher" or "FTE certified teacher" means for a certified
teacher the following:
(a) If employed
full time
full-time
as defined in section 15-501, 1.00.
(b) If employed less than
full time
full-time
, multiply 1.00 by the percentage of a full school
day, or its equivalent, or a full class load, or its equivalent, for which the
teacher is employed as determined by the governing board.
12. "G" means educational programs for
gifted pupils who score at or above the ninety-seventh percentile, based on
national norms, on a test adopted by the state board of education.
13. "Group A" means educational programs
for career exploration, a specific learning disability, an emotional
disability, a mild intellectual disability, remedial education, a
speech/language impairment, developmental delay, homebound pupils, bilingual
pupils and pupils with other health impairments.
14. "Group B" means educational
improvements for pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three,
educational programs for autism, a hearing impairment, a moderate intellectual
disability, multiple disabilities, multiple disabilities with severe sensory
impairment, orthopedic impairments, preschool severe delay, a severe
intellectual disability and emotional disabilities for school age pupils
enrolled in private special education programs or in school district programs for
children with severe disabilities or visual impairment, English learners
enrolled in a program to promote English language proficiency pursuant to
section 15-752 and students who meet the eligibility requirements
established under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts (42 United
States Code sections 1751 through 1793) for free or reduced-price
lunches, or an equivalent measure recognized for participating in the federal
free and reduced-price lunch program and other school programs dependent
on a poverty measure, including the community eligibility provision for which
free and reduced-price lunch data is not available.
15. "HI" means programs for pupils with
hearing impairment.
16. "Homebound" or
"hospitalized" means a pupil who is capable of profiting from
academic instruction but is unable to attend school due to illness, disease,
accident or other health conditions, who has been examined by a competent
medical doctor and who is certified by that doctor as being unable to attend
regular classes for a period of
not less than
at least
three school months or a pupil who is capable of
profiting from academic instruction but is unable to attend school regularly
due to chronic or acute health problems, who has been examined by a competent
medical doctor and who is certified by that doctor as being unable to attend
regular classes for intermittent periods of time totaling three school months
during a school year. The medical certification shall state the
general medical condition, such as illness, disease or chronic health
condition, that is the reason that the pupil is unable to attend
school. Homebound or hospitalized includes a student who is unable
to attend school for a period of less than three months due to a pregnancy if a
competent medical doctor, after an examination, certifies that the student is
unable to attend regular classes due to risk to the pregnancy or to the
student's health.
17. "K-3" means kindergarten
programs and grades one through three.
18. "K-3 reading" means reading
programs for pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three.
19. "MD-R, A-R and SID-R"
means resource programs for pupils with multiple disabilities, autism and
severe intellectual disability.
20. "MD-SC, A-SC and SID-SC"
means self-contained programs for pupils with multiple disabilities,
autism and severe intellectual disability.
21. "MD-SSI" means a program for
pupils with multiple disabilities with severe sensory impairment.
22. "MOID" means programs for pupils with
moderate intellectual disability.
23. "OI-R" means a resource program
for pupils with orthopedic impairments.
24. "OI-SC" means a self-contained
program for pupils with orthopedic impairments.
25. "PSD" means preschool programs for
children with disabilities as provided in section 15-771.
26. "P-SD" means programs for
children who meet the definition of preschool severe delay as provided in
section 15-771.
27. "Qualifying tax rate" means the
qualifying tax rate specified in section 15-971 applied to the assessed valuation
used for primary property taxes.
28. "Small isolated school district" means
a school district that meets all of the following:
(a) Has a student count of fewer than six hundred in
kindergarten programs and grades one through eight or grades nine through
twelve.
(b) Contains no school that is fewer than thirty
miles by the most reasonable route from another school, or, if road conditions
and terrain make the driving slow or hazardous, fifteen miles from another
school that teaches one or more of the same grades and is operated by another
school district in this state.
(c) Is designated as a small isolated school
district by the superintendent of public instruction.
29. "Small school district" means a school
district that meets all of the following:
(a) Has a student count of fewer than six hundred in
kindergarten programs and grades one through eight or grades nine through
twelve.
(b) Contains at least one school that is fewer than
thirty miles by the most reasonable route from another school that teaches one
or more of the same grades and is operated by another school district in this
state.
(c) Is designated as a small school district by the
superintendent of public instruction.
30. "Transportation revenue control limit"
means the transportation revenue control limit computed as prescribed in
section 15-946.
31. "Transportation support level" means
the support level for pupil transportation operating expenses as provided in
section 15-945.
32. "VI" means programs for pupils with
visual impairments.
END_STATUTE