Bath and Augusta Counties School Boards; cost-savings agreements.

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation includes details that are not explicitly supported by the provided official source material, such as specific services to be shared or consolidated.

Bath and Augusta Counties School Boards; Cost-Savings Agreements

This bill allows Bath County and Augusta County school boards to enter into cost-saving agreements despite not meeting the usual requirement that at least 65% of local taxes come from real estate taxes.

What This Bill Does

• Removes a limit on any school board entering into certain cost-savings agreements with a contiguous school division for consolidation or sharing of educational, administrative, or support services if it does not meet the usual requirement that at least 65% of local taxes come from real estate taxes.
• Adjusts the state's contribution based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay of the neighboring county.
• Requires any additional funding from this agreement to be specifically approved by the legislature.

Who It Names or Affects

• Bath County School Board
• Augusta County School Board

Terms To Know

cost-savings agreements

Agreements between school boards to share or consolidate services to save money.

composite index of local ability-to-pay

A measure used by the state to determine how much financial support a county can receive based on its economic situation.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify when payments will start after July 1, 2010.
• It is unclear what specific services Bath and Augusta County school boards might share or consolidate.

Official Summary Text

Certain school divisions; cost-savings agreements; requirements.
Removes the limitation on any school board that enters into certain cost-savings agreements with a school board that governs a contiguous school division for the consolidation or sharing of educational, administrative, or support services and thus qualifies for adjustment of the state share of basic aid computed annually on the basis of the composite index of local ability-to-pay of such contiguous school division that caps such adjusted basic aid payment at an amount equal to the basic aid payment appropriated to such locality by the 2007 Session of the General Assembly. The bill also permits, notwithstanding the requirement set forth in relevant law that a school division have 65 percent or more of its local taxes come from real estate taxes in order for the school board that governs such school division to be eligible to enter into such cost-savings agreements with a contiguous school division, the Bath County School Board to enter into such cost-savings agreements with the Augusta County School Board, provided that all other conditions and limitations set forth in relevant law apply to any such agreement.

Current Bill Text

A BILL to amend and reenact the third enactment of Chapter 589 of the Acts of Assembly of 2008 and to permit the Bath County School Board and the Augusta County School Board to enter into certain cost-savings agreements.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.
§ 1.
Notwithstanding the
requirement set forth in subsection A of §
22.1-98.2
of the Code of Virginia
that a school division ha
ve
65 percent or more of its local taxes com
e
from real estate taxes in order for the school board
that governs such school division
to be eligible
to enter into certain cost-savings agreements with a contiguous school division for the consolidation or sharing of educational, administrative, or support services and subsequently receive the state share for basic aid computed
annually
on the basis of the composite index of local ability-to-pay of the contiguous school division
,
the
Bath County School Board may enter into such cost-savings agreement
s
with the Augusta County School Board, provided that all other conditions and limitations set forth in §
22.1-98.2
of the Code of Virginia apply to
any
such agreement.

2. That the third enactment of Chapter 589 of the Acts of Assembly of 2008 is amended and reenacted as follows:

3. That additional funds to a school board as a result of this
Act
act
shall not be paid unless there is a specific appropriation for such additional funds in the appropriation act at the time payment is proposed
, and in no event shall any payments be made prior to July 1, 2010, or will the sum of the basic aid payment and the supplemental basic aid payment exceed the basic aid payment that the locality received pursuant to Chapter 847 of the Acts of Assembly of 2007
.