School finance-employee compensation and development.

WORKING DRAFT
2005
STATE OF WYOMING
05LSO-0375.E1

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0185

School finance-employee compensation and development.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s)
Wasserburger, Bagby, Bucholz, Esquibel, Harshman, Hinckley, Jackson, Lubnau, Morgan, Powers, Reese, Robinson and Thompson and Senator(s) Boggs, Decaria, Job, Nicholas, Ross, Scott and Von Flatern

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to school finance; providing payments to school districts to augment district employee compensation as specified; imposing reporting requirements; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

(a)

Prior to reevaluation of the education resource block grant model during the 2005 interim period preceding the 2006 budget session of the legislature, as required under W.S. 21
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309(t), additional funding is provided under subsection (b) of this section to school districts during school year 2005-2006 for purposes of increasing compensation for district professional, certified and classified staff and assisting districts with the retention and recruitment of employees. The legislature recognizes that the additional funding made available under this section is in excess of the cost-based levels established by the educational resource block grant model under W.S. 21
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309, as adjusted for inflation under W.S. 21
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309(o)(i), and is not intended to reflect or be incorporated into any cost-based component of or adjustment to the model or to impose any condition upon or requirement for model reevaluation under W.S. 21
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309(t).

(b)

Amounts received under this section shall be applied to professional, certified and classified staff compensation payable during school year 2005-2006 and may also be used for contractual signing bonuses to augment district recruiting efforts for this school year. The department of education shall determine payments authorized under this section for each district by multiplying two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) by each professional, certified and classified staff employed by that district, computed on a full-time equivalency (FTE) basis. This per FTE amount includes benefits attributable to the respective per FTE compensation adjustment. Any compensation adjustment paid under this section shall not be included in the transportation and special education adjustments to the education resource block grant model under W.S. 21
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320 and 21
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321 for corresponding compensation adjustments paid during school year 2005-2006 and reported for reimbursement in the subsequent school year.

(c)

Payments to school districts computed under subsection (b) of this section shall be made by the department of education from amounts within the foundation program account as appropriated by the legislature for purposes of this section and shall be in addition to the school year 2005-2006 foundation program amount computed for each district under W.S. 21
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309(p). If there is an insufficient amount within the foundation program account for payments under this section, the department shall make a pro rata reduction in district payments.

(d)

Payments received by school districts pursuant to this section shall be expended only for compensation of district professional, certified and classified employees and for contractual signing bonuses. Expenditures of payments under this section shall supplement any existing district operating funds dedicated to employee compensation. The intent of the additional payment is to increase district salary levels and to enhance district teacher recruiting capabilities, and not to expand the numbers of district employees. On or before October 15, 2005, each district receiving a payment under this section shall report actual or budgeted payment expenditures to the department of education, in a form and manner specified by the department, indicating salary levels adjusted under this section by employee classification and seniority level, amounts used for awarding contractual signing bonuses and providing certification that the district is otherwise in compliance with legislative intent specified under this subsection. Reports by school districts shall be certified in writing by the district superintendent and the chairman of the district board of trustees. For each district, payment expenditures shall be reflected as part of teacher salary levels for purposes of establishing a statewide salary level for school year 2005-2006. Upon receipt, the department shall immediately compile the district reports and submit the compilation to members of the management council, joint education interim committee and the joint appropriations interim committee, together with the impact of payment expenditures upon comparisons of statewide salary levels with national salary levels.

Section 2.

For the period commencing July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006, twenty-eight million four hundred fourteen thousand dollars ($28,414,000.00) is appropriated from amounts within the school foundation program account for purposes of section 1 of this act.

Section 3.

This act is effective July 1, 2005.

(END)

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HB0185