School finance appropriations.

WORKING DRAFT

ORIGINAL SENATE

FILE

NO.
0056

ENROLLED ACT NO. 69, SENATE

SIXTIETH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
WYOMING
2009 GENERAL SESSION

AN ACT relating to
school finance; continuing specified off-model school district financial assistance programs; imposing reporting requirements upon the department of education;
modifying specified assistance amounts;
providing appropriations;
and providing for effective date
s
.

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

Section 1.

2008 Wyoming Session Laws,
c
hapter 95,
s
ection 1101
(a) through (e)
is amended to read:

Section 1101.

(a)

The supplemental financial assistance pilot project for student enrichment instruction is established. Under the project the department of education may provide financial assistance in addition to the education resource block grant model for selected districts for the provision of student enrichment instruction programs during the
2008

and
2009
summer school
session

sessions
. The project shall meet program requirements and criteria established by rule and regulation of the department.

(b)

Each school district may apply to the department of education for assistance under this section on or before
April 15, 2008
, and on or before
April 15, 2009
for the 2009 summer school session or the 2009
‑
2010 school year, as applicable
. Application shall be on a form and in a manner prescribed by the department. At minimum, the application shall include a description of program content including enrichment learning strategies to be employed.

(c)

The department shall notify each district of its eligibility to submit an application to be considered for assistance under this section for a pilot project no later than
May 1, 2008
.

F
or
the 2009 summer school session
,
notification to school districts shall be provided by
May 1, 2009
.

The department shall state in the notice to the districts the application program requirements and shall award funding for selected districts to implement a summer school enrichment pilot program. On or before
May 31, 2008

or
May 31, 2009
, as applicable
, the department shall distribute assistance to each district selected to participate in the summer school pilot enrichment project under this section.

(d)

Four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000.00) is appropriated from the public school foundation program account to the department of education to be expended as necessary to implement this section. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this section and ending June 30, 2009.

To continue supplemental assistance for student enrichment instruction in the 2009 summer school session
and into the 2009
‑
2010 school year
,
an additional
four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000.00) is appropriated from the public school foundation program account to the department of education for the period commencing on the effective date of
this subsection
and ending June 30, 2010.

(e)

Each recipient district shall report by
October 1, 2008
, or by
October 1, 2009
, as applicable,
to the department of education on expenditures of amounts distributed under this section together with additional information required by the department on enrichment strategies employed by the district, the impact of the program on student performance and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the enrichment strategies employed by the recipient district.
If the recipient district received student enrichment assistance for the 2008 summer school session
or the 2008
-
2009 school year
,
and the 2009 summer school session or the 2009
‑
2010 school year,
t
he report sha
ll include an analysis and evaluation of program impact on student performance and enrichment strategies over the combined two (2)
year period.

The department shall compile the information reported by districts under this subsection, and report to the joint education interim committee, together with program recommendations, on or before
December 1, 2008
, and on or before
December 1, 2009
for programs funded in the 2009 summer session and 2009
‑
2010 school year
. Program recommendations shall also address 2010 model recalibration and
provide recommendations on future enrichment program funding as
a cost-based component
of the block grant model or continuation
as an off-model categorical assistance program
.

Section 2.

(a)

2008 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 95, Section 601(
e
)
and (f)
is amended to read:

Section 601.

(e)

The amount of
a
ssistance for each qualifying applicant district under this section shall be determined by multiplying the per meal reimbursement computed for the school year of application under subsection (d) of this section times the number of qualifying meals reported by the applicant district under subsection (c) of this section. Payments for each qualifying district shall be made by the department not later than October 15 of the school year of application.

For school year 2009
‑
2010, the amount of assistance for each qualifying applicant district shall be determined in accordance with this subsection subject to the following:

(i)

The department shall use that number of qualifying meals served and program funding deficits reported by each district under subsection (c) of this section as was used in performing school year 2008
‑
2009 assistance computations under this subsection;

(ii)

The per meal reimbursement computed under this subsection for school year 2009
‑
2010 shall be reduced by eighteen cents ($.18);

(iii)

The amount of assistance computed for each district shall be the lesser of the funding deficit experienced by that district as based upon data reported under paragraph (i) of this subsection, or the per meal reimbursement subject to the reduction imposed under paragraph (ii) of this subsection.

(
f)

Each district shall report annually to the department of education on food service program revenues, expenses, program operations and program policies and procedures in a manner and level of detail required by department rule and regulation. The department shall compile reported information and submit the compilation to the joint education interim committee not later than December 1 of each school year.
In addition, information compiled under this subsection shall be maintained by the department for use in 2010 model recalibration and development of a cost-based model component for food service programs.

(b)

For the period beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010,
three
million
six
hundred
fifty
thousand dollars ($
3
,
6
50,000.00) is appropriated from the public school foundation program account to the department of education to continue financial assistance to school district
s
for food service programs
as provided under
2008 Wyoming
Session Laws,
c
hapter 95,
s
ection 601. Program rules and regulations adopted under 2008 Wyoming Session Laws,
c
hapter 95,
s
ection 602 for school year 2008
-
2009 shall apply to school year 2009
-
2010
.

(c)

Financial assistance for food service programs as provided under 2008 Wyoming Session Laws, Chapter 95, Section 601, as amended by this section, shall terminate effective June 30, 2010. In accordance with 2005 cost of education study recommendations, the legislature determines that school district food service programs are financially self-supporting in that fees and federal funds provide school districts with adequate resources to cover program costs.

Section 3.

Three
million
seven
hundred
fifty-six
thousand
dollars
($
3
,
756
,
000
.00) is appropriated from the public school foundation program account to the department of education, to be expended only to augment amounts within the department's budget for the supplemental funding program for instructional facilitators and instructional coaches pursuant to W.S. 21
‑
13
‑
335. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010.

Section
4
.

(a)

Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2009.

(b)

Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, section 1 of this act is effective
immediately upon co
m
pletion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constit
u
tion.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1