Proponents of this portion of the bill have argued that districts experiencing student growth have special needs that should be accommodated. I believe that these needs are, in fact, already being accommodated.
School districts receive additional funding for each additional student they receive.
In addition, a new component of the funding formula passed by the 1997 Legislature and now funded in this Session will provide grants to school districts opening new school buildings, including adding structures onto existing school buildings and adding portable school buildings. The combination of the basic school funding formula and the facilities grant, therefore, already acknowledges the additional costs school districts experience due to student growth. In vetoing this bill, I also request that actions be taken to allow the funding to be redistributed through the State School Fund and the other portions of the bill to be reconsidered by the Legislature.