Source: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2006/bills/intro/H-867.HTM
Timestamp: 2017-10-19 09:11:23
Document Index: 667542758

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 5401', '§ 2804', '§ 1552', '§ 165', 'art 2', '§ 1075', '§ 4001']

Subject: Education; incorporated school district; budget vote; audits; Granby school district; liability insurance; equalized pupil count; district spending adjustment; excess spending; homestead tax rate; No Child Left Behind act; pregnant and postpartum pupils; River Valley technical center; town school district T214
Statement of purpose: This bill proposes to repeal creation of a grand list for certain incorporated school districts as they are no longer needed; authorize a school district to vote on specific one-time purchase items in the budget vote; direct a school board to show tuition paid to a technical center as a line item in the budget; authorize a school district which does not operate a school to conduct an audit every three years instead of every year; authorize Granby to pay tuition to a public elementary school in New Hampshire; establish a minimum amount of liability insurance that must be carried by a school board; direct regional technical centers to conduct an annual audit; use the same cumulative price index for annual growth in the amount of the essential early education grant as that used for growing other educational grants; authorize the commissioner of education to calculate an equalized pupil count for a municipality; subtract interest payments on funds borrowed in anticipation of state construction aid from the calculation of district spending adjustment; remove spending for secondary technical tuition from the calculation of excess spending; direct the commissioner of education not to calculate a homestead tax rate until after the deadline for reconsideration of a budget vote has passed; authorize the commissioner of education to conduct annual statewide tests for the next two school years in order to comply with the No Child Left Behind act; direct school districts to comply with provisions of the No Child Left Behind act instead of Vermont state law regarding education of homeless children for the next two years; direct the commissioner of education and the secretary of human services to study who should pay for the education of pregnant and post partum pupils who are educated outside the district of residence; authorize the River Valley Technical Center alternative governing board to exist for one year beyond its sunset date in order to complete its planning process; authorize town school district T214 to both belong to a union school district and pay tuition for its students; and direct the commissioner of education to study the financial impact of programs targeted to students with special needs.
(11) Shall prepare and distribute annually a proposed budget for the next school year according to such major categories as may from time to time be prescribed by the commissioner. At a school district's annual meeting, the electorate may vote to provide notice of availability of the school budget required by this subdivision to the electorate in lieu of distributing the budget. If the electorate of the school district votes to provide notice of availability, it must specify how notice of availability shall be given, and such notice of availability shall be provided to the electorate at least 30 days before the district's annual meeting. The proposed budget shall be prepared and distributed at least ten days before a sum of money is voted on by the electorate. Any proposed budget shall show the following information in a format prescribed by the commissioner of education:
(c) Each school district shall receive an essential early education grant each school year. Grants shall be distributed according to the estimated number of children from three through five years of age. The state board by rule shall encourage coordination of services and may set other terms of the grant. Each district shall be responsible for the remainder of the costs of providing necessary services under section 2956 of this title. Annually, for each following fiscal year, the essential early education grant shall be increased by the most recent cumulative price index, as of December 1 November 15, for state and local government purchases of goods and services from fiscal year 2002 through that following fiscal year, as provided through the state's participation in the New England Economic Project.
Sec. 11. 32 V.S.A. § 5401(12) and (13) are amended to read:
(ii) the portion of education spending which is approved school capital construction spending or deposited into a reserve fund under 24 V.S.A. § 2804 to pay future approved school capital construction costs, and the portion of secondary technical education tuition assessed under 16 V.S.A.
§ 1552 which is in excess of the district's equalized per pupil spending, when the per pupil spending is calculated without including the secondary technical education tuition;
(13) "District spending adjustment" means the greater of: one or a fraction in which the numerator is the district's education spending minus interest payments made on funds borrowed in anticipation of capital construction aid under section 3448 of this title plus excess spending, per equalized pupil, for the school year; and the denominator is the base education payment for the school year, as defined in section 4001 of Title 16.
16 V.S.A. § 165 authorizes the commissioner of education to determine how well schools and students are meeting state standards every two years and to impose certain consequences if schools are failing to meet standards after specific time periods. Notwithstanding the provisions of that section, in order to comply with the provisions of Public Law 107-110, known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, during school years 2003-2004 through 2005-2006 2006‑2008, the commissioner is authorized to determine whether schools and school districts are meeting state standards annually and the state board of education is authorized to impose on schools and school districts consequences allowed in state law and required by the Act within the time frame required in the Act. However, consistent with Title IX, Part E, Subpart 2, Sec. 9527 of the No Child Left Behind Act, neither the state nor any subdivision thereof shall be required to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under the Act in order to comply with the provisions of the Act. The state or any subdivision thereof may expend other funds for activities they were already conducting consistent with the Act, or for activities authorized in a state or local fiscal year 2004 budget. It is the intent of the general assembly to continue to study the provisions of the federal law and to seek guidance from the federal government in order to determine permanent changes to Title 16 that will be necessary to comply with federal law and to avoid having federal law cause state and local governments to absorb the cost of unfunded mandates.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of 16 V.S.A. §§ 1075(e), 1093, and 1128(b) which stipulate that a child of parents who become homeless shall be educated in the school district in which the child is found and that a school district may choose not to accept nonresident pupils, in order to comply with the provisions of Public Law 107-110, known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the provisions of this section shall apply to children who are homeless during school years 2003-2004 through 2005-2006 2006‑2008. It is the intent of the general assembly to continue to study the provisions of the federal law and to seek guidance from the federal government in order to determine permanent changes to Title 16 that will be necessary to comply with federal law.
(c) If a child becomes homeless during school year 2003-2004, 2004-2005, or 2005-2006, 2006‑2007, or 2007‑2008 the child shall either be educated: in the school of origin for the duration of the homelessness or for the remainder of the academic year if the child becomes permanently housed outside the district of origin; or in the school district in which the child is actually living. The determination as to which school the child shall attend shall be made by the school board of the school district in which the child is living according to the best interests of the child.
(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of 16 V.S.A. § 4001(1)(A) which stipulate that a pupil must be a legal resident of the district attending a school owned and operated by the district in order to be counted in the average daily membership of the district, during the 2003-2004 through 2005‑2006
2007‑2008 school years, a child who is homeless during the census period shall be counted in the school district or districts in which the child is enrolled. However, if at any time a homeless child enrolls, pursuant to this section, in a school district other than the district in which the child was counted, the district in which the child is enrolled shall become responsible for the education of the child, including payment of education services and, if appropriate, development and implementation of an individualized education plan.