Alabama Administrative Code › Title 290 - ALABAMA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Chapter 290-2-1 - APPORTIONMENT OF FUNDS › Section 290-2-1-.01 - Annual Apportionment Of The Foundation Program Funds

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
Regulations of the State Board of Education pertaining to the
				annual apportionment of the foundation program funds effective October 1, 2023.
				The cost of the foundation program shall be determined and the allotments made
				in accordance with the provisions of Ala. Acts 95-314, 95-313, 2021-166,
				2023-379 and as hereinafter provided:
(1)
Cost of the Foundation
			 Program
. The cost of the foundation program shall be computed in
			 five categories for each local board of education. The five categories are
			 salaries for foundation program units, fringe benefits for foundation program
			 salaries, classroom instructional support for foundation program, other current
			 expense, and student growth. The total of the cost in the five categories
			 calculated as defined herein is the cost of the foundation program.
(a)
Salaries for Foundation
			 Program Units
. Teacher units and instructional support units shall
			 be used to calculate the cost of salaries for foundation program units for
			 187-day contracts.
1. Foundation program
			 weighted grade divisors are established for kindergarten through grade 12. The
			 grade divisors include an adjustment for weighting special education and career
			 and technical education to reflect increased programmatic costs. The adjustment
			 for special education reflects 5% average daily membership (ADM) weighted 2.5
			 in all grades. The adjustment for career and technical education reflects 7.4%
			 ADM weighted 1.4 in grades seven and eight and 16.5% ADM weighted 2.0 in grades
			 nine through twelve. Foundation program calculations for FY 2024 are based on
			 the following funding divisors: 14.25 in kindergarten through grade three;
			 20.06 in grades four through six; 19.70 in grades seven and eight; and 17.95 in
			 grades nine through twelve.
(i) Teacher units
			 are calculated by dividing the grade ADM by the grade divisor and summing over
			 all grades in the school. The ADM by grade is the average number of students
			 enrolled on a daily basis for the first 20 scholastic days following Labor Day
			 of the preceding school year.
(ii)
			 Instructional support units are calculated in the classifications of principal,
			 assistant principal, counselor, and librarian as recommended in the
			 accreditation standards for elementary schools, middle schools, and secondary
			 schools according to the Advanced standards.
(iii) A principal unit and a counselor unit
			 shall be calculated for each state approved career technical education center
			 (CTE center). A local board that does not operate a CTE center shall receive a
			 pro rata portion of a unit allocation to provide system-wide supervision of
			 career technical education as determined by the students enrolled in career
			 technical education courses in grade 9-12.
(iv) Principal units shall be extended by .45
			 for secondary schools and CTE centers, by .31 for elementary schools, and by
			 .35 for middle schools for salary calculations. Assistant principal units shall
			 be extended by .10 for elementary schools, middle schools, and secondary
			 schools for salary calculations. Counselor units shall be extended by .03 for
			 secondary schools, and CTE centers for salary calculations.
(v) The total of teacher units, instructional
			 support units, and CTE center units shall constitute the foundation program
			 units at each school in the foundation program cost calculations.