Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that increases the base student allocation to school districts.

Highlights:

• Increases the base student allocation to school districts from $5,680 to $5,880 (Secs. 27-29).

• Requires the Department of Education and Early Development to distribute the following amounts as state aid to school districts according to the average daily membership for each district (Sec. 55):
• $42.95 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015;
• $32.24 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016; and
• $19.9 million for the fiscal year ending June 30 2017.

• Requires school districts to provide the opportunity for students enrolled in a secondary school in the district to challenge and receive full credit for the following courses by demonstrating “mastery”, as established by the district, in the subject at the level of the course challenged (Sec. 2):
• Math;
• Science;
• Language arts;
• Social studies; and 
• World languages.

• Authorizes an individual to receive the Income Tax Education Credit for a cash contribution for direct instruction, research, and educational support purposes accepted by certain institutions including, but not limited to, a public or private nonprofit elementary or secondary school in the state (Secs. 36 & 37).   

• Requires the Department of Administration to present to the legislature no later than June 15, 2015 a written proposal for a salary and benefits schedule for school districts, including an evaluation of, and recommendations for, teacher tenure (Sec. 52).

• Requires the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee to provide for two studies to be completed no later than June 15, 2015 by an entity or entities with “expertise” in school finance to evaluate the current education funding provisions and validate and recommend changes to the current funding provisions, or recommend alternate methods of education funding (Sec. 54).

• Establishes a grant program for charter schools equal to a one-time increase of $500 for each student enrolled in the school (Sec. 14).

• Authorizes a school district, in which 1 or more schools qualify for a discounted rate for Internet services, to receive state funding for each school to have 10 megabits of download a second (Sec. 8).

• Increases state funding for a state centralized correspondence program or a district correspondence program by multiplying 90 percent by the average daily membership of the program, whereas existing law specified 80 percent (Sec. 25).

• Authorizes a district that provides a correspondence study program to provide an annual student allotment to a parent of a student enrolled in the program for instructional expenses for the student (Sec. 15).

• Authorizes a parent to purchase nonsectarian services and materials from a public, private, or religious organization with a student allotment provided by a district that provides a correspondence study program if certain criteria are met including, but not limited to, the following criteria (Sec. 15):
• The services and materials are required for the course of study; 
• The services, textbooks, and other curriculum materials are approved by the school district, are “appropriate” for the student, and are aligned with state standards; and
• The materials otherwise “support a public purpose.”

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that increases the base student allocation to school districts.

Highlights:

• Increases the base student allocation to school districts from $5,680 to $5,880 (Secs. 27-29).

• Requires the Department of Education and Early Development to distribute the following amounts as state aid to school districts according to the average daily membership for each district (Sec. 55):
• $42.95 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015;
• $32.24 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016; and
• $19.9 million for the fiscal year ending June 30 2017.

• Requires school districts to provide the opportunity for students enrolled in a secondary school in the district to challenge and receive full credit for the following courses by demonstrating “mastery”, as established by the district, in the subject at the level of the course challenged (Sec. 2):
• Math;
• Science;
• Language arts;
• Social studies; and 
• World languages.

• Authorizes an individual to receive the Income Tax Education Credit for a cash contribution for direct instruction, research, and educational support purposes accepted by certain institutions including, but not limited to, a public or private nonprofit elementary or secondary school in the state (Secs. 36 & 37).   

• Requires the Department of Administration to present to the legislature no later than June 15, 2015 a written proposal for a salary and benefits schedule for school districts, including an evaluation of, and recommendations for, teacher tenure (Sec. 52).

• Requires the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee to provide for two studies to be completed no later than June 15, 2015 by an entity or entities with “expertise” in school finance to evaluate the current education funding provisions and validate and recommend changes to the current funding provisions, or recommend alternate methods of education funding (Sec. 54).

• Establishes a grant program for charter schools equal to a one-time increase of $500 for each student enrolled in the school (Sec. 14).

• Authorizes a school district, in which 1 or more schools qualify for a discounted rate for Internet services, to receive state funding for each school to have 10 megabits of download a second (Sec. 8).

• Increases state funding for a state centralized correspondence program or a district correspondence program by multiplying 90 percent by the average daily membership of the program, whereas existing law specified 80 percent (Sec. 25).

• Authorizes a district that provides a correspondence study program to provide an annual student allotment to a parent of a student enrolled in the program for instructional expenses for the student (Sec. 15).

• Authorizes a parent to purchase nonsectarian services and materials from a public, private, or religious organization with a student allotment provided by a district that provides a correspondence study program if certain criteria are met including, but not limited to, the following criteria (Sec. 15):
• The services and materials are required for the course of study; 
• The services, textbooks, and other curriculum materials are approved by the school district, are “appropriate” for the student, and are aligned with state standards; and
• The materials otherwise “support a public purpose.”

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that increases local contributions to public school funding.

Highlights:

• Increases the public school funding contribution of a city or borough school district by increasing the property tax on the value of the taxable real and personal property in the districts from 2.65 percent to 2.8 percent (Sec. 24).

• Requires the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee to provide for a study to be completed no later than January 31, 2017 by an entity with “expertise” in school finance to evaluate the school district cost factor, and requires the entity to validate or recommend changes to update the school district cost factor (Sec. 50).

• Establishes a grant program to encourage “innovative approaches to learning” by school districts (Sec. 7).

• Establishes a grant program for charter schools equal to a one-time increase of $500 for each student enrolled in the school (Sec. 13).

• Authorizes a school district, in which 1 or more schools qualify for a discounted rate for Internet services, to receive state funding for each school to have 10 megabits of download a second (Sec. 7).

• Requires a school district to provide a high school student with the opportunity to earn credit for the following courses offered in the school if the student proves “mastery” of the course content through a district-approved assessment (Sec. 2):
• Math;
• Science;
• Language arts;
• Social studies; and
• World languages.

• Authorizes an individual to receive the Income Tax Education Credit for a cash contribution for direct instruction, research, and educational support purposes accepted by certain institutions including, but not limited to, a public or private non-profit elementary or secondary school in the state (Secs. 34 & 35).   

• Increases state funding for a state centralized correspondence program or a district correspondence program by multiplying 90 percent by the average daily membership of the program, whereas existing law specified 80 percent (Sec. 26).

• Authorizes a district that provides a correspondence study program to provide an annual student allotment to a parent of a student enrolled in the program for instructional expenses for the student (Sec. 14).

• Authorizes a parent to purchase nonsectarian services and materials from a public, private, or religious organization with a student allotment provided by a district that provides a correspondence study program if certain criteria are met including, but not limited to, the following criteria (Sec. 14):
• The services and materials are required for the course of study; 
• The services, textbooks, and other curriculum materials are approved by the school district, are “appropriate” for the student, and are aligned with state standards; and
• The materials otherwise “support a public purpose.”

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that increases local contributions to public school funding.

Highlights:

• Increases the base student allocation to school districts from $5,680 to $5,981 (Secs. 20-22).

• Establishes a public school and school district grading system that accounts for improvement in student achievement and assigns the following performance designations (Sec. 8):
• “A” for a school making “excellent” progress;
• “B” for a school making “above average” progress;
• “C” for a school making “satisfactory” progress;
• “D” for a school making “less than satisfactory” progress; and
• “F” for a school not making “adequate” progress.

• Requires a school district to provide the opportunity for students enrolled in a secondary school in the district to challenge and receive full credit for a course by demonstrating “mastery”, as established by the district, in the subject at the level of the course challenged (Sec. 2). 

• -Specifies that a teacher acquires tenure in a district when the teacher meets certain objectives including, but not limited to, the following objectives (Sec. 23):
• He or she has been continuously employed as a teacher in the same district for 5 school years, whereas existing law specified 3 school years;
• He or she meets the district’s performance standards in the fifth year of any 5 year period of continuous employment with the district, whereas existing law specified the third year of any 3 year period; and
• He or she accepts a contract for employment as a teacher in the district for a sixth consecutive school year, whereas existing law specified a fourth consecutive school year.

• Authorizes an  individual to receive the Income Tax Education Credit for a cash contribution for direct instruction, research, and educational support purposes accepted by certain institutions including, but not limited to, a public or private nonprofit elementary or secondary school in the state (Secs. 30 & 31).   

• Requires the Department of Education and Early Development to distribute a grant of $30 million, for fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, as state aid to school districts according to the average daily membership for each district (Sec. 48).

Full Bill Text