See How Your Politicians Voted
Title: Increases Local Contributions for Public School Funding
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.”