SB 593

Current law allows an eligible school board that has entered into a five-year

renewable student achievement guarantee (SAGE) contract with the Department of

Public Instruction (DPI) to reduce class size to 15 pupils in grades kindergarten to

three in schools with specified low-income enrollment to receive $2,250 for each

low-income pupil enrolled in grades eligible for SAGE funding. Current law permits

a school to renew and receive payments under a renewed SAGE contract if the school

board maintains the reduced class size achieved during the last school year of the

original SAGE contract for the grades specified for the last school year of the

contract. Current law also permits DPI to waive requirements of the SAGE program

in a contract entered into between DPI and a school board.

This bill changes the requirement that a school board maintain the reduced

class size achieved during the last school year of the original SAGE contract as a

condition for receiving payments under an existing SAGE contract, and permits a

school board operating under an existing SAGE contract to do each of the following:

1) satisfy the class size requirement by reducing the class size to no more than 18

pupils; and 2) combine two classes with two classroom teachers to achieve a total

class size of 30 pupils.

The bill also authorizes a school board, in the 2010-11 school year, to enter into

a new, renewable, five-year SAGE contract with DPI to reduce class size to 18 pupils

in grades kindergarten to three in one or more schools in the school district if, in the

previous school year, at least one school in the school district had an enrollment of

at least 50 percent low income and all of the following are satisfied:

1. In the previous school year, the school had an enrollment that was at least

30 percent low income.

2. The school is not receiving a grant from DPI for a preschool to grade five

program.

3. The school is not already a beneficiary of a SAGE contract.

The school board may combine two classes with two classroom teachers to

achieve a total class size of 30 pupils.

Finally, under the bill, DPI may not waive any requirement of the SAGE

program in any SAGE contract entered into or renewed after the effective date of the

bill.