AB 816

This bill makes a number of changes in the laws relating to public school

financing, including the following:

1. Currently, the amount appropriated each fiscal year for general school aid

is a sum set by law. This bill directs the Department of Public Instruction, the

Department of Administration, and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau annually to jointly

certify to the Joint Committee on Finance an estimate of the amount necessary to

appropriate in the following school year to ensure that state school aids equal the

following percentage of partial school revenues (in general, the sum of state school

aids and school property taxes):

a. For the 2018-19 school year, 64.5 percent.

b. For the 2019-20 school year, 65.2 percent.

c. For the 2020-21 school year, 65.9 percent.

d. For the 2021-22 school year and each school year thereafter, two-thirds.

Under the bill, JFC determines the amount appropriated as general school aids

in each odd-numbered fiscal year (e.g., the 2018-19 fiscal year) and the amount is

set by law in each even-numbered fiscal year.

2. For purposes of determining a school district's general school aid amount,

in general this bill requires that each pupil who is eligible for a free or reduced-price

lunch under the federal school lunch program be counted as an additional 0.3 pupil.

3. Currently, if a school district would receive less in general state aid in any

school year than 85 percent of the amount it received in the previous school year, its

state aid for the current school year is increased to 85 percent of the aid received in

the previous school year. This bill increases the percentage to 90 percent.

4. This bill provides that a school district's state aid in any school year may not

be less than an amount equal to the school district's membership multiplied by

$3,000.

5. Under current law, there is no per pupil adjustment for purposes of

calculating a school district's revenue limit. This bill provides a per pupil adjustment

of $300 per pupil for the 2018-19 school year. Under the bill, in the 2019-20 school

year and thereafter, the per pupil adjustment is the per pupil adjustment for the

previous school year as adjusted for any increase in the consumer price index.

6. Current law provides a minimum per pupil revenue limit for school districts,

known as the revenue ceiling. Under current law, the revenue ceiling is $9,100. This

bill increase the revenue ceiling to $9,500 in the 2018-19 school year and $9,900 in

the 2019-20 school year. In the 2020-21 school year and each school year thereafter,

the revenue ceiling is the revenue ceiling for the previous school year as adjusted for

any increase in the consumer price index.

7. Currently, if at least 50 percent of a school district's enrollment is eligible for

a free or reduced-price lunch under the federal school lunch program, the school

district is eligible for a prorated share of the amount appropriated as high-poverty