ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifty-sixth Legislature First Regular Session
	Senate: ED DPA 7-0-0-0 | 3rd Read 20-9-1-0 House: ED DP 10-0-0-0

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SB 1174: average daily membership; student withdrawals

Sponsor: Senator Kavanagh, LD 3

Caucus & COW

Overview

Specifies withdrawals, as it relates to average daily membership (ADM) calculations, means students who are formally withdrawn from schools or students who are absent for 10 consecutive school days, except for excused absences. States a student who is absent for nine or fewer consecutive school days is not a withdrawal.

History

ADM is a key component used in Arizona's school finance system to determine a school district's or charter school's funding. Enrolled students are counted using ADM, which is the total enrollment of fractional (part-time) and full-time students, minus withdrawals, of each school day through the first 100 or 200 days in session, as applicable, for the current year.

Students who are formally withdrawn from schools and students who are absent for 10 consecutive school days, except for excused absences identified by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), are counted as withdrawals when calculating ADM. The effective date of a withdrawal is retroactive to the last day of the student's actual attendance or excused absence. A school district or charter school must report student absence data to ADE at least once every 60 days in a school year.

Statute details the ADM a part-time or full-time student generates according to the program or grade level the student is enrolled in. The student must meet outlined instructional time and hour requirements, as well as daily attendance requirements, to generate ADM as specified (A.R.S. § 15-901).

ADE is authorized to conduct financial, compliance or ADM audits of school districts and charter schools. The ADM audit process compares a school district's or charter school's reported ADM information to ADE's student data system. If there are discrepancies, ADE's audit will calculate and report the necessary funding adjustment to the school district's or charter school's basic state aid (A.R.S. § 15-239).

Provisions

1. Alters the definition of withdrawals, as it relates to ADM, to mean students who are formally withdrawn from schools or students who are absent for 10 consecutive school days, except for excused absences, rather than students who are formally withdrawn from schools and students who are absent for 10 consecutive school days, except for excused absences. (Sec. 1)

2. Clarifies, for ADM computation purposes, that a student who is absent for nine or fewer consecutive school days, including the last day of the school year, is not a withdrawal and may not be subtracted from the total student enrollment. (Sec. 1)

3. Makes technical changes. (Sec. 1)

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7.                   SB 1174

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