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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
average daily membership; student withdrawals
Purpose
Defines withdrawals for the purposes of average daily membership (ADM) as students who are formally withdrawn from schools or students who are absent for 10 consecutive school days and specifies that a student with nine or fewer absences may not be subtracted from ADM.
Background
Under the school finance formula, students are counted using ADM, which is the total enrollment of fractional and full-time students, minus withdrawals, of each school day through the first 100 days or 200 days in session, as applicable for the current year. Withdrawals include students who are formally withdrawn from schools and students who are absent for 10 consecutive school days, except for excused absences identified by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). School districts and charter schools must report student absence data to ADE at least once every 60 days in session. The effective date of withdrawal is retroactive to the last day of the student's actual attendance or excused absence.
A student is a full-time student and generates 1.0 ADM, if enrolled in an instructional program that meets for at least: 1) 712 hours for grades one through three; 2) 890 hours for grades four through eight; and 3) 720 hours, consisting of at least four subjects, for high school students. A common school fractional student generates 0.25, 0.5 or 0.75 ADM if the student is enrolled for a corresponding percentage of the time a full-time student is enrolled. A high school fractional student generates 0.25 ADM for each subject in which the student is enrolled that meets for 180 hours (A.R.S. § 15-901).
If modifying the meaning of withdrawals for the purposes of ADM results in a change to school district and charter school ADM, there may be a fiscal impact to the state General Fund.
Provisions
1. Defines withdrawals for the purposes of ADM as students who are formally withdrawn from schools or students who are absent for 10 consecutive school days, except for excused absences identified by ADE, rather than specifying that withdrawals include students who are formally withdrawn from schools and students who are absent for 10 consecutive school days, except for excused absences identified by ADE.
2. Specifies, within the definition of ADM, 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 enrollment of students.
3. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
· Specifies that a student who is absent for nine or fewer consecutive school days is not a withdrawal and may not be subtracted from ADM.
Senate Action
ED 2/8/23 DPA 7-0-0
Prepared by Senate Research
February 10, 2023
LB/slp