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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
county jails; education programs; appropriation
Purpose
Increases the funding for pupils in county jail education programs and appropriates $76,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) in FY 2024 to the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to distribute to county school superintendents for county jail education programs.
Background
Each county must provide an education program to each pupil in a county jail who is 21 years old or younger and does not have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma. A county jail may operate its education program through an accommodation school, or the county school superintendent may establish a county jail education fund to receive state GF monies according to statutory formula (A.R.S. § 15-913.01).
For a county jail education program operated through an accommodation school, each pupil is funded at 72 percent of the Basic State Aid (BSA) that would be calculated if the pupil were otherwise enrolled in an accommodation school (A.R.S. § 15-913.01).
Subject to appropriation, a county jail education fund receives a base amount of $14,400 plus $10.80 per instructional day, per pupil. For a pupil with a disability, the daily rate is based on $72 plus 72 percent of an amount equal to the per-pupil base level amount multiplied by: 1) two, for pupils to whom Group A weights apply; or 2) the sum of one and the applicable school finance formula Group B weights, for pupils to whom Group B weights apply (A.R.S. § 15-913.01).
H.B. 2341 appropriates $76,000 from the state GF in FY 2024 to the SPI.
The JLBC fiscal note estimates that eliminating the 72 percent factor for
pupils with a disability enrolled in a county jail education program not
operated by an accommodation school would increase the daily rate for those
students by $15.75, which would increase costs to the state GF by $76,000.
According to JLBC, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) currently does not
apply the statutory
72 percent factor to accommodation schools, instead funding pupils enrolled in
an accommodation school county jail education program at 100 percent of BSA
funding for accommodation school pupils (JLBC
fiscal note).
Provisions
1. Increases, from 72 percent of the BSA to the full BSA amount, funding for a pupil enrolled in an accommodation school county jail education program.
2. Calculates the daily rate for a pupil with a disability enrolled in a county jail education program that is not operated through an accommodation school based on:
a) for students to whom Group A weights apply, an amount equal to the base level multiplied by two, rather than based on 72 percent of that calculation; and
b) for students to whom Group B weights apply, an amount equal to the base level multiplied by the sum of one plus the applicable Group B weights, rather than based on 72 percent of that calculation.
3. Increases, from $72 to $100, the per-pupil amount for capital outlay costs used to calculate the daily rate for a pupil with a disability enrolled in a county jail education program that is not operated through an accommodation school.
4. Appropriates $76,000 from the state GF in FY 2024 to the SPI to distribute to county school superintendents for county jail education programs.
5. Makes technical changes.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
ED 2/14/23 DPA 9-0-0-1
APPROP 2/20/23 DPA 12-1-2-0
3rd Read 3/7/23 44-16-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 17, 2023
LMM/GHR/sr