HB2173 - 562R

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 15-971, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by Laws 2022, chapter 317, section 13, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-971. Determination of equalization assistance payments from county and state funds for school districts

A. Equalization assistance for education is computed by determining the total of the following:

1. The lesser of a school district's revenue control limit or district support level as determined in section 15-947 or 15-951.

2. District additional assistance of a school district as determined in section 15-951 or 15-961.

B. From the total of the amounts determined in subsection A of this section subtract:

1. The amount that would be produced by levying the applicable qualifying tax rate determined pursuant to section 41-1276 for a high school district or a common school district within a high school district that does not offer instruction in high school subjects as provided in section 15-447.

2. The amount that would be produced by levying the applicable qualifying tax rate determined pursuant to section 41-1276 for a unified school district, a common school district not within a high school district or a common school district within a high school district that offers instruction in high school subjects as provided in section 15-447. The qualifying tax rate shall be applied in the following manner:

(a) For the purposes of the amount determined in subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section:

(i) Determine separately the percentage that the weighted student count in preschool programs for children with disabilities, kindergarten programs and grades one through eight and the weighted student count in grades nine through twelve is to the weighted student count determined in subtotal A as provided in section 15-943, paragraph 2, subdivision (a).

(ii) Apply the percentages determined in item (i) of this subdivision to the amount determined in subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section.

(b) For the purposes of the amounts determined in subsection A, paragraph 2 of this section, determine separately the amount of the district additional assistance attributable to the student count in preschool programs for children with disabilities, kindergarten programs and grades one through eight and grades nine through twelve.

(c) From the amounts determined in subdivisions (a) and (b) of this paragraph, subtract the levy that would be produced by the current qualifying tax rate for a high school district or a common school district within a high school district that does not offer instruction in high school subjects as provided in section 15-447. If the qualifying tax rate generates a levy that is in excess of the total determined in subsection A of this section, the school district is not eligible for equalization assistance. For the purposes of this subsection, "assessed valuation" includes the values used to determine voluntary contributions collected pursuant to title 9, chapter 4, article 3 and title 48, chapter 1, article 8 and the assessed value of all property subject to the government property lease excise tax pursuant to title 42, chapter 6, article 5.

3. The amount that would be produced by levying a qualifying tax rate in a career technical education district, which shall be $.05 per $100 assessed valuation unless the legislature sets a lower rate by law.

C. State aid for equalization assistance for education for a school district shall be the equalization assistance for education for a school district as provided in subsections A and B of this section.

D. Equalization assistance for education shall be paid from appropriations for that purpose to the school districts as provided in section 15-973.

E. A school district shall report expenditures on approved career and technical education and vocational education programs in the annual financial report according to uniform guidelines prescribed by the uniform system of financial records and in order to facilitate compliance with sections 15-255 and 15-904.

F. The additional weight for state aid purposes given to special education as provided in section 15-943 shall be given to school districts only if special education programs comply with chapter 7, article 4 of this title and the conditions and standards prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction pursuant to rules of the state board of education for pupil identification and placement pursuant to sections 15-766 and 15-767.

G. In addition to state general fund appropriations, all amounts received pursuant to section 37-521, subsection B, paragraph 3, section 42-5029, subsection E, paragraph 5 and section 42-5029.02, subsection A, paragraph 5 and from any other source for the purposes of this section are appropriated for state aid to schools as provided in this section.

H. The total amount of state monies that may be spent in any fiscal year for state equalization assistance shall not exceed the amount appropriated or authorized by section 35-173 for that purpose. This section does not impose a duty on an officer, agent or employee of this state to discharge a responsibility or create any right in a person or group if the discharge or right would require an expenditure of state monies in excess of the expenditure authorized by legislative appropriation for that specific purpose. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Repeal

Section 15-971, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by Laws 2022, chapter 285, section 9, is repealed.

Sec. 3. Section 15-992, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-992. School district tax levy; additional tax in districts ineligible for equalization assistance; definition

A. The board of supervisors of each county, at the time of levying other taxes, shall annually levy school district taxes on the property in any school district in which additional amounts are required, which shall be at rates prescribed in this section. A delinquency factor for estimated uncollected taxes may not be included in the computation of the primary tax rate for school district taxes. Local property taxes may not be levied for any deficit in the classroom site fund. The taxes shall be added to and collected in the same manner as other county taxes on the property within the school district. The amount of the school district taxes levied on the property in a particular school district shall be paid into the school fund of that school district.

B. At the same time of levying taxes as provided in subsection A of this section, the county board of supervisors shall annually levy an additional tax in each school district that is not eligible for equalization assistance as provided in section 15-971 in an amount determined as follows:

1. Determine the levy that would be produced by fifty percent of the applicable qualifying tax rate, prescribed in section 15-971, subsection B, per $100 assessed valuation.

2. Subtract the amount amounts determined in section 15-971, subsection A and subsection F of this section from the levy determined in paragraph 1 of this subsection. This difference is the additional amount levied or collected as voluntary contributions pursuant to title 48, chapter 1, article 8, except that if the difference is zero or is a negative number, there shall be no levy.

C. Monies collected pursuant to subsection subsections B and F of this section shall be transmitted to the state treasurer for deposit in the state general fund to aid in school financial assistance.

D. The additional tax prescribed in subsection B of this section is considered to be primary property tax for purposes of section 15-972, subsection B, except that this state is not required to make the payments prescribed in section 15-972, subsection H for these reductions in taxes.

E. The tax levy prescribed in subsection A of this section shall be a rate equal to the applicable qualifying tax rate or rates as prescribed in section 15-971, subsection B or a rate that would result in a levy that equals the school district equalization assistance base prescribed in section 15-971 subtracted by any amount received pursuant to section 15-905, subsections K, O and P per $100 of assessed valuation used for primary property taxes, whichever is less.

F. At the same time of levying taxes as provided in subsection A of this section, the county board of supervisors shall annually levy an additional tax in each common school district not within a high school district that is equal to the lesser of:

1. A rate that is equal to the applicable qualifying tax rate or rates as prescribed in section 15-971, subsection B.

2. A rate that would result in a levy that equals the countywide average per pupil equalization base for high school pupils multiplied by the number student count as defined in section 15-901 of resident high school pupils in the common school district not within a high school district during the prior school year. The monies collected pursuant to this subsection shall be added to county aid for equalization assistance for education pursuant to section 15-971, subsection C. On or before July 1 of each year, the department of education shall provide each county board of supervisors with the countywide average per pupil equalization base for high school pupils, the number student count as defined in section 15-901 of resident high school pupils in the common school district not within a high school district during the prior school year and any other information requested by the county board of supervisors for the purposes of levying the tax prescribed in this subsection.

G. At the time of levying taxes as provided in subsection E of this section, the county school superintendent shall annually validate any additional primary school district tax levy amount requests from each school district and levy the sum of the following amounts:

1. A rate that would result in a levy that equals the difference between the transportation revenue control limit as determined in section 15-946 and the transportation support level as determined in section 15-945 or a lesser amount.

2. A rate that would result in a levy that equals any amount pursuant to section 15-910.

3. A rate that would result in a levy that equals any amount for tuition loss as determined in section 15-954.

4. A rate that would result in a levy that equals any amount for the small school adjustment as determined in section 15-949.

5. A rate that would result in a levy that equals any amount for liabilities in excess of the school district budget pursuant to section 15-907.

6. A rate that would result in a levy that equals any amount for adjacent ways pursuant to section 15-995.

7. A rate that would result in a levy that equals the amount not captured by the qualifying tax rate as a result of property subject to the government property lease excise tax pursuant to title 42, chapter 6, article 5 as calculated in section 15-971, subsection B, paragraph 2.

8. Following the recommendation of the county school superintendent and on approval by the county board of supervisors, for a school district that is not eligible for state aid, a rate that would result in a levy that equals any legal amount not levied in the current year as a result of underestimated average daily membership in the current year or as a result of a judgment in accordance with section 42-16213.

9. A rate that would result in a levy that equals any amount pursuant to a qualifying dropout prevention program that was originally established by law in 1987.

10. On the recommendation of the county school superintendent and on approval by the county board of supervisors before adoption of tax rates pursuant to section 42-17151, a rate that would result in a levy that equals any separately stated cash deficit from the prior fiscal year resulting from an anticipated or actual deviation in the property tax roll, including resolutions or judgments pursuant to title 42, chapter 16, articles 5 and 6.

H. For the purposes of this section, "assessed valuation" includes the values used to determine voluntary contributions collected pursuant to title 9, chapter 4, article 3 and title 48, chapter 1, article 8. END_STATUTE

Sec. 4. Section 42-17151, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE42-17151. County, municipal, community college and school tax levy

A. On or before the third Monday in August each year, the governing body of each county, city, town, community college district and school district shall:

1. Fix, levy and assess the amount to be raised from primary property taxation and secondary property taxation. This amount, plus all other sources of revenue, as estimated, and restricted and unrestricted unencumbered balances from the preceding fiscal year, shall equal the total of amounts proposed to be spent in the budget for the current fiscal year.

2. Designate the amounts to be levied for each purpose appearing in the adopted budget.

3. Fix and determine a primary property tax rate and a secondary property tax rate, each rounded to four decimal places on each one hundred dollars $100 of taxable property shown by the finally equalized valuations of property, less minus exemptions, that appear on the tax rolls for the fiscal year, as determined by the assessor on or before February 10 of the tax year pursuant to section 42-17052, and that when extended on those valuations will produce, in the aggregate, the entire amount to be raised by direct taxation for that year. Amounts levied for debt service on bonds payable from the secondary tax are and shall be considered special revenues of the county, city, town or district, shall be kept in a special, segregated fund, are not and shall not be general property taxes and may not be used for any other purpose of the county, city, town or district.

B. The governing body of a county, city, town or community college district shall not fix, levy or assess an amount of primary property taxes in excess of the amount permitted by section 42-17051, subsection A, paragraph 7 or section 42-17005 as determined by the property tax oversight commission.

C. The governing board of a common school district, a high school district or a unified school district shall not fix, levy or assess a primary property tax rate higher than the current year's rate if the district meets both of the following criteria, as determined by the property tax oversight commission:

1. The total primary property taxes levied for all taxing jurisdictions on at least one-half of the residential property of the district exceed the limitation described in section 15-972, subsection E.

2. The school district primary property tax rate exceeds one hundred fifty per cent percent of the applicable qualifying tax rate pursuant to section 41-1276. For the purposes of this paragraph, the school district primary property tax rate does not include the tax rates computed pursuant to section 15-992, subsections B and F.

D. No Not later than December 31, the property tax oversight commission shall notify those school districts that meet the criteria described in subsection C of this section and the county school superintendents and boards of supervisors of the counties in which the school districts are located.

E. Within three days after the final levies are determined for a county, city, town or community college district, the chief county fiscal officer shall notify the property tax oversight commission of the amount of the primary property tax levied.

F. Pursuant to section 15-465.01, subsection E, an accommodation school governing board shall not levy a primary or secondary property tax. The property tax oversight commission shall consider any amount of property tax levied by a county in support of an accommodation school to be part of the county's primary levy for the purposes of determining the county's compliance with subsection B of this section. END_STATUTE

Sec. 5. Fiscal years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 calculations

In fiscal years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, the department of education may use the most recent data from the report required by section 15-816.01, subsection J, Arizona Revised Statutes, to provide the information required by section 15-992, subsection F, paragraph 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, to the county boards of supervisors.

Sec. 6. Property tax reduction; 2024 tax year; delayed repeal

A. Each county board of supervisors that levied an additional tax pursuant to section 15-992, subsection B, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by Laws 2022, chapter 285, section 11, in the 2023 tax year in one or more common school districts not within a high school district shall do both of the following:

1. Reduce the tax levy in each common school district not within a high school district in the 2024 tax year by an amount determined by the county board of supervisors and approved by the property tax oversight commission.

2. Direct the county treasurer to distribute any unexpended and unencumbered monies that were collected pursuant to section 15-992, subsection B, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by Laws 2022, chapter 285, section 11, in the 2023 tax year to each common school district not within a high school district to offset the reductions prescribed in paragraph 1 of this subsection.

B. This section is repealed from and after December 31, 2026.

Sec. 7. Retroactivity

A. The following sections apply retroactively to from and after June 30, 2023:

1. Section 15-971, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by Laws 2022, chapter 317, section 13 and this act.

2. Section 15-971, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by Laws 2022, chapter 285, section 9 and repealed by this act.

B. Section 15-992, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, applies retroactively to tax years beginning from and after December 31, 2023.