Bill No.: HB0139 Drafter: DRN

LSO No.: 06LSO-0180 Effective Date:

Enrolled Act No.: HEA0023

Chapter No.: 37

Prime Sponsor: Joint Education Interim Committee

Catch Title: School finance amendments.

Subject: Recalibration of the Wyoming education resource block grant model for funding public K-12 schools.

Summary/Major Elements:

1. Clarification of Wyoming education resource block grant funding model:

· Administration clearly assigned to State Superintendent and Department of Education;

· Definition of block grant model to include summary of components and model spreadsheets;

· Summary of model components defined and enumerated in Attachment A;

· Model spreadsheets defined and contained in Attachment B;

· Secretary of State repository of model summaries and spreadsheets.

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2. Recalibrated model contained in law:

· Number of model prototypes contained in block grant model increased and specified by law, with special accommodations included for unique and small school configurations and enumerated in summary of model components at Attachment A;

· Full-day kindergarten program funded under model;

· Block grant model is school-based as compared to current district-based model;

· Existing MAP model adjustments eliminated and now included in model prototypes;

· Alternative schools funded as separate school;

· Salaries based upon statewide average salary levels for each staffing category, with statewide experience, education and responsibility for each category adjusted by district experience, education and responsibility levels and further adjusted for regional cost differences by the regional cost adjustment, with the regional cost adjustment measured by the greater of the WCLI computed with a minimum of 100 or the hedonic wage index. The version of the WCLI is to be the based upon the unrecalibrated housing cost index weights unless otherwise directed by the Joint Education Committee;

· Reimbursables included within model (special education, transportation and other specified categories reimbursed based upon prior year actual expenditures);

· Health insurance included within model, based upon level equal to state contributions for state employees;

· Maintenance and operations funding based upon School Facilities Commission guidelines for educational and noneducational space;

· External cost adjustment for inflation applied between periods of model recalibration based upon recommendations of Joint Appropriations Committee.

3. Off-model funding:

· Summer school/extended day grant program funded at $1000 per at-risk participating ADM for school year 2006-2007 at $9 million;

· Instructional facilitator grant program funded at 1.5 FTE for 288 school prototype and 315 middle and high school prototypes for school years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 at $16 million;

· National board certified teacher payment reimbursement of $4000 per certified teacher funded at $600,000 for school years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008;

· Hold-harmless funding to 2005-2006 funding levels during periods between model recalibration. However, no district is estimated to be subject to the hold-harmless provision during school year 2006-2007.

4. Education studies: Numerous education studies were directed, some addressing continuing school finance model topics and issues, others were directed at other areas of education.

5. Reporting of school district litigation expenditures commencing with recent action involved with the January 31, 2006 District Court Ruling.