Bill Text: AZ HB2199 | 2015 | Fifty-second Legislature 1st Regular | Introduced
Bill Title: Schools; class size reduction grants
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-02-02 - Referred to House ED Committee [HB2199 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2015-HB2199-Introduced.html
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REFERENCE TITLE: schools; class size reduction grants |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-second Legislature First Regular Session 2015
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HB 2199 |
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Introduced by Representatives Sherwood: Mendez
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AN ACT
amending Title 15, chapter 2, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-219; relating to the state board of education.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 15, chapter 2, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-219, to read:
15-219. Class size reduction and teacher retention program; grants; appropriation; annual report; program termination
A. The state board of education shall establish a class size reduction and teacher retention program to reduce class sizes to between fifteen and twenty‑two pupils per classroom in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three in participating school districts.
B. The state board of education shall adopt rules to prescribe application and eligibility requirements for school districts that wish to participate in the class size reduction and teacher retention program. School districts that wish to participate in the first year of the program shall submit applications to the state board of education beginning in the 2016‑2017 academic year. The application and eligibility requirements shall require a school district to include in its application a detailed description of the school district's class size reduction and teacher retention plan and the school district's proposed use of grant monies awarded pursuant to this section. The application and eligibility requirements may require school districts to include any or all of the following information:
1. The number of certificated teachers who are employed by the school district and who provide classroom instruction to pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three.
2. The percentage of pupils who are enrolled in the school district and who meet the economic eligibility requirements established under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts (42 United States Code sections 1751 through 1785) for free or reduced‑price lunches.
3. The proposed school sites where the program will be implemented.
C. Beginning in fiscal year 2017‑2018, the sum of one million dollars is appropriated from the state general fund each fiscal year to the department of education to distribute in the form of grants to school districts that are selected to participate in the program. A school district that participates in the program may not receive more than one hundred thousand dollars in any fiscal year from grants awarded pursuant to this subsection.
D. The state board of education shall submit an annual report on or before September 1 that summarizes the academic results of pupils in school districts that participate in the class size reduction and teacher retention program to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate and the chairpersons of the house of representatives and senate education committees and shall provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state. The annual report shall include the following information:
1. The number of years each participating school district has participated in the program and a detailed accounting of monies used for this purpose.
2. A listing of the grade levels that participated in the program.
3. A description of the success of and teacher satisfaction with the program.
4. Mechanisms to track the retention rate of teachers who are employed in school districts that participate in the program.
5. A description of changes attributable to the program, such as disciplinary improvement, graduation rate increases, dropout decreases and academic gains.
E. The state board of education shall include in the annual report submitted pursuant to subsection D of this section in 2021 a comprehensive summary of the effectiveness of the class size reduction and teacher retention program and a recommendation to either continue or discontinue the program after 2022.
F. School districts may not use monies received pursuant to this section to directly or indirectly fund any capital project.
G. The state board of education may allocate up to three percent of the monies that would otherwise be used for grants pursuant to subsection C of this section to the Arizona board of regents for distribution to one or more of the universities under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents for the purpose of assisting the state board of education in developing accountability and tracking measures for school districts that participate in the program.
H. The program established by This section ends on January 1, 2023 pursuant to section 41-3102.
