Bill Text: CT HB05592 | 2018 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Waiving Any Penalties Imposed On A Board Of Education For Making Reductions To Its Budgeted Appropriation For Education As A Result Of Cuts To Its Education Cost-sharing Grant For Fiscal Year 2018.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2018-05-03 - Transmitted to the Secretary of State [HB05592 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2018-HB05592-Chaptered.html
AN ACT WAIVING ANY PENALTIES IMPOSED ON A BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR MAKING REDUCTIONS TO ITS BUDGETED APPROPRIATION FOR EDUCATION AS A RESULT OF CUTS TO ITS EDUCATION COST-SHARING GRANT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (e) of section 10-262i of the general statutes, in the case of a town (1) whose equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, was reduced as a result of reductions in allotments pursuant to section 13 or 14 of public act 17-2 of the June special session or withholding or reductions of state financial assistance pursuant to subsection (d) of section 12-170f of the general statutes, and (2) that subsequently reduced its budgeted appropriation for education for said fiscal year in an amount up to such reduction to its equalization aid grant, the State Board of Education shall not make a determination that such town failed to meet the requirements of section 10-262j of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and shall not require that such town forfeit an amount equal to two times the reduction to such town's budgeted appropriation for education.
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 10-262j of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(b) Except as otherwise provided under the provisions of subsections (c) to [(e)] (f), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, [the] a town's budgeted appropriation for education shall be not less than the budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, prior to any reductions made by such town to its budgeted appropriation for education because of withholdings or reductions made to its equalization aid grant pursuant to section 13 or 14 of public act 17-2 of the June special session or subsection (d) of section 12-170f, plus any aid increase received pursuant to subsection (d) of section 10-262i, except that a town may reduce its budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, by one or more of the following:
(1) If a town experiences an aid reduction, as described in subsection (d) of section 10-262i, such town may reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in an amount equal to the aid reduction;
(2) Any district with (A) a resident student population in which the number of students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches pursuant to federal law and regulations is equal to or greater than twenty per cent, and (B) a resident student count for October 1, 2017, using the data of record as of January 31, 2018, that is lower than such district's resident student count for October 1, 2016, using the data of record as of January 31, 2018, may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for education by the difference in the number of resident students for such years multiplied by fifty per cent of the net current expenditures per resident student of such district, provided such reduction shall not exceed one and one-half per cent of the district's budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, except that the Commissioner of Education may, following a review of a town's proposed reductions to its budgeted appropriation for education, permit a town to reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in an amount greater than one and one-half per cent if the board of education for such town has approved, by vote at a meeting duly called, such proposed reductions;
(3) Any district with (A) a resident student population in which the number of students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches pursuant to federal law and regulations is less than twenty per cent, and (B) a resident student count for October 1, 2017, using the data of record as of January 31, 2018, that is lower than such district's resident student count for October 1, 2016, using the data of record as of January 31, 2018, may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for education by the difference in the number of resident students for such years multiplied by fifty per cent of the net current expenditures per resident student, as defined in subdivision (45) of section 10-262f, of such district, provided such reduction shall not exceed three per cent of the district's budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, except that the Commissioner of Education may, following a review of a town's proposed reductions to its budgeted appropriation for education, permit a town to reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in an amount greater than three per cent if the board of education for such town has approved, by vote at a meeting duly called, such proposed reductions;
(4) Any district (A) that does not maintain a high school and pays tuition to another school district pursuant to section 10-33 for resident students to attend high school in another district, and (B) in which the number of resident students attending high school for such district for October 1, 2017, using the data of record as of January 31, 2018, is lower than such district's number of resident students attending high school for October 1, 2016, using the data of record as of January 31, 2018, may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for education by the difference in the number of resident students attending high school for such years multiplied by the amount of tuition paid per student pursuant to section 10-33; or
(5) Any district that realizes new and documentable savings through increased district efficiencies approved by the Commissioner of Education or through regional collaboration or cooperative arrangements pursuant to section 10-158a may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for education in an amount equal to half of the amount of savings experienced as a result of such district efficiencies, regional collaboration or cooperative arrangement, provided such reduction shall not exceed one-half of one per cent of the district's budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.
Sec. 3. Subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of section 10-262i of the 2018 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, (A) if the amount of the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h is greater than [the] such town's equalization aid grant amount [such town received] for the previous fiscal year, the difference between the amount of such town's equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, and [the] such town's equalization aid grant amount [such town received] for the previous fiscal year shall be the aid increase for such town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, and (B) if the amount of the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h is less than [the] such town's equalization aid grant amount [such town received] for the previous fiscal year, the difference between [the] such town's equalization aid grant amount [such town received] for the previous fiscal year and the amount of such town's equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, shall be the aid reduction for such town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019. For purposes of this subdivision, "equalization aid grant amount for the previous fiscal year" means the equalization aid grant amount a town was entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, prior to any reductions made to such town's equalization aid grant during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, as a result of reductions in allotments pursuant to section 13 or 14 of public act 17-2 of the June special session or withholding or reductions of state financial assistance pursuant to subsection (d) of section 12-170f.