February 13, 2019, Introduced by Senator ANANICH and referred to the Committee on Education and Career Readiness.
A bill to amend 1979 PA 94, entitled
"The state school aid act of 1979,"
by amending section 101 (MCL 388.1701), as amended by 2018 PA 586.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 101. (1) To be eligible to receive state aid under this
article, not later than the fifth Wednesday after the pupil
membership count day and not later than the fifth Wednesday after
the supplemental count day, each district superintendent shall
submit to the center and the intermediate superintendent, in the
form and manner prescribed by the center, the number of pupils
enrolled and in regular daily attendance in the district as of the
pupil membership count day and as of the supplemental count day, as
applicable, for the current school year. In addition, a district
maintaining school during the entire year, as provided under
section 1561 of the revised school code, MCL 380.1561, shall submit
to the center and the intermediate superintendent, in the form and
manner prescribed by the center, the number of pupils enrolled and
in regular daily attendance in the district for the current school
year pursuant to rules promulgated by the superintendent. Not later
than the sixth Wednesday after the pupil membership count day and
not later than the sixth Wednesday after the supplemental count
day, the district shall certify the data in a form and manner
prescribed by the center and file the certified data with the
intermediate superintendent. If a district fails to submit and
certify the attendance data, as required under this subsection, the
center shall notify the department and state aid due to be
distributed under this article shall be withheld from the
defaulting district immediately, beginning with the next payment
after the failure and continuing with each payment until the
district complies with this subsection. If a district does not
comply with this subsection by the end of the fiscal year, the
district forfeits the amount withheld. A person who willfully
falsifies a figure or statement in the certified and sworn copy of
enrollment shall be punished in the manner prescribed by section
161.
(2) To be eligible to receive state aid under this article,
not later than the twenty-fourth Wednesday after the pupil
membership count day and not later than the twenty-fourth Wednesday
after the supplemental count day, an intermediate district shall
submit to the center, in a form and manner prescribed by the
center, the audited enrollment and attendance data for the pupils
of its constituent districts and of the intermediate district. If
an intermediate district fails to submit the audited data as
required under this subsection, state aid due to be distributed
under this article shall be withheld from the defaulting
intermediate district immediately, beginning with the next payment
after the failure and continuing with each payment until the
intermediate district complies with this subsection. If an
intermediate district does not comply with this subsection by the
end of the fiscal year, the intermediate district forfeits the
amount withheld.
(3) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (11) and (12),
all of the following apply to the provision of pupil instruction:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, each
district shall provide at least 1,098 hours and, beginning in 2010-
2011, the required minimum number of days of pupil instruction.
Beginning in 2014-2015, the required minimum number of days of
pupil instruction is 175. However, all of the following apply to
these requirements:
(i) If a collective bargaining agreement that provides a
complete school calendar was in effect for employees of a district
as of July 1, 2013, and if that school calendar is not in
compliance with this subsection, then this subsection does not
apply to that district until after the expiration of that
collective bargaining agreement. If a district entered into a
collective bargaining agreement on or after July 1, 2013 and if
that collective bargaining agreement did not provide for at least
175 days of pupil instruction beginning in 2014-2015, then the
department shall withhold from the district's total state school
aid an amount equal to 5% of the funding the district receives in
2014-2015 under sections 22a and 22b.
(ii) A district may apply for a waiver under subsection (9)
from the requirements of this subdivision.
(b) Beginning in 2016-2017, the required minimum number of
days of pupil instruction is 180. If a collective bargaining
agreement that provides a complete school calendar was in effect
for employees of a district as of the effective date of the
amendatory act that added this subdivision, and if that school
calendar is not in compliance with this subdivision, then this
subdivision does not apply to that district until after the
expiration of that collective bargaining agreement. A district may
apply for a waiver under subsection (9) from the requirements of
this subdivision.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in this article, a district
failing to comply with the required minimum hours and days of pupil
instruction under this subsection shall forfeit from its total
state aid allocation an amount determined by applying a ratio of
the number of hours or days the district was in noncompliance in
relation to the required minimum number of hours and days under
this subsection. Not later than August 1, the board of each
district shall either certify to the department that the district
was in full compliance with this section regarding the number of
hours and days of pupil instruction in the previous school year, or
report to the department, in a form and manner prescribed by the
center, each instance of noncompliance. If the district did not
provide at least the required minimum number of hours and days of
pupil instruction under this subsection, the deduction of state aid
shall be made in the following fiscal year from the first payment
of state school aid. A district is not subject to forfeiture of
funds under this subsection for a fiscal year in which a forfeiture
was already imposed under subsection (6).
(d) Hours or days lost because of strikes or teachers'
conferences shall not be counted as hours or days of pupil
instruction.
(e) If a collective bargaining agreement that provides a
complete school calendar is in effect for employees of a district
as of October 19, 2009, and if that school calendar is not in
compliance with this subsection, then this subsection does not
apply to that district until after the expiration of that
collective bargaining agreement.
(f) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (g) and (h),
a district not having at least 75% of the district's membership in
attendance on any day of pupil instruction shall receive state aid
in that proportion of 1/180 that the actual percent of attendance
bears to the specified percentage.
(g) If a district adds 1 or more days of pupil instruction to
the end of its instructional calendar for a school year to comply
with subdivision (a) because the district otherwise would fail to
provide the required minimum number of days of pupil instruction
even after the operation of subsection (4) due to conditions not
within the control of school authorities, then subdivision (f) does
not apply for any day of pupil instruction that is added to the end
of the instructional calendar. Instead, for any of those days, if
the district does not have at least 60% of the district's
membership in attendance on that day, the district shall receive
state aid in that proportion of 1/180 that the actual percentage of
attendance bears to the specified percentage. For any day of pupil
instruction added to the instructional calendar as described in
this subdivision, the district shall report to the department the
percentage of the district's membership that is in attendance, in
the form and manner prescribed by the department.
(h) At the request of a district that operates a department-
approved alternative education program and that does not provide
instruction for pupils in all of grades K to 12, the superintendent
shall grant a waiver from the requirements of subdivision (f). The
waiver shall indicate that an eligible district is subject to the
proration provisions of subdivision (f) only if the district does
not have at least 50% of the district's membership in attendance on
any day of pupil instruction. In order to be eligible for this
waiver, a district must maintain records to substantiate its
compliance with the following requirements:
(i) The district offers the minimum hours of pupil instruction
as required under this section.
(ii) For each enrolled pupil, the district uses appropriate
academic assessments to develop an individual education plan that
leads to a high school diploma.
(iii) The district tests each pupil to determine academic
progress at regular intervals and records the results of those
tests in that pupil's individual education plan.
(i) All of the following apply to a waiver granted under
subdivision (h):
(i) If the waiver is for a blended model of delivery, a waiver
that is granted for the 2011-2012 fiscal year or a subsequent
fiscal year remains in effect unless it is revoked by the
superintendent.
(ii) If the waiver is for a 100% online model of delivery and
the educational program for which the waiver is granted makes
educational services available to pupils for a minimum of at least
1,098 hours during a school year and ensures that each pupil
participates in the educational program for at least 1,098 hours
during a school year, a waiver that is granted for the 2011-2012
fiscal year or a subsequent fiscal year remains in effect unless it
is revoked by the superintendent.
(iii) A waiver that is not a waiver described in subparagraph
(i) or (ii) is valid for 1 fiscal year and must be renewed annually
to remain in effect.
(j) The superintendent shall promulgate rules for the
implementation of this subsection.
(4) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the first
6 days or the equivalent number of hours for which pupil
instruction is not provided because of conditions not within the
control of school authorities, such as severe storms, fires,
epidemics, utility power unavailability, water or sewer failure, or
health conditions as defined by the city, county, or state health
authorities,
shall be are counted as hours and days of pupil
instruction. In addition to these 6 days, if pupil instruction is
not provided on 1 or more days that are included in a period for
which the governor has issued an executive order declaring a state
of emergency across this state, those days and the corresponding
number of hours are considered to be days and hours of pupil
instruction and the department shall count them as days and hours
of pupil instruction for the purposes of this section. For 2019-
2020, the days included in the executive order are January 29, 2019
to February 2, 2019. With the approval of the superintendent of
public instruction, the department shall count as hours and days of
pupil instruction for a fiscal year not more than 3 additional days
or the equivalent number of additional hours for which pupil
instruction is not provided in a district due to unusual and
extenuating occurrences resulting from conditions not within the
control of school authorities such as those conditions described in
this subsection. Subsequent such hours or days shall not be counted
as hours or days of pupil instruction.
(5) A district shall not forfeit part of its state aid
appropriation because it adopts or has in existence an alternative
scheduling program for pupils in kindergarten if the program
provides at least the number of hours required under subsection (3)
for a full-time equated membership for a pupil in kindergarten as
provided under section 6(4).
(6) In addition to any other penalty or forfeiture under this
section, if at any time the department determines that 1 or more of
the following have occurred in a district, the district shall
forfeit in the current fiscal year beginning in the next payment to
be calculated by the department a proportion of the funds due to
the district under this article that is equal to the proportion
below the required minimum number of hours and days of pupil
instruction under subsection (3), as specified in the following:
(a) The district fails to operate its schools for at least the
required minimum number of hours and days of pupil instruction
under subsection (3) in a school year, including hours and days
counted under subsection (4).
(b) The board of the district takes formal action not to
operate its schools for at least the required minimum number of
hours and days of pupil instruction under subsection (3) in a
school year, including hours and days counted under subsection (4).
(7) In providing the minimum number of hours and days of pupil
instruction required under subsection (3), a district shall use the
following guidelines, and a district shall maintain records to
substantiate its compliance with the following guidelines:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a pupil
must be scheduled for at least the required minimum number of hours
of instruction, excluding study halls, or at least the sum of 90
hours plus the required minimum number of hours of instruction,
including up to 2 study halls.
(b) The time a pupil is assigned to any tutorial activity in a
block schedule may be considered instructional time, unless that
time is determined in an audit to be a study hall period.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, a pupil
in grades 9 to 12 for whom a reduced schedule is determined to be
in the individual pupil's best educational interest must be
scheduled for a number of hours equal to at least 80% of the
required minimum number of hours of pupil instruction to be
considered a full-time equivalent pupil. A pupil in grades 9 to 12
who is scheduled in a 4-block schedule may receive a reduced
schedule under this subsection if the pupil is scheduled for a
number of hours equal to at least 75% of the required minimum
number of hours of pupil instruction to be considered a full-time
equivalent pupil.
(d) If a pupil in grades 9 to 12 who is enrolled in a
cooperative education program or a special education pupil cannot
receive the required minimum number of hours of pupil instruction
solely because of travel time between instructional sites during
the school day, that travel time, up to a maximum of 3 hours per
school week, shall be considered to be pupil instruction time for
the purpose of determining whether the pupil is receiving the
required minimum number of hours of pupil instruction. However, if
a district demonstrates to the satisfaction of the department that
the travel time limitation under this subdivision would create
undue costs or hardship to the district, the department may
consider more travel time to be pupil instruction time for this
purpose.
(e) In grades 7 through 12, instructional time that is part of
a junior reserve officer training corps (JROTC) program shall be
considered to be pupil instruction time regardless of whether the
instructor is a certificated teacher if all of the following are
met:
(i) The instructor has met all of the requirements established
by the United States Department of Defense and the applicable
branch of the armed services for serving as an instructor in the
junior reserve officer training corps program.
(ii) The board of the district or intermediate district
employing or assigning the instructor complies with the
requirements of sections 1230 and 1230a of the revised school code,
MCL 380.1230 and 380.1230a, with respect to the instructor to the
same extent as if employing the instructor as a regular classroom
teacher.
(8) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (11) and (12),
the department shall apply the guidelines under subsection (7) in
calculating the full-time equivalency of pupils.
(9) Upon application by the district for a particular fiscal
year, the superintendent shall waive for a district the minimum
number of hours and days of pupil instruction requirement of
subsection (3) for a department-approved alternative education
program or another innovative program approved by the department,
including a 4-day school week. If a district applies for and
receives a waiver under this subsection and complies with the terms
of the waiver, the district is not subject to forfeiture under this
section for the specific program covered by the waiver. If the
district does not comply with the terms of the waiver, the amount
of the forfeiture shall be calculated based upon a comparison of
the number of hours and days of pupil instruction actually provided
to the minimum number of hours and days of pupil instruction
required under subsection (3). Pupils enrolled in a department-
approved alternative education program under this subsection shall
be reported to the center in a form and manner determined by the
center. All of the following apply to a waiver granted under this
subsection:
(a) If the waiver is for a blended model of delivery, a waiver
that is granted for the 2011-2012 fiscal year or a subsequent
fiscal year remains in effect unless it is revoked by the
superintendent.
(b) If the waiver is for a 100% online model of delivery and
the educational program for which the waiver is granted makes
educational services available to pupils for a minimum of at least
1,098 hours during a school year and ensures that each pupil is on
track for course completion at proficiency level, a waiver that is
granted for the 2011-2012 fiscal year or a subsequent fiscal year
remains in effect unless it is revoked by the superintendent.
(c) A waiver that is not a waiver described in subdivision (a)
or (b) is valid for 1 fiscal year and must be renewed annually to
remain in effect.
(d) For 2018-2019 only, the department shall grant a waiver to
a district that applies for a waiver for a blended model of
delivery after the department's application deadline if the
district meets the other requirements for a waiver under this
subsection.
(10) Until 2014-2015, a district may count up to 38 hours of
qualifying professional development for teachers as hours of pupil
instruction. However, if a collective bargaining agreement that
provides for the counting of up to 38 hours of qualifying
professional development for teachers as pupil instruction is in
effect for employees of a district as of July 1, 2013, then until
the school year that begins after the expiration of that collective
bargaining agreement a district may count up to the contractually
specified number of hours of qualifying professional development
for teachers as hours of pupil instruction. Professional
development provided online is allowable and encouraged, as long as
the instruction has been approved by the district. The department
shall issue a list of approved online professional development
providers, which shall include the Michigan Virtual School. As used
in this subsection, "qualifying professional development" means
professional development that is focused on 1 or more of the
following:
(a) Achieving or improving adequate yearly progress as defined
under the no child left behind act of 2001, Public Law 107-110.
(b) Achieving accreditation or improving a school's
accreditation status under section 1280 of the revised school code,
MCL 380.1280.
(c) Achieving highly qualified teacher status as defined under
the no child left behind act of 2001, Public Law 107-110.
(d) Integrating technology into classroom instruction.
(e) Maintaining teacher certification.
(11) Subsections (3) and (8) do not apply to a school of
excellence that is a cyber school, as defined in section 551 of the
revised school code, MCL 380.551, and is in compliance with section
553a of the revised school code, MCL 380.553a.
(12) Subsections (3) and (8) do not apply to eligible pupils
enrolled in a dropout recovery program that meets the requirements
of section 23a. As used in this subsection, "eligible pupil" means
that term as defined in section 23a.
(13) Beginning in 2013, at least every 2 years the
superintendent shall review the waiver standards set forth in the
pupil accounting and auditing manuals to ensure that the waiver
standards and waiver process continue to be appropriate and
responsive to changing trends in online learning. The
superintendent shall solicit and consider input from stakeholders
as part of this review.