53A-17a-124.5.   Appropriation for class size reduction.
     (1) Money appropriated to the State Board of Education in Section 53A-17a-104 for class size reduction shall be used to reduce the average class size in kindergarten through the eighth grade in the state's public schools.
     (2) Each district shall receive its allocation based upon prior year average daily membership in kindergarten through grade eight plus growth as determined under Subsection 53A-17a-106(3) as compared to the state total.
     (3) (a) A district may use its allocation to reduce class size in any one or all of the grades referred to under this section, except as otherwise provided in Subsection (3)(b).
     (b) (i) Each district shall use 50% of its allocation to reduce class size in any one or all of grades kindergarten through grade two, with an emphasis on improving student reading skills.
     (ii) If a district's average class size is below 18 in grades kindergarten through two, it may petition the state board for, and the state board may grant, a waiver to use its allocation under Subsection (3)(b)(i) for class size reduction in the other grades.
     (4) Schools may use nontraditional innovative and creative methods to reduce class sizes with this appropriation and may use part of their allocation to focus on class size reduction for specific groups, such as at risk students, or for specific blocks of time during the school day.
     (5) (a) A school district may use up to 20% of its allocation under Subsection (1) for capital facilities projects if such projects would help to reduce class size.
     (b) If a school district's student population increases by 5% or 700 students from the previous school year, the school district may use up to 50% of any allocation it receives under this section for classroom construction.
     (6) This appropriation is to supplement any other appropriation made for class size reduction.
     (7) The Legislature shall provide for an annual adjustment in the appropriation authorized under this section in proportion to the increase in the number of students in the state in kindergarten through grade eight.

Amended by Chapter 221, 2003 General Session
Amended by Chapter 320, 2003 General Session
Download Code Section Zipped WordPerfect 53A17a012405.ZIP 2,648 Bytes

Sections in this Chapter|Chapters in this Title|All Titles|Legislative Home Page

Last revised: Thursday, May 28, 2009