S.B.
31
CLASSROOM SIZE AMENDMENTS
Senate Floor
Amendments
Amendment 2 January 30, 2012 11:34 AM
Senator Howard A. Stephenson proposes the following amendments:
1. Page 1, Lines 13 through 16 :
13 curriculum course in kindergarten through grade 3, unless a paraprofessional is
14 assigned to the teacher's class for the duration of the core curriculum course;
{
and
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15 . establishes qualifications for a paraprofessional assigned to a class that exceeds the
16 maximum class size requirement
{
.
}
; and
. provides that a school district or charter school is eligible to receive money appropriated for class size reduction, if the school district or charter school complies with requirements to limit class size in kindergarten through grade 3 or assign a paraprofessional to a class that exceeds the maximum class size.
2. Page 1, Line 21 :
21 Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53A-17a-124.5, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapter 3
3. Page 2, Line 56 through Page 3, Line 57 :
56 and ability to assist in instructing students in, reading, writing, and mathematics.
Section 2. Section 53A-17A-124.5 is amended to read:
53A-17a-124.5 . Appropriation for class size reduction.
(1) Money appropriated to the State Board of Education 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) (a) A school district or charter school is eligible to receive money appropriated under
Subsection (1), if the school district or charter school complies with the requirements in Section
53A-15-106 to limit class size in kindergarten through grade 3 or assign a paraprofessional to a class
that exceeds the maximum class size.
{
(2)
}
(b)
Each district shall receive its allocation based upon prior year average daily
membership in kindergarten through grade
{
eight
}
8
plus growth as determined under Subsection
53A-17a-106
(3) as compared to the state total
based on school districts and charter schools that are
eligible pursuant to Subsection (2)(a)
.
(3) (a) A district
or charter school
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
and charter school
shall use 50% of its allocation to reduce class size in any
one or all of grades kindergarten through grade
{
two
}
2
, with an emphasis on improving student
reading skills.
(ii) If a district's
or charter school's
average class size is below 18 in grades kindergarten through
{
two
}
2
, 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
or charter school
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
or charter school's
student population increases by 5% or 700 students
from the previous school year, the school district
or charter school
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
}
Subject to future budget constraints, 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.
57 Section
{
2
}
3
. Effective date.
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