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S.B. 103

             1     

CARSON SMITH SCHOLARSHIP AMENDMENTS

             2     
2013 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: J. Stuart Adams

             5     
House Sponsor: Gregory H. Hughes

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies the Carson Smith Scholarships for Students with Special Needs Act
             10      by establishing a formula for an annual increase in appropriations for scholarship
             11      payments.
             12      Highlighted Provisions:
             13          This bill:
             14          .    requires the Legislature to annually increase the amount of money appropriated for
             15      scholarship payments by a certain amount;
             16          .    requires the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee to study the
             17      requirement to annually increase appropriations for scholarship payments if the
             18      percentage of scholarship students equals or exceeds 7% of the public school
             19      students statewide in grades kindergarten through 12 who have an IEP; and
             20          .    makes technical amendments.
             21      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             22          None
             23      Other Special Clauses:
             24          This bill takes effect on July 1, 2013.
             25      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             26      AMENDS:
             27          53A-1a-706, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2011, Chapter 342


             28     
             29      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             30          Section 1. Section 53A-1a-706 is amended to read:
             31           53A-1a-706. Scholarship payments.
             32          (1) (a) Scholarships shall be awarded by the board subject to the availability of money
             33      appropriated by the Legislature for that purpose.
             34          (b) The Legislature shall annually appropriate money to the board from the General
             35      Fund to make scholarship payments.
             36          (c) Beginning with the 2013-14 school year, the Legislature shall annually increase the
             37      amount of money appropriated under Subsection (1)(b).
             38          (d) The amount of the increase shall equal:
             39          (i) the product of the average scholarship amount awarded as of October 1 in the
             40      previous year; and
             41          (ii) the product of:
             42          (A) the number of students in grades kindergarten through 12 in public schools
             43      statewide who have an IEP on October 1 of the previous year; and
             44          (B) 0.005.
             45          (e) If the number of scholarship students as of October 1 in any school year equals or
             46      exceeds 7% of the number of students in grades kindergarten through 12 in public schools
             47      statewide who have an IEP as of October 1 in the same school year, the Public Education
             48      Appropriations Subcommittee shall study the requirement to increase appropriations for
             49      scholarship payments as provided in this section.
             50          [(c)] (f) (i) If money is not available to pay for all scholarships requested, the
             51      scholarships shall be allocated on a random basis except that preference shall be given to
             52      students who received scholarships in the previous school year.
             53          (ii) If money is insufficient in a school year to pay for all the continuing scholarships,
             54      new scholarships may not be awarded during that school year and the money available for
             55      scholarships shall be prorated among the eligible students who received scholarships in the
             56      previous year.
             57          (2) Full-year scholarships shall be awarded in the following amounts:
             58          (a) for a student who received an average of 180 minutes per day or more of special


             59      education services in a public school before transferring to a private school, an amount not to
             60      exceed the lesser of:
             61          (i) the value of the weighted pupil unit multiplied by 2.5; or
             62          (ii) the private school tuition and fees; and
             63          (b) for a student who received an average of less than 180 minutes per day of special
             64      education services in a public school before transferring to a private school, an amount not to
             65      exceed the lesser of:
             66          (i) the value of the weighted pupil unit multiplied by 1.5; or
             67          (ii) the private school tuition and fees.
             68          (3) The scholarship amount for a student enrolled in a half-day kindergarten program
             69      shall be the amount specified in Subsection (2)(a) or (b) multiplied by .55.
             70          (4) (a) The scholarship amount for a student who receives a waiver under Subsection
             71      53A-1a-704 (3) shall be based upon the assessment team's determination of the appropriate
             72      level of special education services to be provided to the student.
             73          (b) (i) If the student requires an average of 180 minutes per day or more of special
             74      education services, a full-year scholarship shall be equal to the amount specified in Subsection
             75      (2)(a).
             76          (ii) If the student requires less than an average of 180 minutes per day of special
             77      education services, a full-year scholarship shall be equal to the amount specified in Subsection
             78      (2)(b).
             79          (iii) If the student is enrolled in a half-day kindergarten program, a full-year
             80      scholarship is equal to the amount specified in Subsection (3).
             81          (5) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (5)(b), upon review and receipt of
             82      documentation that verifies a student's admission to, or continuing enrollment and attendance
             83      at, a private school, the board shall make scholarship payments in four equal amounts no later
             84      than September 1, November 1, February 1, and April 15 of each school year in which a
             85      scholarship is in force.
             86          (b) In accordance with board rule, the board may make a scholarship payment before
             87      the first quarterly payment of the school year, if a private school requires partial payment of
             88      tuition before the start of the school year to reserve space for a student admitted to the school.
             89          (6) A parent of a scholarship student shall notify the board if the student does not have


             90      continuing enrollment and attendance at an eligible private school.
             91          (7) Before scholarship payments are made, the board shall cross-check enrollment lists
             92      of scholarship students, school districts, and youth in custody to ensure that scholarship
             93      payments are not erroneously made.
             94          (8) (a) Scholarship payments shall be made by the board by individual warrant made
             95      payable to the student's parent and mailed by the board to the private school. The parent shall
             96      restrictively endorse the warrant to the private school for deposit into the account of the private
             97      school.
             98          (b) A person, on behalf of a private school, may not accept a power of attorney from a
             99      parent to sign a warrant referred to in Subsection (8)(a), and a parent of a scholarship student
             100      may not give a power of attorney designating a person, on behalf of a private school, as the
             101      parent's attorney-in-fact.
             102          [(9) (a) Scholarships shall be retroactively awarded to students with disabilities for
             103      attendance at a private school in the 2004-05 school year, if:]
             104          [(i) the student meets the qualifications for a scholarship under Section 53A-1a-704
             105      and is awarded a scholarship under this section; and]
             106          [(ii) the private school meets the eligibility requirements of Section 53A-1a-705 ,
             107      including submitting an application to enroll scholarship students in the 2005-06 school year.]
             108          [(b) Subsection (5) does not apply to retroactive scholarship payments.]
             109          Section 2. Effective date.
             110          This bill takes effect on July 1, 2013.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-28-13 11:25 AM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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