1     
SCHOOL FUNDING REVISIONS

2     
2018 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Lincoln Fillmore

5     
House Sponsor: Bradley G. Last

6     Cosponsors:
7     J. Stuart Adams
8     Curtis S. Bramble
Wayne A. Harper
Daniel Hemmert
Ann Millner
Howard A. Stephenson
Daniel W. Thatcher

9     

10     LONG TITLE
11     General Description:
12          This bill amends and enacts provisions related to public education funding for the
13     Enhancement for At-Risk Students Program.
14     Highlighted Provisions:
15          This bill:
16          ▸     amends provisions related to the Enhancement for At-Risk Students Program; and
17          ▸     makes technical and conforming changes.
18     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
19          None
20     Other Special Clauses:
21          None
22     Utah Code Sections Affected:
23     AMENDS:
24          53F-2-410, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2018, Chapter 2
25     

26     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
27          Section 1. Section 53F-2-410 is amended to read:
28          53F-2-410. Enhancement for At-Risk Students Program.
29          (1) (a) Subject to the requirements of Subsection (1)(b), the State Board of Education
30     shall distribute money appropriated for the Enhancement for At-Risk Students Program to
31     school districts and charter schools according to a formula adopted by the State Board of
32     Education, after consultation with local education boards.
33          (b) (i) The State Board of Education shall appropriate $1,200,000 from the
34     appropriation for Enhancement for At-Risk Students for a gang prevention and intervention
35     program designed to help students at-risk for gang involvement stay in school.
36          (ii) Money for the gang prevention and intervention program shall be distributed to
37     school districts and charter schools through a request for proposals process.
38          (2) In establishing a distribution formula under Subsection (1)(a), the State Board of
39     Education shall:
40          (a) use the following criteria:
41          [(a)] (i) low performance on statewide assessments described in Section 53E-4-301;
42          [(b)] (ii) poverty;
43          [(c)] (iii) mobility; [and]
44          [(d)] (iv) limited English proficiency[.];
45          (v) chronic absenteeism; and
46          (vi) homelessness;
47          (b) ensure that the distribution formula distributes money on a per student and per
48     criterion basis; and
49          (c) ensure that the distribution formula provides funding for each criterion that a
50     student meets such that a student who meets:
51          (i) one criterion is counted once; and
52          (ii) more than one criterion is counted for each criterion the student meets up to three
53     criteria.
54          (3) Subject to future budget constraints, the amount appropriated for the Enhancement
55     for At-Risk Students Program shall increase annually with growth in the at-risk student
56     population and changes to the value of the weighted pupil unit as defined in Section 53F-9-305.
57          [(3)] (4) A local education board shall use money distributed under this section to
58     improve the academic achievement of students who are at risk of academic failure.
59          [(4)] (5) The State Board of Education shall develop performance criteria to measure
60     the effectiveness of the Enhancement for At-Risk Students Program.
61          [(5)] (6) If a school district or charter school receives an allocation of less than $10,000
62     under this section, the school district or charter school may use the allocation as described in
63     Section 53F-2-206.
64          (7) During the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2022, the Public Education Appropriations
65     Subcommittee shall evaluate:
66          (a) the impact of funding provided in this section to determine whether the funding has
67     improved educational outcomes for students who are at-risk for academic failure; and
68          (b) whether the funding should continue as established, be amended, or be consolidated
69     in the value of the weighted pupil unit.