Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

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68th Legislature 2023                                                                                            HB 257.1
                                                HOUSE BILL NO. 257
   INTRODUCED BY C. SPRUNGER, D. SALOMON, N. DURAM, D. BEDEY, L. REKSTEN, M. BERTOGLIO, T.
                                               SMITH, E. MATTHEWS
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  A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: “AN ACT REVISING LAWS RELATED TO ADVANCED OPPORTUNITY
  PROGRAMS; EXPANDING PERSONALIZED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO
  ACCELERATE THEIR CAREER AND COLLEGE READINESS AND REDUCE OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS
  FOR FAMILIES; INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF ADVANCED OPPORTUNITY AID AVAILABLE TO
  SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF ADVANCED OPPORTUNITY AID THAT
  MUST BE ALLOCATED TO REDUCING OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS FOR FAMILIES; PROVIDING AN
  APPROPRIATION; AMENDING SECTIONS 20-7-1503 AND 20-7-1506, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN
  EFFECTIVE DATE.”
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  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
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          Section 1. Section 20-7-1503, MCA, is amended to read:
          "20-7-1503. Definitions. As used in this part, the following definitions apply:
          (1)      "Advanced opportunity" means any course, exam, or experiential, online, or other learning
  opportunity that is incorporated in a district's advanced opportunity plan and that is designed to advance each
  qualifying pupil's opportunity for postsecondary career and educational success.
          (2)      "Advanced opportunity aid" means, for fiscal years 2021 and beyond each fiscal year:
          (a)      for an elementary district, 3% 4.5% of the district's total quality educator payment defined in 20-
  9-306 in the prior year;
          (b)      for a high school district, 20% 30% of the district's total quality educator payment defined in 20-
  9-306 in the prior year; and
          (c)      for a K-12 district, 8.5% 18% of the district's total quality educator payment defined in 20-9-306
  in the prior year.
          (3)      "Advanced opportunity plan" means a plan adopted by a board of trustees of a district that
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68th Legislature 2023                                                                                                HB 257.1
  provides advanced opportunities for the pupils of the district.
           (4)      "District" means a school district as defined in 20-6-101.
           (5)      "Qualifying pupil" means a pupil, as defined in 20-1-101, that is enrolled and admitted by a
  district qualified for advanced opportunity aid under 20-7-1506(3) who is in grades 6 through 12."
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           Section 2. Section 20-7-1506, MCA, is amended to read:
           "20-7-1506. Incentives for creation of advanced opportunity programs. (1) A district that satisfies
  the conditions of subsection (2) and is qualified by the board of public education pursuant to subsection (3) is
  eligible for the funding and flexibilities in subsections (4) and (5).
           (2)      (a) To qualify for the funding and flexibilities in subsections (4) and (5), the board of trustees of
  a district shall submit an application that has been approved by motion of the board and signed by the presiding
  officer to the board of public education for approval of an advanced opportunity program on a form provided by
  the superintendent of public instruction.
           (b)      The school board's application must include a strategic plan with appropriate planning horizons
  for implementation, measurable objectives to ensure accountability, and planned strategies to:
           (i)      develop an advanced opportunity plan for each participating pupil from grades 6 through 12
  that fosters individualized pathways for career and postsecondary educational opportunities and that honors
  individual interests, passions, strengths, needs, and culture and is supported through relationships among
  teachers, family, peers, the business community, postsecondary education officials, and other community
  stakeholders;
           (ii)     embed community-based, experiential, online, and work-based learning opportunities and
  foster a learning environment that incorporates both face-to-face and virtual connections; and
           (iii)    ensure equality of educational opportunity to participate by all qualifying pupils of the district.
           (3)      The board of public education shall:
           (a)      establish by rule the opening and closing dates for receipt of applications and annual reports;
           (b)      no later than January 31, qualify for the subsequent school year nonparticipating districts that
  submit an application meeting the requirements of subsection (2) for the funding in subsection (4) and the
  flexibilities in subsection (5);
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68th Legislature 2023                                                                                                HB 257.1
           (c)        no later than January 31, requalify for the subsequent school year participating districts that
  submit an annual report demonstrating continued qualification for funding under this section and including a
  report of progress toward measurable objectives under the district's advanced opportunity plan and any
  updates to the plan;
           (d)     limit the districts qualified under subsections (3)(b) and (3)(c) based on the appropriation available
  in the subsequent year and on the order of date received, after which further applications are to be deferred for
  consideration in a subsequent year, in the order of date received. An application deferred for consideration in a
  subsequent year due to lack of funding must be annually updated each year after more than 1 full fiscal year
  has passed from the date of original submission of the application in order for the application to retain its priority
  by original date received.
           (e)(d)     on or before September 15 of even-numbered years, report to the education interim committee
  pursuant to 5-11-210 on the progress made by districts operating under approved advanced opportunity plans.
  The report must address, at a minimum:
           (i)        the number of pupils benefiting from advanced opportunity aid;
           (ii)       the number and type of credits and certifications or credentials earned by pupils that have been
  paid for by the program;
           (iii)      projected growth in the program and funding needs for the next biennium; and
           (iv)       any issues with the program reported by pupils, parents, districts, postsecondary institutions, or
  examination administrators and how these issues are being addressed and whether the issues require
  legislative action.
           (4)        Beginning in fiscal year 2021, the The superintendent of public instruction shall provide
  advanced opportunity aid to each district qualified by the board of public education under subsection (3) by
  October 1. The aid under this section must be distributed directly to the school district's flexibility fund under 20-
  9-543.
           (5)        Advanced opportunity aid may be expended on any qualifying pupil by the district subject to the
  following conditions:
           (a)        at least 60% 75% of a district's annual distribution of advanced opportunity aid must be spent
  or encumbered to address out-of-pocket costs that would otherwise, in the absence of such expenditure, be
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68th Legislature 2023                                                                                                  HB 257.1
  assumed by a qualifying pupil or the pupil's family as a result of participation in an advanced opportunity. The
  trustees have full discretion to allocate expenditures among all pupils of the district or any select group of
  pupils, using any reasonable method they consider appropriate in their full discretion to meet the individual
  needs of each pupil who pursues an advanced opportunity. The trustees may create free district initiatives of
  their own that satisfy the conditions of this subsection (5)(a). Permissible expenditures include but are not
  limited to:
           (i)        dual credit tuition at any institution under authority of the board of regents;
           (ii)       exam fees used for postsecondary advancement, placement, or credit, including but not limited
  to exam fees associated with the ACT, SAT, CLEP, career advancement, international baccalaureate, and
  advanced placement;
           (iii)      fees charged by and any out-of-pocket costs of any business providing work-based learning
  opportunities to a qualifying pupil of the district, including the cost of workers' compensation insurance for work-
  based learning opportunities;
           (iv)       exam and other fees of any industry-recognized credential or license for which a qualifying
  pupil is eligible as a result of participation in an advanced opportunity;
           (v)        the costs of participation for qualifying pupils in out-of-school enrichment activities that, in the
  discretion of the trustees, advance the pupil's opportunity for postsecondary career and educational success;
  and
           (v)(vi)    the costs of participation for qualifying pupils that are identified as necessary, in the discretion
  of the district and upon request of a qualifying pupil, to maximize the benefit of an advanced opportunity for a
  qualifying pupil;
           (b)        advanced opportunity aid remaining that is not expended or carried forward for the purposes of
  subsection (5)(a) may be spent by the district to provide any K-12 career and vocational/technical education
  course offered by the district.
           (6)        A district qualified for funding under subsection (3) may supplement state funding of advanced
  opportunity aid with matched expenditures from its adopted adult education budget, not to exceed 25% of the
  district's advanced opportunity aid. The conditions under subsection (5) apply to any matched expenditures
  funded under this subsection (6).
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68th Legislature 2023                                                                                               HB 257.1
           (7)       The present law base calculated for K-12 local assistance under Title 17, chapter 7, part 1,
  must include advanced opportunity aid to support the participation of pupils in grades 6 through 12 in all
  districts as follows:
           (a)   for fiscal year 2022, an amount sufficient to provide advanced opportunity aid to:
           (i)   50% of all elementary districts;
           (ii) 50% of all high school districts; and
           (iii) 50% of all K-12 districts;
           (b)   for fiscal year 2023, an amount sufficient to provide advanced opportunity aid to:
           (i)   75% of all elementary districts;
           (ii) 75% of all high school districts; and
           (iii) 75% of all K-12 districts;
           (c)   for fiscal year 2024 and subsequent fiscal years, an amount sufficient to provide advanced
  opportunity aid to:
           (i)   100% of all elementary districts;
           (ii) 100% of all high school districts; and
           (iii) 100% of all K-12 districts."
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           NEW SECTION. Section 3.            Appropriation. There is appropriated $8 million from the general fund to
  the office of public instruction for the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, for distributions of advanced opportunity
  aid to school districts pursuant to the provisions of Title 20, chapter 7, part 15. The superintendent shall allocate
  a sufficient portion of the appropriation for distributions in fiscal year 2024 and fiscal year 2025 that are
  estimated to allow for levels of district participation within this biennial appropriation and pursuant to the
  definition of "advanced opportunity aid" in 20-7-1503.
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           NEW SECTION. Section 4.            Effective date. [This act] is effective July 1, 2023.
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Statutes affected: 
HB0257_1.pdf: 20-7-1503, 20-7-1506
HB0257_2.pdf: 20-7-1503, 20-7-1506
Amended: 20-7-1503, 20-7-1506
Introduced: 20-7-1503, 20-7-1506