The proposed bill amends various sections of the Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska to enhance the enrollment option program and special education services. It establishes specific capacity standards for accepting applications from students, particularly those with individualized education programs (IEPs), stating that the number of applications denied for students with IEPs cannot exceed sixteen percent of the total denied applications in a school year. Additionally, the bill requires school districts to inform parents of alternative school buildings available for enrollment if their application is rejected due to capacity issues.

Moreover, the bill modifies the authorized uses of the Education Future Fund to include funding for education and support services for students with IEPs who are accepted as option students. It introduces a reimbursement mechanism for school districts facing extraordinary costs for special education services, allowing them to apply for payments from the Education Future Fund. The reimbursement process is structured to provide eighty percent of the total allowable excess costs for special education programs in the following school fiscal year, with provisions for cooperatives that meet reporting requirements. The bill also mandates that certain amounts received under the Extraordinary Increase in Special Education Expenditures Act be deducted from reimbursement calculations and transferred to the Education Future Fund, aiming for a more transparent reimbursement process while addressing funding limitations.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 79-238, 79-239, 79-246, 79-1021, 79-1142