The bill amends "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" to lower the threshold for state funding of "extraordinary" special education costs from five times to two times the core foundation amount, making it easier for special education programs to receive state support. It also mandates the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to collect data on costs that exceed two, three, and four times the core foundation amount. The bill further provides funding for various educational programs, including career and technical education, pre-kindergarten, specific educational centers, transportation for out-of-district students, and a bonus for regionalized school districts. It increases state support for English learners by applying an EL factor of ten percent to the core-instruction per-pupil amount.

Moreover, the bill introduces provisions for state support for school resource officers (SROs) in public middle and high schools, offering reimbursement for half the cost of salaries and benefits for SROs. It also specifies the criteria for assigning SROs based on student enrollment, with this support being available for three years starting in FY 2019. The bill includes both insertions and deletions to the current law, but the specific legal language changes are not provided in the summary.

Statutes affected:
5625: 16-7.2-6