The bill amends "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" to provide state funding for special education, career and technical education, pre-kindergarten programs, and transportation costs for students. It defines "extraordinary" special education costs as those exceeding five times the core foundation amount and requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to prorate funds if necessary. The bill also introduces a regionalization bonus for public school districts that are regionalized, with a phase-out schedule over three years, and increases state support for English learners by applying an EL factor of 10% to the core-instruction per-pupil amount. It includes provisions for prorating funds across various categories if approved costs exceed the available funding.

Additionally, the bill outlines the role and training requirements for school resource officers in public schools, emphasizing the importance of safety and security. It defines a school resource officer as a career law enforcement officer with at least 40 hours of specialized training in school policing. For three years, districts or municipalities employing new hires as school resource officers will receive state support covering half the cost of salaries and benefits for these positions at public middle and high schools. The bill also sets requirements for the number of officers based on school enrollment and specifies that officers hired beyond this requirement will not be eligible for reimbursement.

Statutes affected:
6149: 16-7.2-6