The bill seeks to amend "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" by providing state funding for various educational programs and expenses, such as special education, career and technical education, pre-kindergarten access, and transportation costs. It introduces a significant change by increasing the regionalization bonus from two percent to six percent of the state's share of foundation education aid for school districts that regionalize before July 1, 2024, making this bonus ongoing rather than temporary. The bill also removes the previous one percent bonus in the second fiscal year and the provision that the bonus would cease in the third fiscal year. Funding allocation criteria will be recommended by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and determined by the general assembly.

The bill further details state support for English learners (EL) by applying a fifteen percent factor to the core-instruction per-pupil amount for EL students, with funds to be used for high-quality services. It also addresses state support for school resource officers (SROs), defining the role and providing state funding to cover half the cost of salaries and benefits for SRO positions established after July 1, 2018. However, there are conditions related to the number of SROs based on school enrollment, and schools that replace existing SROs with new ones to gain reimbursement will not qualify. The act will be effective upon passage.

Statutes affected:
7207: 16-7.2-6