The bill amends "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" to enhance state funding for various educational programs and expenses. It redefines "extraordinary" special education costs as those exceeding four times the core foundation amount and assigns the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (now referred to simply as "the department" after the deletion of the longer name) the responsibility of prorating funds and collecting data on costs. The bill also addresses funding for career and technical education, pre-kindergarten programs, stabilization funds for specific schools, and transportation costs for students in certain situations. It introduces a regionalization bonus for public school districts that have regionalized and provides additional state support for English learners, specifying that these funds must be used for high-quality, research-based services.

Furthermore, the bill adds provisions for state support of site-based reading and mathematics specialists in schools, removing the longer department name for brevity. It outlines that local education agencies (LEAs) will receive state support for half the cost of salaries and benefits for these specialists for three years, considering federal funds or grants. The bill sets ratios for the number of specialists based on school enrollment and stipulates that LEAs are not eligible for reimbursement if they exceed these ratios without justification or if they replace existing positions with new ones under this provision. Schools within the same LEA can share specialists as long as they adhere to the set ratios. The act will be effective upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2346: 16-7.2-6