The bill seeks to amend "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act" by providing direct state funding for various educational programs and expenses, including special education, career and technical education, pre-kindergarten programs, and transportation costs. It introduces new definitions, such as "department" for the department of elementary and secondary education, and sets criteria for fund allocation. The bill specifies funding for excess special education costs, career and technical education, stabilization funds for certain schools, and transportation costs. It also includes a regionalization bonus for public school districts that regionalize and additional support for English learners, with a fifteen percent EL factor applied to the core-instruction per-pupil amount.

Additionally, the bill proposes new legal language to support school-based mental and behavioral health services by providing state funding to cover half the costs of hiring certified professionals in these fields for three years, starting July 1, 2024. This funding is contingent on maintaining certain student-to-specialist ratios and is only for positions established after the specified date. The bill includes insertions regarding the maintenance of ratios, reimbursement conditions, and annual reporting requirements by the department of elementary and secondary education. It also states that schools or LEAs that eliminate existing mental or behavioral health positions to create new ones under this provision will not be eligible for reimbursement. The act will be effective upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2866: 16-7.2-6