ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
school facilities board;
space requirements
Purpose
Creates minimum school
facility square footage requirements for pupils in preschool, Head Start or
full-day kindergarten programs and establishes related school district
eligibility requirements.
Background
Students FIRST established a
School Facilities Board that is responsible for developing capital standards,
distributing state funding to ensure that adequate school facilities are built
and maintained and ensuring that the appropriate capital equipment is available
in schools to meet the state’s academic requirements (Laws 1998, 43rd
Legislature, Fifth Special Session, Chapter 1).
The School Facilities Board
determines funding for school districts’ new construction projects based upon
minimum adequacy requirements established in state law. Current law establishes minimum square
footage requirements for school districts serving pupils in preschool programs
for children with disabilities, kindergarten programs and grades one through
twelve. S.B. 1274 includes three
additional pupil populations, creating minimum square footage requirements for
pupils in preschool programs, Head Start or full-day kindergarten
programs.
Any fiscal impact to the
state general fund associated with this bill is unknown at this time. A Joint Legislative Budget Committee fiscal
note has been requested.
Provisions
1. Creates minimum school facility square footage requirements for pupils in preschool programs, Head Start or full-day kindergarten programs.
2. Prohibits a school district from qualifying for minimum square footage requirements for preschool, Head Start or full-day kindergarten programs unless (1) the school district provided the programs before December 31, 2000 and (2) 75 percent or more of the pupil population meets federal free or reduced lunch eligibility requirements.
3. Makes technical changes.
4. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
January 30, 2001