FOR CAUCUS & FLOOR ACTION

 

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

RESEARCH STAFF

 

KIMBERLY J. YEE

LEGISLATIVE  RESEARCH ANALYST

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Telephone: (602) 542-3171

Facsimile: (602) 542-7833

TO:                  MEMBERS OF THE SENATE

           

DATE:             April 18, 2001

 

SUBJECT:       Strike Everything Amendment to H.B. 2029 (maintenance and operations task force) relating to education 2000; implementation

                                                                                                                                                            

           

 

Purpose

 

Establishes separate achievement profiles for elementary schools and high schools, and specifies accountability measures for failing schools.  Adds the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind and the State Educational System for Committed Youth as recipients of classroom site fund monies, and stipulates additional implementation requirements relating to the classroom site fund.

 

Background

 

In the Fifth Special Session of 2000, the Legislature adopted S.B. 1007 and the State’s general electorate later enacted Proposition 301 which set forth a six-tenths of a percent sales tax increase for purposes relating to new accountability measures and additional funds for school districts, charter schools, community colleges and universities (Laws 2000, 44th Legislature, Fifth Special Session, Chapter 1). 

 

The classroom site fund contained in Proposition 301 provides for teacher salary increases and expenditures for school maintenance and operations.  Monies from the classroom site fund are allocated to school districts and charter schools in the following order:  (1) 40 percent for teacher compensation increases based on performance and employment related expenses, (2) 20 percent for teacher base salary increases and employment related expenses, and (3) 40 percent for maintenance and operations purposes.  The measure requires classroom site fund monies directed for maintenance and operation purposes to be spent on the following:  class size reduction, teacher compensation increases, Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) intervention programs, teacher development, dropout prevention and teacher liability insurance premiums. 

 

Additionally, the measure establishes a school accountability measurement, requiring the Department of Education to compile an annual achievement profile for each school based upon AIMS scores and passage rates, adequate yearly progress data and the school dropout rate.  Schools that annually fail to produce acceptable progress in each of these areas are to be designated as an “underperforming school” by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and be reported as such on the school report card.  Corrective measures are outlined for designated failing schools.  

 

The strike everything amendment to H.B. 2029 makes numerous changes to provisions relating to the classroom site fund, the annual achievement profile and the failing schools sections of Proposition 301. 

 

The provision in the bill that exempts the classroom site fund from the aggregate expenditures limit calculation has been determined "unconstitutional" by the Senate Rules Attorneys and Legislative Council.

 

There is no discernable fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with the provisions of this bill.  Any fiscal impact to school districts based upon the distribution of funding relating to the change from a “weighted” student count to an unweighted student count is unknown at this time.   

Provisions

School Achievement Profiles

 

1.      Establishes separate achievement profiles for elementary schools and high schools.

 

2.      Requires the achievement profile for K-8 schools to include:

 

(a)    The measure of academic progress, or a school where at least 90 percent of pupils progress one year or more during the school year.

(b)   The AIMS test, where all scores are based on the average school performance over three years and where 90 percent of pupils “meet or exceed the standard.”

 

3.      Requires the achievement profile for high schools to include:

 

(a)     The AIMS test, where all scores are based on the average school performance over two years and where 90 percent of pupils “meet or exceed the standard.”

(b)    The annual dropout rate, where a school’s annual dropout rate is no more than six percent.

(c)     The graduation rate, where a school’s graduation rate is at least 90 percent.

 

4.      Requires the achievement profile to yield a single school classification that designates each school as one of the following:  (a) an improving school, (b) a maintaining school, (c) an underperforming school, or (d) a failing school.  Requires this information to be included for each school on the school report card.

 

5.      Requires the Department of Education to determine the criteria for each school classification based upon research-based methodology, including the performance of pupils at all achievement levels. 

 

6.      Requires the Department of Education to develop a specialized achievement profile for accommodation schools and small schools with fewer than 200 enrolled pupils.

 

7.      Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to assign an instructional trouble solutions team to a designated failing school. 

 

8.      Clarifies that pupils who attend a designated failing school may select an alternative tutoring program. 

Classroom Site Fund

 

9.      Adds the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind and the State Educational System for Committed Youth as recipients of classroom site fund monies.

 

10.  Requires teacher compensation increases based on performance or teacher base salary increases to supplement, and not supplant, teacher compensation monies from other sources. 

 

11.  Stipulates requirements for the distribution of classroom site fund monies by school districts, charter schools, the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind and the State Educational System for Committed Youth:

 

(a)    Requires measurable pupil academic progress to be the primary factor for performance based compensation plans.

(b)   Requires, by school year 2003-2004, individual teacher performance to be a component of the adopted performance based compensation plans. 

(c)    Requires performance based compensation plans to be developed using a collaborative process involving teachers in the development and implementation of the plan.

(d)   Allows performance based compensation plans to include multiple measures of student progress and teacher knowledge and skills.

 

12.  Requires a school district to utilize the school council to determine each school’s priority of classroom site fund monies for maintenance and operations purposes.  Specifies that a school district may use a school’s principal to determine these priorities if a school has not established a school council.

 

13.  Requires the principal of a charter school, the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind and the State Educational System for Committed Youth to determine each school’s priority of classroom site fund monies for maintenance and operations purposes.

 

14.  Requires classroom site fund monies for maintenance and operations purposes to be allocated based upon priorities identified by the school council, or the principal, if the school has not established a school council.

 

15.  Removes the limitation that the amount budgeted by the school district or charter school for classroom site fund monies cannot be included in the allowable budget balance carryforward.  

16.  Changes the basis of the per pupil calculation for the classroom site fund monies from a “weighted” student count to an unweighted student count. 

 

17.  Clarifies “budget year” as twelve months ending in the month of May of the budget year.

 

 

 

18.  Requires the statewide student count estimate for determining distribution of classroom site fund monies to include high school pupils of elementary school districts that are not within a high school district and who are enrolled in another school district outside of the elementary school district’s boundaries.

 

19.  Distributes classroom site fund monies to an elementary school district that is not within a high school district, and requires an allocation of the monies distributed to be used for tuition of high school pupils who are enrolled in another school district outside of the boundaries of the elementary school district.  Requires the high school district receiving these pupils to deposit the transferred monies into its own classroom site fund.

 

20.  Stipulates prohibitions relating to the use of classroom site fund monies by a school district or charter school, and specifies requirements if a school district determines that priorities identified by the school council or principal do not meet specified qualifications. 

 

21.  Allows the Department of Education to make any additional payments after June 15th from the classroom site fund of monies due for the current year. 

 

22.  Specifies that the classroom site fund is a budgetary controlled account that may expend up to an amount as determined by JLBC for the budget year, and outlines requirements for the movement of monies related to the classroom site fund, including interest charges and interest earned.

 

23.  Requires 40 percent of the monies for maintenance and operation purposes be allocated to each school or site based on the student count at each school or site for the budget year.  Requires the Department of Education to provide guidelines on how the student count at each site is calculated for school districts and charter schools that have an adjusted student count. 

 

24.  Requires each school district and charter school to submit an allocation plan of monies relating to the 40 percent allocation for maintenance and operation purposes to the Department of Education, along with the adopted budget.  Requires the Department of Education to work with the Auditor General in prescribing the reporting format for this purpose.

 

25.  Exempts the classroom site fund from the aggregate expenditures limit calculation.

    

26.  Establishes a classroom site fund budget limit.   

 

Miscellaneous

 

27.  Repeals the requirement for a school district governing board to conduct a curriculum review for determining pupil performance in reading, review reading programs offered by the school district in specified circumstances and develop methods of best practices for teaching reading.

 

28.  Defines “student count.”

 

29.  Makes technical, conforming and clarifying changes.

 

30.  Provides for a general effective date. 

 

 

Amendments Adopted by Committee

 

            Makes technical and conforming changes.

 

House Action                                                               Senate Action

 

ED                   1/22/01            DPA    10-0-0-0          ED                   4/5/01  DPA/SE          5-3-0-0

3rd Read           1/29/01                        58-0-2-0          APPROP         4/17/01  W/D              

 

KJY/ac