ARIZONA STATE SENATE
school districts;
admissions; other districts
Purpose
Requires a school district that admits pupils from another school district to project the enrollment figures for these students separately in its capital plan. Requires the School Facilities Board, the receiving district and the resident district to develop a capital plan for determining how to best serve pupils if the projected growth of pupils and existing number of students who are served in a district other than the pupil’s resident school district exceeds 350 pupils.
Under current law, a high school pupil may be admitted to another school district outside of the boundaries of the pupil’s school district area if the pupil resides in an elementary school district within the State that is not within the boundaries of a high school district. The elementary school district is required to pay tuition for all pupils admitted to a high school located in a school district outside of the boundaries of the elementary school district.
Forty-nine elementary school districts exist in the State that are not located within the boundaries of a high school district or unified school district. At this time, there is no elementary school district that currently has 350 high school pupils who require admission into another school district that serves high school pupils outside of the boundaries of the elementary school district.
Any fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with provisions relating to the School Facilities Board is indeterminate, according to JLBC staff.
Provisions
1. Limits a school district governing board’s admittance of high school pupils to no more than 350 pupils into a high school district from an elementary school district that is not within a high school district if the pupil does not have a certificate of educational convenience.
2. Requires a school district governing board to admit pupils from another school district or area if it is required by an approved compact by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and an adjacent state that provides education services for pupils who reside on the same Indian reservation in that state.
3. Stipulates that if a school district pays tuition to another school district for all or a portion of the district’s high school pupils, the capital plan should indicate the number of pupils for which the tuition is paid.
4. Requires a school district that admits pupils from another school district to project the enrollment figures for these students separately in its capital plan.
5. Requires the School Facilities Board, the receiving school district and that resident school district to develop a capital plan for determining how to best serve pupils if the projected growth and existing number of pupils who are served in a school district other than the pupil’s resident school district exceeds 350 pupils from a single school district. Stipulates that if the resident school district is in another state, the School Facilities Board and the receiving district is required to develop a capital plan.
6. Allows the Superintendent of Public Instruction to enter into a compact with an adjacent state located in the United States and requires the compact to relate only to school districts located on Indian reservations in Arizona and school districts located on the same Indian reservations in an adjacent state.
7. Requires the compacts to allow admission in the school districts of Arizona those pupils residing on the portion of the reservation that is located in an adjacent state and requires the allowance of admission in the school districts in the in the adjacent state those pupils who reside on that portion of the reservation located in Arizona.
8. Requires pupils admitted to be considered residents of the school district in which they attend, for purposes of school attendance.
9. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to prepare a report for each compact entered with adjacent states and specifies that the report include information on the number and residence of pupils affected by the compact, the school districts affected by the compact, the costs to Arizona and to the adjacent states of education nonresident children and other required information.
10. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to submit the report to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives and the chairmen of the Senate and House Education Committees by December 1, 2004.
11. Repeals the school district compacts with adjacent states after June 30, 2005.
12. Contains technical, clarifying and conforming changes.
13. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments
Adopted by the Education Committee
1. Allows the Superintendent of Public Instruction to enter into a compact with an adjacent state located in the United States and requires the compact to relate only to school districts located on Indian reservations in Arizona and school districts located on the same Indian reservations in an adjacent state.
2. Requires the compacts to allow admission in the school districts of Arizona those pupils residing on the portion of the reservation that is located in an adjacent state and requires the allowance of admission in the school districts in the in the adjacent state those pupils who reside on that portion of the reservation located in Arizona.
3. Requires pupils admitted to be considered residents of the school district in which they attend, for purposes of school attendance.
4. Requires a school district governing board to admit pupils from another school district or area if it is required by an approved compact by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and an adjacent state that provides education services for pupils who reside on the same Indian reservation in that state.
5. Provides an exemption to the development of a capital plan by the School Facilities Board, the receiving district and the resident district. Stipulates that if the resident school district is in another state, the School Facilities Board and the receiving district is required to develop a capital plan.
6. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to prepare a report for each compact entered with adjacent states and specifies that the report include information on the number and residence of pupils affected by the compact, the school districts affected by the compact, the costs to Arizona and to the adjacent states of education nonresident children and other required information.
7. Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to submit the report to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives and the chairmen of the Senate and House Education Committees by December 1, 2004.
8. Repeals the school district compacts with adjacent states after June 30, 2005.
9. Makes technical and clarifying changes.
House Action Senate
Action
EDU 3/5/01 DP 8-2-0 ED 4/15/01 DPA 7-0-1
3rd Read 3/19/01 40-14-6
Prepared by Senate Staff
April 9, 2001