ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
Purpose
Limits the number of students a school district governing board is required to admit to a high school district from an elementary school district that is not within a high school district to 350 students when students are without certificates of educational convenience and requires that such students be admitted if the facility plan allows for the admission of those students. Requires the School Facilities Board, the district receiving the student and the resident district to determine how to best serve students if the projected growth and actual student count in the receiving district exceeds 350 students. Requires the receiving and resident school districts to project the enrollment figures for these students separately in capital plans.
Under current law, a high school student may be admitted to another school district outside of the boundaries of the student’s school district area if the student 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-two 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 are seven elementary school districts that currently have 350 or more high school students where admission is required into another school district that serves high school students outside of the boundaries of the elementary school district.
S.B. 1116 limits the number of students a school district governing board is required to admit into a high school district from an elementary school district that is not within a high school district to 350 students if the students are without certificates of educational convenience. It also requires that all students be admitted if the facility plan of the receiving school district allows for the admission of those students. The receiving and resident school districts are also required to project the enrollment figures for these students, separately in capital plans. Additionally, this measure requires the School Facilities Board, the district receiving the students and the students' resident district to determine how to best serve students' needs if the projected growth and actual student count in the receiving district exceeds 350 students from a single district.
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with this bill.
Provisions
1. Limits the number of high school students a school district governing board is required to admit into a high school district from an elementary school district that is not within a high school district to no more than 350 pupils if the students do not have a certificate of educational convenience.
2. Requires a school district governing board to admit all students without certificates of educational convenience into a high school district from an elementary school district that is not within a high school district if the facility plan of the receiving district allows for the admission of that pupil.
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 must indicate the number of pupils for which the tuition is paid to the other district.
4. Requires a school district accepting students from another school district to indicate the enrollment projections for these students separately in the capital plan.
5. Requires the School Facilities Board, the receiving district and the resident district to develop a capital plan for determining how to best serve students if the projected growth and existing number of students who are served in a district other than the student’s resident school district exceeds 350 students from a single resident school district.
6. Contains technical and conforming changes.
7. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments
Adopted by Committee
1. Requires a school district governing board to admit all students without certificates of educational convenience into a high school district from an elementary school district that is not within a high school district if the facility plan of the receiving district allows for the admission of that pupil.
2. Makes clarifying and conforming changes.
Senate Action
ED 1/31/02 DPA 8-0-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 1, 2002