Arizona Laws 15-971. Determination of equalization assistance payments from county and state funds for school districts
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 15-971
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Common school district: means a political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students in programs for preschool children with disabilities and kindergarten programs and either:
(a) Grades one through eight. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- District support level: means the base support level plus the transportation support level. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- High school district: means a political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students for grades nine through twelve or that portion of the budget of a common school district that is allocated to teaching high school subjects with permission of the state board of education. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association or public or private organization of any kind. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Qualifying tax rate: means the qualifying tax rate specified in section 15-971 applied to the assessed valuation used for primary property taxes. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Revenue control limit: means the base revenue control limit plus the transportation revenue control limit. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- School district: means a political subdivision of this state with geographic boundaries organized for the purpose of the administration, support and maintenance of the public schools or an accommodation school. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- Student count: means average daily membership as prescribed in this subsection for the fiscal year before the current year, except that for the purpose of budget preparation student count means average daily membership as prescribed in this subsection for the current year. See Arizona Laws 15-901
- Subject: means a division or field of organized knowledge, such as English or mathematics, or a selection from an organized body of knowledge for a course or teaching unit, such as the English novel or elementary algebra. See Arizona Laws 15-101
- Unified school district: means a political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students in programs for preschool children with disabilities and kindergarten programs and grades one through twelve. See Arizona Laws 15-901
(L22, Ch. 285, sec. 9)
A. Equalization assistance for education is computed by determining the total of the following:
1. The lesser of a school district‘s revenue control limit or district support level as determined in section 15-947.
2. District additional assistance of a school district as determined in section 15-961.
B. From the total of the amounts determined in subsection A of this section subtract:
1. The amount that would be produced by levying the applicable qualifying tax rate determined pursuant to section 41-1276 for a high school district or a common school district within a high school district that does not offer instruction in high school subjects as provided in section 15-447.
2. The amount that would be produced by levying the applicable qualifying tax rate determined pursuant to section 41-1276 for a unified school district, a common school district not within a high school district or a common school district within a high school district that offers instruction in high school subjects as provided in section 15-447. The qualifying tax rate shall be applied in the following manner:
(a) For the purposes of the amount determined in subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section:
(i) Determine separately the percentage that the weighted student count in preschool programs for children with disabilities, kindergarten programs and grades one through eight and the weighted student count in grades nine through twelve is to the weighted student count determined in subtotal A as provided in section 15-943, paragraph 2, subdivision (a).
(ii) Apply the percentages determined in item (i) of this subdivision to the amount determined in subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section.
(b) For the purposes of the amounts determined in subsection A, paragraph 2 of this section, determine separately the amount of the district additional assistance attributable to the student count in preschool programs for children with disabilities, kindergarten programs and grades one through eight and grades nine through twelve.
(c) From the amounts determined in subdivisions (a) and (b) of this paragraph, subtract the levy that would be produced by the current qualifying tax rate for a high school district or a common school district within a high school district that does not offer instruction in high school subjects as provided in section 15-447. If the qualifying tax rate generates a levy that is in excess of the total determined in subsection A of this section, the school district is not eligible for equalization assistance. For the purposes of this subsection, "assessed valuation" includes the values used to determine voluntary contributions collected pursuant to Title 9, Chapter 4, Article 3 and Title 48, Chapter 1, Article 8 and the assessed value of all property subject to the government property lease excise tax pursuant to Title 42, Chapter 6, Article 5.
3. The amount that would be produced by levying a qualifying tax rate in a career technical education district, which shall be $.05 per $100 assessed valuation unless the legislature sets a lower rate by law.
C. County aid for equalization assistance for education shall be computed as follows:
1. Determine the total equalization assistance for all school districts in the county as provided in subsections A and B of this section.
2. Determine the total amount of state equalization assistance collected for all school districts in the county as provided in section 15-994 and the monies collected pursuant to section 15-992, subsection F.
3. Divide the amount determined in paragraph 2 of this subsection by the amount determined in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
4. Multiply the amount determined in subsections A and B of this section by the quotient determined in paragraph 3 of this subsection for each school district.
5. The amount determined in paragraph 4 of this subsection shall be the county aid for equalization assistance for education for a school district.
D. State aid for equalization assistance for education for a school district shall be computed as follows:
1. Determine the equalization assistance for education for a school district as provided in subsections A and B of this section.
2. For each county, determine the levy that would be produced by the state equalization assistance property tax rate prescribed in section 15-994, subsection A.
3. Prorate the amount determined in paragraph 2 of this subsection to each school district in the county as prescribed by subsection C of this section.
4. Subtract the amount determined in paragraph 3 of this subsection from the amount determined in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
E. Equalization assistance for education shall be paid from appropriations for that purpose to the school districts as provided in section 15-973.
F. A school district shall report expenditures on approved career and technical education and vocational education programs in the annual financial report according to uniform guidelines prescribed by the uniform system of financial records and in order to facilitate compliance with sections 15-255 and 15-904.
G. The additional weight for state aid purposes given to special education as provided in section 15-943 shall be given to school districts only if special education programs comply with chapter 7, article 4 of this title and the conditions and standards prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction pursuant to rules of the state board of education for pupil identification and placement pursuant to sections 15-766 and 15-767.
H. In addition to state general fund appropriations, all amounts received pursuant to section 37-521, subsection B, paragraph 3, section 42-5029, subsection E, paragraph 5 and Section 42-5029.02, subsection A, paragraph 5 and from any other source for the purposes of this section are appropriated for state aid to schools as provided in this section.
I. The total amount of state monies that may be spent in any fiscal year for state equalization assistance shall not exceed the amount appropriated or authorized by section 35-173 for that purpose. This section does not impose a duty on an officer, agent or employee of this state to discharge a responsibility or create any right in a person or group if the discharge or right would require an expenditure of state monies in excess of the expenditure authorized by legislative appropriation for that specific purpose.