Sec. 27. (a) As used in this section, “funding floor” means the amount a school corporation expended for full-time teacher salaries during a particular state fiscal year.

     (b) Subject to subsections (d) and (e), if the amount of state tuition support distributed to a school corporation for a particular state fiscal year is greater than the amount of state tuition support distributed to the school corporation for the preceding state fiscal year, the school corporation may not expend an amount for full-time teacher salaries during the particular state fiscal year that is less than the funding floor for the preceding state fiscal year.

     (c) For purposes of this section, the amount a school corporation expends for full-time teacher salaries shall include the amount the school corporation expends for participating in a special education cooperative or a career and technical education cooperative that is directly attributable to the salaries of full-time teachers employed by the cooperative, as determined by the department.

     (d) For purposes of this subsection, stipends paid using teacher appreciation grants under IC 20-43-10-3.5 are not considered. If a school corporation has awarded stipends to a majority of the school corporation’s teachers in each of the two (2) preceding consecutive state fiscal years, an amount equal to the lesser of the total amount of stipends awarded in each of those state fiscal years shall be added to the school corporation’s funding floor for the preceding state fiscal year described under subsection (b).

     (e) Beginning after June 30, 2024, for each state fiscal year that a school corporation fails to meet the expenditure requirements regarding full-time teacher salaries under subsection (b), the department shall submit in both a written and an electronic format a notice to the school corporation’s:

(1) superintendent;

(2) school business officer; and

(3) governing body;

that the school corporation failed to meet the requirements set forth in subsection (b) for the applicable state fiscal year.

     (f) If a school corporation’s governing body receives a notice from the department under subsection (e), the school corporation shall do the following:

(1) Publicly acknowledge receipt of the notice from the department at the governing body’s next public meeting.

(2) Enter into the governing body’s official minutes for the meeting described in subdivision (1) acknowledgment of the notice.

(3) Not later than thirty (30) days after the meeting described in subdivision (1), publish on the school corporation’s website:

(A) the department’s notice; and

(B) any relevant individual reports prepared by the department.

     (g) If the department determines a school corporation that received one (1) or more notices from the department under subsection (e) has met the expenditure requirements required under subsection (b) for a subsequent state fiscal year, the school corporation may remove from the school corporation’s website any:

(1) notices the school corporation received under subsection (e); and

(2) relevant individual reports prepared by the department under subsection (f)(3).

As added by P.L.165-2021, SEC.155. Amended by P.L.132-2022, SEC.1; P.L.150-2024, SEC.25.