| 71 | | - | Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Section 15-393, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE15-393. Career technical education district governing board; report; definitions A. The management and control of a career technical education district are vested in the career technical education district governing board, including the content and quality of the courses offered by the district, the quality of teachers who provide instruction on behalf of the district, the salaries of teachers who provide instruction on behalf of the district and the reimbursement of other entities for the facilities used by the district. This section does not restrict a school district from offering any career and technical education course that does not qualify for funding as a career technical education course or career technical education district program. Unless the governing boards of the school districts participating in the formation of the career technical education district vote to implement an alternative election system as provided in subsection B of this section, the career technical education board consists of five members elected from five single member districts formed within the career technical education district. The single member district election system shall be submitted as part of the plan for the career technical education district pursuant to section 15-392 and shall be established in the plan as follows: 1. The governing boards of the school districts participating in the formation of the career technical education district shall define the boundaries of the single member districts so that the single member districts are as nearly equal in population as is practicable, except that if the career technical education district lies in part in each of two or more counties, at least one single member district may be entirely within each of the counties comprising the career technical education district if this district design is consistent with the obligation to equalize the population among single member districts. 2. The boundaries of each single member district shall follow election precinct boundary lines, as far as practicable, in order to avoid further segmentation of the precincts. 3. A person who is a registered voter of this state and who has been a resident of the single member district for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election is eligible for election to the office of career technical education board member from the single member district. The terms of office of the members of the career technical education board shall be as prescribed in section 15-427, subsection B. An employee of a career technical education district or the spouse of an employee shall not hold membership on a governing board of a career technical education district by which the employee is employed. A member of one school district governing board or career technical education district governing board is ineligible to be a candidate for nomination or election to or serve simultaneously as a member of any other governing board, except that a member of a governing board may be a candidate for nomination or election for any other governing board if the member is serving in the last year of a term of office. A member of a governing board shall resign the member's seat on the governing board before becoming a candidate for nomination or election to the governing board of any other school district or career technical education district, unless the member of the governing board is serving in the last year of a term of office. Members of a career technical education district governing board are subject to the conflict of interest requirements prescribed in section 38-503. 4. Nominating petitions shall be signed by the number of qualified electors of the single member district as provided in section 16-322. B. The governing boards of the school districts participating in the formation of the career technical education district may vote to implement any other alternative election system for the election of career technical education district board members. If an alternative election system is selected, it shall be submitted as part of the plan for the career technical education district pursuant to section 15-392, and the implementation of the system shall be as approved by the United States justice department. C. Career technical education districts are subject to the following provisions of this title: 1. Chapter 1, articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. 2. Sections 15-208, 15-210, 15-213 and 15-234. 3. Articles 2, 3 and 5 of this chapter. 4. Section 15-361. 5. Chapter 4, articles 1, 2 and 5. 6. Chapter 5, articles 1 and 3. 7. Sections 15-701.01, 15-722, 15-723, 15-724, 15-727, 15-728, 15-729 and 15-730. 8. Chapter 7, article 5. 9. Chapter 8, articles 1, 3 and 4. 10. Sections 15-828 and 15-829. 11. Chapter 9, article 1, article 6, except for section 15-995, and article 7. 12. Sections 15-941, 15-943.01, 15-953 and 15-973. 13. Sections 15-1101 and 15-1104. 14. Chapter 10, articles 2, 3, 4 and 8. D. Notwithstanding subsection C of this section, the following apply to a career technical education district: 1. A career technical education district may issue bonds for the purposes specified in section 15-1021 and in chapter 4, article 5 of this title to an amount in the aggregate, including the existing indebtedness, not exceeding one percent of the net assessed value of the full cash value of the property within the career technical education district. For the purposes of this paragraph, "full cash value" and "net assessed value" have the same meanings prescribed in section 42-11001. 2. The number of governing board members for a career technical education district shall be as prescribed in subsection A of this section. 3. The student count for the first year of operation of a career technical education district as provided in this article shall be determined as follows: (a) Determine the estimated student count for career technical education district classes that will operate in the first year of operation. This estimate shall be based on actual registration of pupils as of March 30 scheduled to attend classes that will be operated by the career technical education district. The student count for the school district of residence of the pupils registered at the career technical education district shall be adjusted. The adjustment shall cause the school district of residence to reduce the student count for the pupil to reflect the courses to be taken at the career technical education district. The school district of residence shall review and approve the adjustment of its own student count as provided in this subdivision before the pupils from the school district can be added to the student count of the career technical education district. (b) The student count for the new career technical education district shall be the student count as determined in subdivision (a) of this paragraph. (c) For the first year of operation, the career technical education district shall revise the student count to the actual average daily membership as prescribed in section 15-901, subsection A, paragraph 1 for students attending classes in the career technical education district. A career technical education district shall revise its student count, the base support level as provided in section 15-943.02, the revenue control limit as provided in section 15-944.01 and the district additional assistance as provided in section 15-962.01 before May 15. A career technical education district that overestimated its student count shall revise its budget before May 15. A career technical education district that underestimated its student count may revise its budget before May 15. (d) After March 15 of the first year of operation, the school district of residence shall adjust its student count by reducing it to reflect the courses actually taken at the career technical education district. The school district of residence shall revise its student count, the base support level as provided in section 15-943, the revenue control limit as provided in section 15-944 and the district additional assistance as provided in section 15-962.01 prior to May 15. A district that underestimated the student count for students attending the career technical education district shall revise its budget before May 15. A district that overestimated the student count for students attending the career technical education district may revise its budget before May 15. (e) The procedures for implementing this paragraph shall be as prescribed in the uniform system of financial records. For the purposes of this paragraph, "school district of residence" means the school district that included the pupil in its average daily membership for the year before the first year of operation of the career technical education district and that would have included the pupil in its student count for the purposes of computing its base support level for the fiscal year of the first year of operation of the career technical education district if the pupil had not enrolled in the career technical education district. 4. A student includes any person enrolled in the career technical education district without regard to the person's age or high school graduation status, except that: (a) A student in a kindergarten program or in any of grades one through eight who enrolls in courses offered by the career technical education district shall not be included in the career technical education district's student count or average daily membership. (b) A student in a kindergarten program or in any of grades one through eight who is enrolled in career and technical education courses shall not be funded in whole or in part with monies provided by a career technical education district, except that a pupil in grade eight may be funded with monies generated by the $.05 qualifying tax rate authorized in subsection F of this section. (c) A student who has graduated from high school or received a general equivalency diploma or who is over twenty-one years of age shall not be included in the student count of the career technical education district for the purposes of chapter 9, articles 3, 4 and 5 of this title. 5. A career technical education district may operate for more than one hundred eighty days per year, or less, with the equivalent number of hours of instruction. 6. A career technical education district may use the carryforward provisions of section 15-943.01. 7. A school district that is part of a career technical education district shall use any monies received pursuant to this article to supplement and not supplant base year career and technical education courses, and directly related equipment and facilities, except that a school district that is part of a career technical education district and that has used monies received pursuant to this article to supplant career and technical education courses that were offered before the first year that the school district participated in the career technical education district or the first year that the school district used monies received pursuant to this article or that used the monies for purposes other than for career and technical education courses shall use one hundred percent of the monies received pursuant to this article to supplement and not supplant base year career and technical education courses. Each applicable school district shall provide a report to the career technical education board and the department of education outlining the required maintenance of effort and how monies were used to supplement and not supplant base year career and technical education courses and directly related equipment and facilities. 8. A career technical education district shall use any monies received pursuant to this article to enhance and not supplant career and technical education courses and directly related equipment and facilities. 9. A career technical education district or a school district that is part of a career technical education district or a charter school shall only include pupils in grades nine through twelve and pupils in the school year immediately following graduation in the calculation of student count or average daily membership if the pupils are enrolled in courses that are approved jointly by the governing board of the career technical education district and each participating school district or charter school for satellite courses taught within the participating school district or charter school, or approved solely by the career technical education district for centrally located courses. Funding may be provided for not more than four years for the same student. Student count and average daily membership from courses that are not part of an approved program for career and technical education shall not be included in student count and average daily membership of a career technical education district. 10. A career technical education district may build, maintain and provide housing facilities and support services for students who are in foster care or who meet the definition of unaccompanied youth as defined in the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance act (P.L. 100-77; 101 Stat. 482; 42 United States Code section 11434a). E. The career technical education board shall appoint a superintendent as the executive officer of the career technical education district. F. Taxes may be levied for the support of the career technical education district as prescribed in chapter 9, article 6 of this title, except that a career technical education district shall not levy a property tax pursuant to law that exceeds $.05 per $100 assessed valuation except for bond monies pursuant to subsection D, paragraph 1 of this section. Such taxes shall be obtained from a levy of taxes on the taxable property used for secondary tax purposes. G. The schools in the career technical education district are available to all persons who reside in the career technical education district and to pupils whose school district of residence within this state is paying tuition on behalf of the pupils to a district of attendance that is a member of the career technical education district, subject to the rules for admission prescribed by the career technical education board. H. The career technical education board may collect tuition for adult students and the attendance of pupils who are residents of school districts that are not participating in the career technical education district pursuant to arrangements made between the governing board of the school district and the career technical education board. I. The career technical education board may accept gifts, grants, federal monies, tuition and other allocations of monies to erect, repair and equip buildings and for the cost of operating the schools of the career technical education district. J. One member of the career technical education board shall be selected chairperson. The chairperson shall be selected annually on a rotation basis from among the participating school districts. The chairperson of the career technical education board shall be a voting member. K. A career technical education board and a community college district may enter into agreements to provide for administrative, operational and educational services and facilities with either: 1. A community college district. 2. A university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents only if The community college district, if any, for each county in which the career technical education district is located is not able to offer the course or program in the next school year. For the purposes of this paragraph, a community college district is not able to offer a course or program if both of the following apply: (a) On or before November 1 of each year, the career technical education board notifies the president or chancellor of the community college district in writing that the career technical education district seeks to offer one or more courses or programs, or both, that are: (i) Not offered through an existing agreement between the career technical education board and the community college district. (ii) Are available through a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents. (b) The president or chancellor of the community college district either: (i) Not later than thirty days after the president or chancellor receives the notice pursuant to subdivision (a) of this paragraph, notifies the superintendent of the career technical education district in writing that no community college district is able to offer the course or program in the next school year. (ii) Fails to respond to the superintendent of the career technical education district within thirty days after the president or chancellor of the community college district receives the notice pursuant to subdivision (a) of this paragraph. L. Any agreement between the governing board of a career technical education district and another career technical education district, a school district, a charter school, a university or a community college district shall be in the form of an intergovernmental agreement or other written contract. The auditor general shall modify the uniform system of financial records and budget forms in accordance with this subsection. The intergovernmental agreement or other written contract shall completely and accurately specify each of the following: 1. The financial provisions of the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract and the format for the billing of all services. 2. The accountability provisions of the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract. 3. The responsibilities of each career technical education district, each school district, each charter school, each university and each community college district that is a party to the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract. 4. The type of instruction that will be provided under the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract, including individualized education programs pursuant to section 15-763. 5. The quality of the instruction that will be provided under the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract. 6. The transportation services that will be provided under the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract and the manner in which transportation costs will be paid. 7. The amount that the career technical education district will contribute to a course and the amount of support required by the school district, the charter school, the university or the community college. 8. That the services provided by the career technical education district, the school district, the charter school, the university or the community college district be proportionally calculated in the cost of delivering the service. 9. That the payment for services shall not exceed the cost of the services provided. 10. That the career technical education district will provide the following minimum services for all member districts: (a) Professional development of career and technical teachers in the career technical education district who are teaching programs or courses at a satellite campus. (b) Ongoing evaluation and support of satellite campus programs and courses to ensure quality and compliance. 11. An itemized listing of other goods and services that are provided to the member district and that are paid for by the retention of satellite campus student funding. M. A member school district or charter school may not submit requests to approve or add satellite campus career technical education district programs or courses directly to the career and technical education division of the department of education but shall submit all appropriate application documentation and materials for programs or courses to the career technical education district. On approval from the career technical education board, a career technical education district shall only submit requests to approve or add satellite campus career technical education district programs or courses directly to the career and technical education division of the department of education, which shall determine whether the criteria prescribed in section 15-391, paragraphs 2 and 4 have been met. If the career and technical education division of the department of education determines that a course does not meet the criteria for approval as a career technical education course, the governing board of the career technical education district may appeal this decision to the state board of education acting as the state board of vocational education. N. Notwithstanding any other law, the average daily membership for a pupil who is enrolled in a career technical education course and who does not meet the criteria specified in subsection P, Q or R of this section shall be 0.25 for each course, except the sum of the average daily membership shall not exceed the limits prescribed by subsection D, P, Q or R of this section, as applicable. O. If a career and technical education course or program is provided on a satellite campus, the sum of the average daily membership, as provided in section 15-901, subsection A, paragraph 1, for that pupil in the school district or charter school and career technical education district shall not exceed 1.25. The school district or charter school and the career technical education district shall determine the apportionment of the average daily membership for that pupil between the school district or charter school and the career technical education district. A pupil who attends a course or program at a satellite campus and who is not enrolled in the school district or charter school where the satellite campus is located may generate the average daily membership of up to 0.25 for one hundred fifty instructional hours of enrollment for instruction received during any hour of the day, during any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year pursuant to this subsection if the pupil is enrolled in a school district that is a member district in the same career technical education district. P. The sum of the average daily membership of a pupil who is enrolled in both the school district and career technical education course or career technical education program provided by a community college or university pursuant to subsection K of this section or at a centralized campus shall not exceed 1.75. The average daily membership for a pupil who is enrolled in a career technical education course or career technical education program provided by a community college or university shall be 0.25 for the accumulation of every three community college or university credits for which a student is enrolled in career technical education courses. The member school district and the career technical education district shall determine the apportionment of the average daily membership and student enrollment for that pupil between the member school district and the career technical education district, except that the amount apportioned shall not exceed 1.0 for either entity. Notwithstanding any other law, the average daily membership for a pupil who is in grade nine, ten, eleven or twelve or in the school year immediately following graduation and who is enrolled in a course that meets for at least one hundred fifty minutes per class period at a centralized campus shall be 0.75. To qualify for funding pursuant to this subsection, a centralized campus shall offer programs and courses to all eligible students in each member district of the career technical education district. Students in an approved career technical education program may generate an average daily membership of up to 1.75 for instruction received during any hour of the day, during any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year. Average daily membership shall not be calculated on the one hundredth day of instruction for the purposes of this section. Average daily membership shall be calculated by dividing the instructional hours of enrollment by six hundred hours, except that: 1. At least one hundred fifty hours and less than three hundred hours equals 0.25 average daily membership. 2. At least three hundred hours and less than four hundred fifty hours equals 0.5 average daily membership. 3. At least four hundred fifty hours and less than six hundred hours equals 0.75 average daily membership. 4. At least six hundred hours equals 1.0 average daily membership. Q. The average daily membership for a pupil who is in grade nine, ten, eleven or twelve or in the school year immediately following graduation and who is enrolled in a course that meets for at least one hundred fifty minutes per class period at a leased centralized campus shall not exceed 0.75. Students in an approved career technical education program provided by a leased centralized campus may generate an average daily membership for instruction received during any hour of the day, during any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year. Average daily membership shall be calculated by dividing the instructional hours of enrollment by six hundred hours, except that: 1. At least one hundred fifty hours and less than three hundred hours equals 0.25 average daily membership. 2. At least three hundred hours and less than four hundred fifty hours equals 0.5 average daily membership. 3. At least four hundred fifty hours and less than six hundred hours equals 0.75 average daily membership. 4. At least six hundred hours equals 1.0 average daily membership. R. The sum of the average daily membership, as provided in section 15-901, subsection A, paragraph 1, of a pupil who is enrolled in both the school district and in career technical education courses provided at a leased centralized campus shall not exceed 1.75 if all of the following conditions are met: 1. The course qualifies as a career technical education course. 2. The course is offered to all eligible students in each member district of the career technical education district and enrolls students from multiple high schools. 3. The career technical education district program in which the course is included addresses a specific industry need and has been developed in cooperation with that industry, or the leased facility is a state or federal asset that would otherwise be unused or underutilized. 4. The lease is established at fair market value if the lease is executed for a facility located on the site of a member district and was approved by the joint committee on capital review, except that a lease that was executed or renewed before December 31, 2012 is not subject to approval by the joint committee on capital review. S. A student who is enrolled in an accommodation school may be treated as a student of the school district in which the student physically resides for the purposes of enrollment in a career technical education district and shall be included in the calculation of average daily membership for either the career technical education district or the accommodation school, or both. T. Notwithstanding any other law, the student count for a career technical education district shall be equivalent to the career technical education district's average daily membership. Students in an approved career technical education program provided by a satellite campus, centralized campus or leased centralized campus may generate an average daily membership subject to the limits prescribed by subsections D, N, O, P, Q and R of this section, as applicable, for instruction received during any hour of the day, during any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year. Average daily membership shall not be calculated on the one hundredth day of instruction for the purposes of this section. The department may not restrict the instructional time by limiting the particular days of the week or time of the fiscal year for instruction to occur. U. A school district or charter school may not prohibit or discourage students who are enrolled in that school district or charter school from attending courses offered by a career technical education district, including requiring students to generate a full 1.0 average daily membership or to enroll in more courses than are needed to graduate before enrolling in and attending programs or courses offered by a career technical education district. V. The governing board of the career technical education district may contract with any charter school that is located within the boundaries of the career technical education district to allow that charter school to offer career and technical education courses or programs as a satellite campus. W. Beginning in 2020 and every five years thereafter, the career and technical education division of the department of education shall review career technical education district programs and career technical education courses to ensure compliance, quality and eligibility. Any program or course deemed to not meet the requirements set forth by law shall not be funded for the current school year and shall be removed from the approved program and course list for the purposes of funding. The career and technical education division may establish a staggered schedule for reviewing each career technical education district. X. Notwithstanding subsection D, paragraphs 4 and 9 and subsections P, Q and R of this section, for a student in grade nine, funding shall be provided pursuant to this section only if the student reaches the fortieth day of grade eleven enrolled in an approved career technical education program and meets the requirements prescribed in subsection Z of this section. At that time funding shall be provided for that student for grade nine and for any subsequent year in which the student is eligible for funding pursuant to this section. Y. On or before September 1 of each year, the office of economic opportunity in collaboration with the department of education shall compile an in-demand regional education list of the approved career technical education programs that lead to a career path in high demand with median-to-high-wage jobs in that region. The office of economic opportunity shall incorporate industry feedback as part of developing the in-demand regional educational list. The office of economic opportunity shall submit the in-demand regional education list to the Arizona career and technical education quality commission for review and approval. Z. Notwithstanding subsection D, paragraphs 4 and 9 and subsections P, Q and R of this section, for a student in grade nine or in the school year immediately following graduation, funding shall be provided pursuant to this section only if the student is enrolled in a program that was included on the in-demand regional education list compiled pursuant to subsection Y of this section for that student's region for the year in which the student began the program. AA. For the purposes of this section: 1. "Base year" means the complete school year in which voters of a school district elected to join a career technical education district. 2. "Centralized campus" means a facility that is owned and operated by a career technical education district to offer career technical education district programs or career technical education courses. 3. "Lease" means a written agreement in which the right to occupy or use real property is conveyed from one person or entity to another person or entity for a specified period of time. 4. "Leased centralized campus" means a facility that is leased and operated by a career technical education district to offer career technical education district programs or career technical education courses. 5. "Satellite campus" means a facility that is owned or operated by a school district or charter school to offer career technical education district programs or career technical education courses. END_STATUTE Sec. 2. Section 15-1626, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE15-1626. General administrative powers and duties of board; definition A. The board shall: 1. Have and exercise the powers necessary for the effective governance and administration of the institutions under its control. To that end, the board may adopt, and authorize each university to adopt, such regulations, policies, rules or measures as are deemed necessary and may delegate in writing to its committees, to its university presidents, or their designees, or to other entities under its control any part of its authority for the administration and governance of such institutions, including those powers enumerated in section 15-1625, subsection B, paragraphs 2 and 4, paragraphs 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, and 12 and 22 of this subsection and subsection B of this section. Any delegation of authority may be rescinded by the board at any time in whole or in part. 2. Appoint and employ and determine the compensation of presidents with such power and authority and for such purposes in connection with the operation of the institutions as the board deems necessary. 3. Appoint and employ and determine the compensation of vice-presidents, deans, professors, instructors, lecturers, fellows and such other officers and employees with such power and authority and for such purposes in connection with the operation of the institutions as the board deems necessary, or delegate its authority pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection. 4. Remove any officer or employee when the interests of education in this state so require in accordance with its personnel rules and policies. 5. Fix tuitions and fees to be charged and differentiate the tuitions and fees between institutions and between residents, nonresidents, undergraduate students, graduate students, students from foreign countries and students who have earned credit hours in excess of the credit hour threshold. For the purposes of this paragraph, the undergraduate credit hour threshold is one hundred forty-five hours for students who attend a university under the jurisdiction of the board. The undergraduate credit hour threshold shall be based on the actual full-time equivalent student enrollment counted on the forty-fifth day of every fall and spring semester, divided by two, and any budget adjustment based on student enrollment shall occur in the fiscal year following the actual full-time equivalent student enrollment count. The undergraduate credit hour threshold shall not apply to degree programs that require credit hours above the credit hour threshold, credits earned in the pursuit of up to two baccalaureate degrees, credits earned in the pursuit of up to two state regulated licensures or certificates, credits earned in the pursuit of teaching certification, credits transferred from a private institution of higher education, credits transferred from an institution of higher education in another state, credits earned at another institution of higher education but that are not accepted as transfer credits at the university where the student is currently enrolled and credits earned by students who enroll at a university under the jurisdiction of the board more than twenty-four months after the end of that student's previous enrollment at a public institution of higher education in this state. On or before October 15 of each year, the board shall report to the joint legislative budget committee the number of in-state students and out-of-state students who were enrolled at universities under the jurisdiction of the board during the previous fiscal year and who met or exceeded the undergraduate credit hour threshold prescribed in this paragraph. The amount of tuition and fees included in the operating budget for the university adopted by the board as prescribed in paragraph 13 of this subsection shall be subject to legislative appropriation and deposited in a separate tuition and fees subaccount for each university. All other tuition and fee revenue shall be retained by each university for expenditure as approved by the board in a separate local tuition and fees subaccount for each university. This subaccount shall consist of only tuition and fees. The universities shall not use any tuition or fee revenue to fund or support an alumni association. 6. Adopt rules to govern its tuition and academic fee setting process that provide for the following: (a) At least one public hearing at each university as an opportunity for students and members of the public to comment on any proposed increase in tuition or fees. (b) Publication of the notice of public hearing at least ten days before the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in Maricopa county, Coconino county and Pima county. The notice shall include the date, time and location of the public hearing. (c) Public disclosure by each university of any proposed increases in tuition or fees at least ten days before the public hearing. (d) A roll call vote of any final board action on changes in tuition, including tuition rate changes for online programs, or academic fees. (e) Public disclosure by the board and each university of any final board action on changes in tuition or academic fees. 7. Pursuant to section 35-115, submit a budget request for each institution under its jurisdiction that includes the estimated tuition and fee revenue available to support the programs of the institution as described in the budget request. The estimated available tuition and fee revenue shall be based on the tuition and registration fee rates in effect at the time the budget request is submitted with adjustments for projected changes in enrollment as provided by the board. 8. Establish curricula and designate courses at the several institutions that in its judgment will best serve the interests of this state. 9. Award such degrees and diplomas on the completion of such courses and curriculum requirements as it deems appropriate. 10. Prescribe qualifications for admission of all students to the universities. The board shall establish policies for guaranteed admission that ensure fair and equitable access to students in this state from public, private and charter schools and homeschools. For the purpose of determining the qualifications of honorably discharged veterans, veterans are those persons who served in the armed forces for a minimum of two years and who were previously enrolled at a university or community college in this state. No prior failing grades received by the veteran at the university or community college in this state may be considered. 11. Adopt any energy conservation standards adopted by the department of administration for the construction of new buildings. 12. Employ for such time and purposes as the board requires attorneys whose compensation shall be fixed and paid by the board. Litigation to which the board is a party and for which self-insurance is not provided may be compromised or settled at the direction of the board. 13. Adopt annually an operating budget for each university equal to the sum of appropriated general fund monies and the amount of tuition and fees approved by the board and allocated to each university operating budget. 14. In consultation with the state board of education and other education groups, develop and implement a program to award honors endorsements to be affixed to the high school diplomas of qualifying high school pupils and to be included in the transcripts of pupils who are awarded endorsements. The board shall develop application procedures and testing criteria and adopt testing instruments and procedures to administer the program. In order to receive an honors endorsement, a pupil must demonstrate an extraordinary level of knowledge, skill and competency as measured by the testing instruments adopted by the board in mathematics, English, science and social studies. Additional subjects may be added at the determination of the board. The program is voluntary for pupils. 15. Require the publisher of each literary and nonliterary textbook used in the universities of this state to furnish to the Arizona board of regents computer software in a standardized format when software becomes available for nonliterary textbooks from which braille versions of the textbooks may be produced. 16. Require universities that provide a degree in education to require courses that are necessary to obtain a provisional structured English immersion endorsement as prescribed by the state board of education. 17. Acquire United States flags for each classroom that are manufactured in the United States and that are at least two feet by three feet and hardware to appropriately display the United States flags, acquire a legible copy of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights, display the flags in each classroom in accordance with title 4 of the United States Code and display a legible copy of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights adjacent to the flag. 18. To facilitate the transfer of military personnel and their dependents to and from the public schools of this state, pursue, in cooperation with the state board of education, reciprocity agreements with other states concerning the transfer credits for military personnel and their dependents. A reciprocity agreement entered into pursuant to this paragraph shall: (a) Address procedures for each of the following: (i) The transfer of student records. (ii) Awarding credit for completed coursework. (iii) Permitting a student to satisfy the graduation requirements prescribed in section 15-701.01 through the successful performance on comparable exit-level assessment instruments administered in another state. (b) Include appropriate criteria developed by the state board of education and the Arizona board of regents. 19. Require a university to publicly post notices of all of its employment openings, including the title and description, instructions for applying and relevant contact information. 20. In consultation with the community college districts in this state, develop and implement common equivalencies for specific levels of achievement on advanced placement examinations and international baccalaureate examinations in order to award commensurate postsecondary academic credits at community colleges and public universities in this state. 21. On or before August 1 of each year, report to the joint legislative budget committee the graduation rate by university campus during the previous fiscal year. The board shall also report the retention rate by university campus and by class, as determined by date of entry during the previous fiscal year. 22. Enter into an agreement with one or more career technical education district governing boards pursuant to section 15-393, subsection K if the agreement, in the board's judgment, will serve the interests of this state. B. The board shall adopt personnel policies for all employees of the board and the universities. C. In conjunction with the auditor general, the board shall develop a uniform accounting and reporting system, which shall be reviewed by the joint legislative budget committee before final adoption by the board. The board shall require each university to comply with the uniform accounting and reporting system. D. The board may employ legal assistance in procuring loans for the institutions from the United States government. Fees or compensation paid for such legal assistance shall not be a claim on the general fund of this state but shall be paid from funds of the institutions. E. The board shall approve or disapprove any contract or agreement entered into by the university of Arizona hospital with the Arizona industrial development authority. F. The board may adopt policies that authorize the institutions under its jurisdiction to enter into employment contracts with nontenured employees for periods of more than one year but not more than five years. The policies shall prescribe limitations on the authority of the institutions to enter into employment contracts for periods of more than one year but not more than five years, including the requirement that the board approve the contracts. G. The board may adopt a plan or plans for employee benefits that allow for participation in a cafeteria plan that meets the requirements of the United States internal revenue code of 1986. H. The board may establish a program for the exchange of students between the universities under the jurisdiction of the board and colleges and universities located in the state of Sonora, Mexico. Notwithstanding subsection A, paragraph 5 of this section, the program may provide for in-state tuition at the universities under the jurisdiction of the board for fifty Sonoran students in exchange for similar tuition provisions for up to fifty Arizona students enrolled or seeking enrollment in Sonoran colleges or universities. The board may direct the universities to work in conjunction with the Arizona-Mexico commission to coordinate recruitment and admissions activities. I. The Arizona board of regents, in collaboration with the universities under its jurisdiction, shall adopt a performance funding model. The performance funding model shall use performance metrics that include the increase in degrees awarded, the increase in completed student credit hours and the increase in externally generated research and public service funding. The funding formula may give added weight to degrees related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics and other high-value degrees that are in short supply or that are essential to this state's long-term economic development strategy. J. The Arizona board of regents shall use the performance funding model adopted pursuant to subsection I of this section in developing and submitting budget requests for the universities under its jurisdiction. K. On or before November 1 of each year, the Arizona board of regents shall submit to the joint legislative budget committee and the governor's office of strategic planning and budgeting a report on university debt and obligations, including: 1. Long-term notes and obligations. 2. Certificates of participation and other obligations pursuant to any lease-purchase agreements. 3. Revenue bonds. 4. Bonds issued pursuant to section 15-1682.03. 5. Commercial paper issued pursuant to section 15-1696. L. The report issued pursuant to subsection K of this section shall contain, for the most recent fiscal year: 1. The aggregate level of outstanding principal and the principal and interest payments, by type of debt or obligation. 2. An itemization, by campus and project, of the amount of yearly principal and interest to be paid in the most recent and the next five fiscal years. M. The board may enter into an intergovernmental agreement pursuant to section 15-1747 to manage universities under its jurisdiction subject to the terms of the reciprocity agreement. N. For the purposes of this section, "university debt and obligations" means debt and obligations, the principal and interest of which are paid in whole or in part with university monies. END_STATUTE |
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| 78 | + | Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Section 15-393, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE15-393. Career technical education district governing board; report; definitions A. The management and control of a career technical education district are vested in the career technical education district governing board, including the content and quality of the courses offered by the district, the quality of teachers who provide instruction on behalf of the district, the salaries of teachers who provide instruction on behalf of the district and the reimbursement of other entities for the facilities used by the district. This section does not restrict a school district from offering any career and technical education course that does not qualify for funding as a career technical education course or career technical education district program. Unless the governing boards of the school districts participating in the formation of the career technical education district vote to implement an alternative election system as provided in subsection B of this section, the career technical education board consists of five members elected from five single member districts formed within the career technical education district. The single member district election system shall be submitted as part of the plan for the career technical education district pursuant to section 15-392 and shall be established in the plan as follows: 1. The governing boards of the school districts participating in the formation of the career technical education district shall define the boundaries of the single member districts so that the single member districts are as nearly equal in population as is practicable, except that if the career technical education district lies in part in each of two or more counties, at least one single member district may be entirely within each of the counties comprising the career technical education district if this district design is consistent with the obligation to equalize the population among single member districts. 2. The boundaries of each single member district shall follow election precinct boundary lines, as far as practicable, in order to avoid further segmentation of the precincts. 3. A person who is a registered voter of this state and who has been a resident of the single member district for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election is eligible for election to the office of career technical education board member from the single member district. The terms of office of the members of the career technical education board shall be as prescribed in section 15-427, subsection B. An employee of a career technical education district or the spouse of an employee shall not hold membership on a governing board of a career technical education district by which the employee is employed. A member of one school district governing board or career technical education district governing board is ineligible to be a candidate for nomination or election to or serve simultaneously as a member of any other governing board, except that a member of a governing board may be a candidate for nomination or election for any other governing board if the member is serving in the last year of a term of office. A member of a governing board shall resign the member's seat on the governing board before becoming a candidate for nomination or election to the governing board of any other school district or career technical education district, unless the member of the governing board is serving in the last year of a term of office. Members of a career technical education district governing board are subject to the conflict of interest requirements prescribed in section 38-503. 4. Nominating petitions shall be signed by the number of qualified electors of the single member district as provided in section 16-322. B. The governing boards of the school districts participating in the formation of the career technical education district may vote to implement any other alternative election system for the election of career technical education district board members. If an alternative election system is selected, it shall be submitted as part of the plan for the career technical education district pursuant to section 15-392, and the implementation of the system shall be as approved by the United States justice department. C. Career technical education districts are subject to the following provisions of this title: 1. Chapter 1, articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. 2. Sections 15-208, 15-210, 15-213 and 15-234. 3. Articles 2, 3 and 5 of this chapter. 4. Section 15-361. 5. Chapter 4, articles 1, 2 and 5. 6. Chapter 5, articles 1 and 3. 7. Sections 15-701.01, 15-722, 15-723, 15-724, 15-727, 15-728, 15-729 and 15-730. 8. Chapter 7, article 5. 9. Chapter 8, articles 1, 3 and 4. 10. Sections 15-828 and 15-829. 11. Chapter 9, article 1, article 6, except for section 15-995, and article 7. 12. Sections 15-941, 15-943.01, 15-953 and 15-973. 13. Sections 15-1101 and 15-1104. 14. Chapter 10, articles 2, 3, 4 and 8. D. Notwithstanding subsection C of this section, the following apply to a career technical education district: 1. A career technical education district may issue bonds for the purposes specified in section 15-1021 and in chapter 4, article 5 of this title to an amount in the aggregate, including the existing indebtedness, not exceeding one percent of the net assessed value of the full cash value of the property within the career technical education district. For the purposes of this paragraph, "full cash value" and "net assessed value" have the same meanings prescribed in section 42-11001. 2. The number of governing board members for a career technical education district shall be as prescribed in subsection A of this section. 3. The student count for the first year of operation of a career technical education district as provided in this article shall be determined as follows: (a) Determine the estimated student count for career technical education district classes that will operate in the first year of operation. This estimate shall be based on actual registration of pupils as of March 30 scheduled to attend classes that will be operated by the career technical education district. The student count for the school district of residence of the pupils registered at the career technical education district shall be adjusted. The adjustment shall cause the school district of residence to reduce the student count for the pupil to reflect the courses to be taken at the career technical education district. The school district of residence shall review and approve the adjustment of its own student count as provided in this subdivision before the pupils from the school district can be added to the student count of the career technical education district. (b) The student count for the new career technical education district shall be the student count as determined in subdivision (a) of this paragraph. (c) For the first year of operation, the career technical education district shall revise the student count to the actual average daily membership as prescribed in section 15-901, subsection A, paragraph 1 for students attending classes in the career technical education district. A career technical education district shall revise its student count, the base support level as provided in section 15-943.02, the revenue control limit as provided in section 15-944.01 and the district additional assistance as provided in section 15-962.01 before May 15. A career technical education district that overestimated its student count shall revise its budget before May 15. A career technical education district that underestimated its student count may revise its budget before May 15. (d) After March 15 of the first year of operation, the school district of residence shall adjust its student count by reducing it to reflect the courses actually taken at the career technical education district. The school district of residence shall revise its student count, the base support level as provided in section 15-943, the revenue control limit as provided in section 15-944 and the district additional assistance as provided in section 15-962.01 prior to May 15. A district that underestimated the student count for students attending the career technical education district shall revise its budget before May 15. A district that overestimated the student count for students attending the career technical education district may revise its budget before May 15. (e) The procedures for implementing this paragraph shall be as prescribed in the uniform system of financial records. For the purposes of this paragraph, "school district of residence" means the school district that included the pupil in its average daily membership for the year before the first year of operation of the career technical education district and that would have included the pupil in its student count for the purposes of computing its base support level for the fiscal year of the first year of operation of the career technical education district if the pupil had not enrolled in the career technical education district. 4. A student includes any person enrolled in the career technical education district without regard to the person's age or high school graduation status, except that: (a) A student in a kindergarten program or in any of grades one through eight who enrolls in courses offered by the career technical education district shall not be included in the career technical education district's student count or average daily membership. (b) A student in a kindergarten program or in any of grades one through eight who is enrolled in career and technical education courses shall not be funded in whole or in part with monies provided by a career technical education district, except that a pupil in grade eight may be funded with monies generated by the $.05 qualifying tax rate authorized in subsection F of this section. (c) A student who has graduated from high school or received a general equivalency diploma or who is over twenty-one years of age shall not be included in the student count of the career technical education district for the purposes of chapter 9, articles 3, 4 and 5 of this title. 5. A career technical education district may operate for more than one hundred eighty days per year, or less, with the equivalent number of hours of instruction. 6. A career technical education district may use the carryforward provisions of section 15-943.01. 7. A school district that is part of a career technical education district shall use any monies received pursuant to this article to supplement and not supplant base year career and technical education courses, and directly related equipment and facilities, except that a school district that is part of a career technical education district and that has used monies received pursuant to this article to supplant career and technical education courses that were offered before the first year that the school district participated in the career technical education district or the first year that the school district used monies received pursuant to this article or that used the monies for purposes other than for career and technical education courses shall use one hundred percent of the monies received pursuant to this article to supplement and not supplant base year career and technical education courses. Each applicable school district shall provide a report to the career technical education board and the department of education outlining the required maintenance of effort and how monies were used to supplement and not supplant base year career and technical education courses and directly related equipment and facilities. 8. A career technical education district shall use any monies received pursuant to this article to enhance and not supplant career and technical education courses and directly related equipment and facilities. 9. A career technical education district or a school district that is part of a career technical education district or a charter school shall only include pupils in grades nine through twelve and pupils in the school year immediately following graduation in the calculation of student count or average daily membership if the pupils are enrolled in courses that are approved jointly by the governing board of the career technical education district and each participating school district or charter school for satellite courses taught within the participating school district or charter school, or approved solely by the career technical education district for centrally located courses. Funding may be provided for not more than four years for the same student. Student count and average daily membership from courses that are not part of an approved program for career and technical education shall not be included in student count and average daily membership of a career technical education district. 10. A career technical education district may build, maintain and provide housing facilities and support services for students who are in foster care or who meet the definition of unaccompanied youth as defined in the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance act (P.L. 100-77; 101 Stat. 482; 42 United States Code section 11434a). E. The career technical education board shall appoint a superintendent as the executive officer of the career technical education district. F. Taxes may be levied for the support of the career technical education district as prescribed in chapter 9, article 6 of this title, except that a career technical education district shall not levy a property tax pursuant to law that exceeds $.05 per $100 assessed valuation except for bond monies pursuant to subsection D, paragraph 1 of this section. Such taxes shall be obtained from a levy of taxes on the taxable property used for secondary tax purposes. G. The schools in the career technical education district are available to all persons who reside in the career technical education district and to pupils whose school district of residence within this state is paying tuition on behalf of the pupils to a district of attendance that is a member of the career technical education district, subject to the rules for admission prescribed by the career technical education board. H. The career technical education board may collect tuition for adult students and the attendance of pupils who are residents of school districts that are not participating in the career technical education district pursuant to arrangements made between the governing board of the school district and the career technical education board. I. The career technical education board may accept gifts, grants, federal monies, tuition and other allocations of monies to erect, repair and equip buildings and for the cost of operating the schools of the career technical education district. J. One member of the career technical education board shall be selected chairperson. The chairperson shall be selected annually on a rotation basis from among the participating school districts. The chairperson of the career technical education board shall be a voting member. K. A career technical education board and a community college district may enter into agreements to provide for administrative, operational and educational services and facilities with either: 1. A community college district. 2. A university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents if the equivalent courses or programs are not available through an existing agreement between the career technical education board and a community college district, a school district, a charter school or another career technical education district. L. Any agreement between the governing board of a career technical education district and another career technical education district, a school district, a charter school, a university or a community college district shall be in the form of an intergovernmental agreement or other written contract. The auditor general shall modify the uniform system of financial records and budget forms in accordance with this subsection. The intergovernmental agreement or other written contract shall completely and accurately specify each of the following: 1. The financial provisions of the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract and the format for the billing of all services. 2. The accountability provisions of the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract. 3. The responsibilities of each career technical education district, each school district, each charter school, each university and each community college district that is a party to the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract. 4. The type of instruction that will be provided under the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract, including individualized education programs pursuant to section 15-763. 5. The quality of the instruction that will be provided under the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract. 6. The transportation services that will be provided under the intergovernmental agreement or other written contract and the manner in which transportation costs will be paid. 7. The amount that the career technical education district will contribute to a course and the amount of support required by the school district, the charter school, the university or the community college. 8. That the services provided by the career technical education district, the school district, the charter school, the university or the community college district be proportionally calculated in the cost of delivering the service. 9. That the payment for services shall not exceed the cost of the services provided. 10. That the career technical education district will provide the following minimum services for all member districts: (a) Professional development of career and technical teachers in the career technical education district who are teaching programs or courses at a satellite campus. (b) Ongoing evaluation and support of satellite campus programs and courses to ensure quality and compliance. 11. An itemized listing of other goods and services that are provided to the member district and that are paid for by the retention of satellite campus student funding. M. A member school district or charter school may not submit requests to approve or add satellite campus career technical education district programs or courses directly to the career and technical education division of the department of education but shall submit all appropriate application documentation and materials for programs or courses to the career technical education district. On approval from the career technical education board, a career technical education district shall only submit requests to approve or add satellite campus career technical education district programs or courses directly to the career and technical education division of the department of education, which shall determine whether the criteria prescribed in section 15-391, paragraphs 2 and 4 have been met. If the career and technical education division of the department of education determines that a course does not meet the criteria for approval as a career technical education course, the governing board of the career technical education district may appeal this decision to the state board of education acting as the state board of vocational education. N. Notwithstanding any other law, the average daily membership for a pupil who is enrolled in a career technical education course and who does not meet the criteria specified in subsection P, Q or R of this section shall be 0.25 for each course, except the sum of the average daily membership shall not exceed the limits prescribed by subsection D, P, Q or R of this section, as applicable. O. If a career and technical education course or program is provided on a satellite campus, the sum of the average daily membership, as provided in section 15-901, subsection A, paragraph 1, for that pupil in the school district or charter school and career technical education district shall not exceed 1.25. The school district or charter school and the career technical education district shall determine the apportionment of the average daily membership for that pupil between the school district or charter school and the career technical education district. A pupil who attends a course or program at a satellite campus and who is not enrolled in the school district or charter school where the satellite campus is located may generate the average daily membership of up to 0.25 for one hundred fifty instructional hours of enrollment for instruction received during any hour of the day, during any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year pursuant to this subsection if the pupil is enrolled in a school district that is a member district in the same career technical education district. P. The sum of the average daily membership of a pupil who is enrolled in both the school district and career technical education course or career technical education program provided by a community college or university pursuant to subsection K of this section or at a centralized campus shall not exceed 1.75. The average daily membership for a pupil who is enrolled in a career technical education course or career technical education program provided by a community college or university shall be 0.25 for the accumulation of every three community college or university credits for which a student is enrolled in career technical education courses. The member school district and the career technical education district shall determine the apportionment of the average daily membership and student enrollment for that pupil between the member school district and the career technical education district, except that the amount apportioned shall not exceed 1.0 for either entity. Notwithstanding any other law, the average daily membership for a pupil who is in grade nine, ten, eleven or twelve or in the school year immediately following graduation and who is enrolled in a course that meets for at least one hundred fifty minutes per class period at a centralized campus shall be 0.75. To qualify for funding pursuant to this subsection, a centralized campus shall offer programs and courses to all eligible students in each member district of the career technical education district. Students in an approved career technical education program may generate an average daily membership of up to 1.75 for instruction received during any hour of the day, during any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year. Average daily membership shall not be calculated on the one hundredth day of instruction for the purposes of this section. Average daily membership shall be calculated by dividing the instructional hours of enrollment by six hundred hours, except that: 1. At least one hundred fifty hours and less than three hundred hours equals 0.25 average daily membership. 2. At least three hundred hours and less than four hundred fifty hours equals 0.5 average daily membership. 3. At least four hundred fifty hours and less than six hundred hours equals 0.75 average daily membership. 4. At least six hundred hours equals 1.0 average daily membership. Q. The average daily membership for a pupil who is in grade nine, ten, eleven or twelve or in the school year immediately following graduation and who is enrolled in a course that meets for at least one hundred fifty minutes per class period at a leased centralized campus shall not exceed 0.75. Students in an approved career technical education program provided by a leased centralized campus may generate an average daily membership for instruction received during any hour of the day, during any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year. Average daily membership shall be calculated by dividing the instructional hours of enrollment by six hundred hours, except that: 1. At least one hundred fifty hours and less than three hundred hours equals 0.25 average daily membership. 2. At least three hundred hours and less than four hundred fifty hours equals 0.5 average daily membership. 3. At least four hundred fifty hours and less than six hundred hours equals 0.75 average daily membership. 4. At least six hundred hours equals 1.0 average daily membership. R. The sum of the average daily membership, as provided in section 15-901, subsection A, paragraph 1, of a pupil who is enrolled in both the school district and in career technical education courses provided at a leased centralized campus shall not exceed 1.75 if all of the following conditions are met: 1. The course qualifies as a career technical education course. 2. The course is offered to all eligible students in each member district of the career technical education district and enrolls students from multiple high schools. 3. The career technical education district program in which the course is included addresses a specific industry need and has been developed in cooperation with that industry, or the leased facility is a state or federal asset that would otherwise be unused or underutilized. 4. The lease is established at fair market value if the lease is executed for a facility located on the site of a member district and was approved by the joint committee on capital review, except that a lease that was executed or renewed before December 31, 2012 is not subject to approval by the joint committee on capital review. S. A student who is enrolled in an accommodation school may be treated as a student of the school district in which the student physically resides for the purposes of enrollment in a career technical education district and shall be included in the calculation of average daily membership for either the career technical education district or the accommodation school, or both. T. Notwithstanding any other law, the student count for a career technical education district shall be equivalent to the career technical education district's average daily membership. Students in an approved career technical education program provided by a satellite campus, centralized campus or leased centralized campus may generate an average daily membership subject to the limits prescribed by subsections D, N, O, P, Q and R of this section, as applicable, for instruction received during any hour of the day, during any day of the week and at any time between July 1 and June 30 of each fiscal year. Average daily membership shall not be calculated on the one hundredth day of instruction for the purposes of this section. The department may not restrict the instructional time by limiting the particular days of the week or time of the fiscal year for instruction to occur. U. A school district or charter school may not prohibit or discourage students who are enrolled in that school district or charter school from attending courses offered by a career technical education district, including requiring students to generate a full 1.0 average daily membership or to enroll in more courses than are needed to graduate before enrolling in and attending programs or courses offered by a career technical education district. V. The governing board of the career technical education district may contract with any charter school that is located within the boundaries of the career technical education district to allow that charter school to offer career and technical education courses or programs as a satellite campus. W. Beginning in 2020 and every five years thereafter, the career and technical education division of the department of education shall review career technical education district programs and career technical education courses to ensure compliance, quality and eligibility. Any program or course deemed to not meet the requirements set forth by law shall not be funded for the current school year and shall be removed from the approved program and course list for the purposes of funding. The career and technical education division may establish a staggered schedule for reviewing each career technical education district. X. Notwithstanding subsection D, paragraphs 4 and 9 and subsections P, Q and R of this section, for a student in grade nine, funding shall be provided pursuant to this section only if the student reaches the fortieth day of grade eleven enrolled in an approved career technical education program and meets the requirements prescribed in subsection Z of this section. At that time funding shall be provided for that student for grade nine and for any subsequent year in which the student is eligible for funding pursuant to this section. Y. On or before September 1 of each year, the office of economic opportunity in collaboration with the department of education shall compile an in-demand regional education list of the approved career technical education programs that lead to a career path in high demand with median-to-high-wage jobs in that region. The office of economic opportunity shall incorporate industry feedback as part of developing the in-demand regional educational list. The office of economic opportunity shall submit the in-demand regional education list to the Arizona career and technical education quality commission for review and approval. Z. Notwithstanding subsection D, paragraphs 4 and 9 and subsections P, Q and R of this section, for a student in grade nine or in the school year immediately following graduation, funding shall be provided pursuant to this section only if the student is enrolled in a program that was included on the in-demand regional education list compiled pursuant to subsection Y of this section for that student's region for the year in which the student began the program. AA. For the purposes of this section: 1. "Base year" means the complete school year in which voters of a school district elected to join a career technical education district. 2. "Centralized campus" means a facility that is owned and operated by a career technical education district to offer career technical education district programs or career technical education courses. 3. "Lease" means a written agreement in which the right to occupy or use real property is conveyed from one person or entity to another person or entity for a specified period of time. 4. "Leased centralized campus" means a facility that is leased and operated by a career technical education district to offer career technical education district programs or career technical education courses. 5. "Satellite campus" means a facility that is owned or operated by a school district or charter school to offer career technical education district programs or career technical education courses. END_STATUTE Sec. 2. Section 15-1626, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE15-1626. General administrative powers and duties of board; definition A. The board shall: 1. Have and exercise the powers necessary for the effective governance and administration of the institutions under its control. To that end, the board may adopt, and authorize each university to adopt, such regulations, policies, rules or measures as are deemed necessary and may delegate in writing to its committees, to its university presidents, or their designees, or to other entities under its control any part of its authority for the administration and governance of such institutions, including those powers enumerated in section 15-1625, subsection B, paragraphs 2 and 4, paragraphs 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, and 12 and 22 of this subsection and subsection B of this section. Any delegation of authority may be rescinded by the board at any time in whole or in part. 2. Appoint and employ and determine the compensation of presidents with such power and authority and for such purposes in connection with the operation of the institutions as the board deems necessary. 3. Appoint and employ and determine the compensation of vice-presidents, deans, professors, instructors, lecturers, fellows and such other officers and employees with such power and authority and for such purposes in connection with the operation of the institutions as the board deems necessary, or delegate its authority pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection. 4. Remove any officer or employee when the interests of education in this state so require in accordance with its personnel rules and policies. 5. Fix tuitions and fees to be charged and differentiate the tuitions and fees between institutions and between residents, nonresidents, undergraduate students, graduate students, students from foreign countries and students who have earned credit hours in excess of the credit hour threshold. For the purposes of this paragraph, the undergraduate credit hour threshold is one hundred forty-five hours for students who attend a university under the jurisdiction of the board. The undergraduate credit hour threshold shall be based on the actual full-time equivalent student enrollment counted on the forty-fifth day of every fall and spring semester, divided by two, and any budget adjustment based on student enrollment shall occur in the fiscal year following the actual full-time equivalent student enrollment count. The undergraduate credit hour threshold shall not apply to degree programs that require credit hours above the credit hour threshold, credits earned in the pursuit of up to two baccalaureate degrees, credits earned in the pursuit of up to two state regulated licensures or certificates, credits earned in the pursuit of teaching certification, credits transferred from a private institution of higher education, credits transferred from an institution of higher education in another state, credits earned at another institution of higher education but that are not accepted as transfer credits at the university where the student is currently enrolled and credits earned by students who enroll at a university under the jurisdiction of the board more than twenty-four months after the end of that student's previous enrollment at a public institution of higher education in this state. On or before October 15 of each year, the board shall report to the joint legislative budget committee the number of in-state students and out-of-state students who were enrolled at universities under the jurisdiction of the board during the previous fiscal year and who met or exceeded the undergraduate credit hour threshold prescribed in this paragraph. The amount of tuition and fees included in the operating budget for the university adopted by the board as prescribed in paragraph 13 of this subsection shall be subject to legislative appropriation and deposited in a separate tuition and fees subaccount for each university. All other tuition and fee revenue shall be retained by each university for expenditure as approved by the board in a separate local tuition and fees subaccount for each university. This subaccount shall consist of only tuition and fees. The universities shall not use any tuition or fee revenue to fund or support an alumni association. 6. Adopt rules to govern its tuition and academic fee setting process that provide for the following: (a) At least one public hearing at each university as an opportunity for students and members of the public to comment on any proposed increase in tuition or fees. (b) Publication of the notice of public hearing at least ten days before the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in Maricopa county, Coconino county and Pima county. The notice shall include the date, time and location of the public hearing. (c) Public disclosure by each university of any proposed increases in tuition or fees at least ten days before the public hearing. (d) A roll call vote of any final board action on changes in tuition, including tuition rate changes for online programs, or academic fees. (e) Public disclosure by the board and each university of any final board action on changes in tuition or academic fees. 7. Pursuant to section 35-115, submit a budget request for each institution under its jurisdiction that includes the estimated tuition and fee revenue available to support the programs of the institution as described in the budget request. The estimated available tuition and fee revenue shall be based on the tuition and registration fee rates in effect at the time the budget request is submitted with adjustments for projected changes in enrollment as provided by the board. 8. Establish curricula and designate courses at the several institutions that in its judgment will best serve the interests of this state. 9. Award such degrees and diplomas on the completion of such courses and curriculum requirements as it deems appropriate. 10. Prescribe qualifications for admission of all students to the universities. The board shall establish policies for guaranteed admission that ensure fair and equitable access to students in this state from public, private and charter schools and homeschools. For the purpose of determining the qualifications of honorably discharged veterans, veterans are those persons who served in the armed forces for a minimum of two years and who were previously enrolled at a university or community college in this state. No prior failing grades received by the veteran at the university or community college in this state may be considered. 11. Adopt any energy conservation standards adopted by the department of administration for the construction of new buildings. 12. Employ for such time and purposes as the board requires attorneys whose compensation shall be fixed and paid by the board. Litigation to which the board is a party and for which self-insurance is not provided may be compromised or settled at the direction of the board. 13. Adopt annually an operating budget for each university equal to the sum of appropriated general fund monies and the amount of tuition and fees approved by the board and allocated to each university operating budget. 14. In consultation with the state board of education and other education groups, develop and implement a program to award honors endorsements to be affixed to the high school diplomas of qualifying high school pupils and to be included in the transcripts of pupils who are awarded endorsements. The board shall develop application procedures and testing criteria and adopt testing instruments and procedures to administer the program. In order to receive an honors endorsement, a pupil must demonstrate an extraordinary level of knowledge, skill and competency as measured by the testing instruments adopted by the board in mathematics, English, science and social studies. Additional subjects may be added at the determination of the board. The program is voluntary for pupils. 15. Require the publisher of each literary and nonliterary textbook used in the universities of this state to furnish to the Arizona board of regents computer software in a standardized format when software becomes available for nonliterary textbooks from which braille versions of the textbooks may be produced. 16. Require universities that provide a degree in education to require courses that are necessary to obtain a provisional structured English immersion endorsement as prescribed by the state board of education. 17. Acquire United States flags for each classroom that are manufactured in the United States and that are at least two feet by three feet and hardware to appropriately display the United States flags, acquire a legible copy of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights, display the flags in each classroom in accordance with title 4 of the United States Code and display a legible copy of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights adjacent to the flag. 18. To facilitate the transfer of military personnel and their dependents to and from the public schools of this state, pursue, in cooperation with the state board of education, reciprocity agreements with other states concerning the transfer credits for military personnel and their dependents. A reciprocity agreement entered into pursuant to this paragraph shall: (a) Address procedures for each of the following: (i) The transfer of student records. (ii) Awarding credit for completed coursework. (iii) Permitting a student to satisfy the graduation requirements prescribed in section 15-701.01 through the successful performance on comparable exit-level assessment instruments administered in another state. (b) Include appropriate criteria developed by the state board of education and the Arizona board of regents. 19. Require a university to publicly post notices of all of its employment openings, including the title and description, instructions for applying and relevant contact information. 20. In consultation with the community college districts in this state, develop and implement common equivalencies for specific levels of achievement on advanced placement examinations and international baccalaureate examinations in order to award commensurate postsecondary academic credits at community colleges and public universities in this state. 21. On or before August 1 of each year, report to the joint legislative budget committee the graduation rate by university campus during the previous fiscal year. The board shall also report the retention rate by university campus and by class, as determined by date of entry during the previous fiscal year. 22. Enter into an agreement with one or more career technical education district governing boards to provide administrative, operational and educational services and facilities by a university under the jurisdiction of the board if the agreement, in the board's judgment, will serve the interests of this state. B. The board shall adopt personnel policies for all employees of the board and the universities. C. In conjunction with the auditor general, the board shall develop a uniform accounting and reporting system, which shall be reviewed by the joint legislative budget committee before final adoption by the board. The board shall require each university to comply with the uniform accounting and reporting system. D. The board may employ legal assistance in procuring loans for the institutions from the United States government. Fees or compensation paid for such legal assistance shall not be a claim on the general fund of this state but shall be paid from funds of the institutions. E. The board shall approve or disapprove any contract or agreement entered into by the university of Arizona hospital with the Arizona industrial development authority. F. The board may adopt policies that authorize the institutions under its jurisdiction to enter into employment contracts with nontenured employees for periods of more than one year but not more than five years. The policies shall prescribe limitations on the authority of the institutions to enter into employment contracts for periods of more than one year but not more than five years, including the requirement that the board approve the contracts. G. The board may adopt a plan or plans for employee benefits that allow for participation in a cafeteria plan that meets the requirements of the United States internal revenue code of 1986. H. The board may establish a program for the exchange of students between the universities under the jurisdiction of the board and colleges and universities located in the state of Sonora, Mexico. Notwithstanding subsection A, paragraph 5 of this section, the program may provide for in-state tuition at the universities under the jurisdiction of the board for fifty Sonoran students in exchange for similar tuition provisions for up to fifty Arizona students enrolled or seeking enrollment in Sonoran colleges or universities. The board may direct the universities to work in conjunction with the Arizona-Mexico commission to coordinate recruitment and admissions activities. I. The Arizona board of regents, in collaboration with the universities under its jurisdiction, shall adopt a performance funding model. The performance funding model shall use performance metrics that include the increase in degrees awarded, the increase in completed student credit hours and the increase in externally generated research and public service funding. The funding formula may give added weight to degrees related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics and other high-value degrees that are in short supply or that are essential to this state's long-term economic development strategy. J. The Arizona board of regents shall use the performance funding model adopted pursuant to subsection I of this section in developing and submitting budget requests for the universities under its jurisdiction. K. On or before November 1 of each year, the Arizona board of regents shall submit to the joint legislative budget committee and the governor's office of strategic planning and budgeting a report on university debt and obligations, including: 1. Long-term notes and obligations. 2. Certificates of participation and other obligations pursuant to any lease-purchase agreements. 3. Revenue bonds. 4. Bonds issued pursuant to section 15-1682.03. 5. Commercial paper issued pursuant to section 15-1696. L. The report issued pursuant to subsection K of this section shall contain, for the most recent fiscal year: 1. The aggregate level of outstanding principal and the principal and interest payments, by type of debt or obligation. 2. An itemization, by campus and project, of the amount of yearly principal and interest to be paid in the most recent and the next five fiscal years. M. The board may enter into an intergovernmental agreement pursuant to section 15-1747 to manage universities under its jurisdiction subject to the terms of the reciprocity agreement. N. For the purposes of this section, "university debt and obligations" means debt and obligations, the principal and interest of which are paid in whole or in part with university monies. END_STATUTE |
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