General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6507
January Session, 2013 *_____HB06507ED____040113____*
General Assembly
Substitute Bill No. 6507
January Session, 2013
*_____HB06507ED____040113____*
AN ACT CONCERNING A SLIDING TUITION SCALE FOR PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS OFFERED AT INTERDISTRICT MAGNET SCHOOL PROGRAMS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Social Services, shall develop a sliding tuition scale based on family income to be used in the calculation of the amount that a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school offering a preschool program may charge for tuition to the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in such preschool program pursuant to section 10-264l of the general statutes, as amended by this act, or 10-264o of the general statutes, as amended by this act.
Sec. 2. Subsection (k) of section 10-264l of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
[(k) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, any tuition charged to a local or regional board of education by a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school shall be in an amount equal to at least seventy-five per cent of the difference between (1) the average per pupil expenditure of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and (2) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of this section plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, any tuition charged to a local or regional board of education by a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school for any student enrolled in such interdistrict magnet school shall be in an amount equal to at least ninety per cent of the difference between (A) the average per pupil expenditure of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and (B) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of this section plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis.]
(k) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, [2011] 2014, and each fiscal year thereafter, any tuition charged to a local or regional board of education by a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school or any tuition charged by the Hartford school district operating the Great Path Academy on behalf of Manchester Community College for any student enrolled [in a preschool program or] in kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, in such interdistrict magnet school shall be in an amount equal to the difference between [(i)] (A) the average per pupil expenditure of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and [(ii)] (B) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of this section plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis. If any such board of education fails to pay such tuition, the commissioner may withhold from such board's town or towns a sum payable under section 10-262i in an amount not to exceed the amount of the unpaid tuition to the magnet school and pay such money to the fiscal agent for the magnet school as a supplementary grant for the operation of the interdistrict magnet school program. In no case shall the sum of such tuitions exceed the difference between [(I)] (i) the total expenditures of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and [(II)] (ii) the total per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of this section plus any revenue from other sources. The commissioner may conduct a comprehensive financial review of the operating budget of a magnet school to verify such tuition rate.
(2) (A) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2013, and June 30, 2014, a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school offering a preschool program that is not located in the Sheff region may charge tuition to the Department of Education for a child enrolled in such preschool program in an amount not to exceed an amount equal to the difference between (i) the average per pupil expenditure of the preschool program offered at the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and (ii) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of this section plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis. The commissioner may conduct a comprehensive financial review of the operating budget of any such magnet school charging such tuition to verify such tuition rate. For purposes of this subdivision, "Sheff region" means the school districts for the towns of Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Manchester, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, South Windsor, Suffield, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor and Windsor Locks.
(B) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and each fiscal year thereafter, a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school offering a preschool program that is not located in the Sheff region may charge tuition to the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in such preschool program in an amount that is in accordance with the sliding tuition scale adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 1 of this act. The Department of Education shall be financially responsible for any unpaid portion of the tuition not charged to such parent or guardian under such sliding tuition scale. Such tuition shall not exceed an amount equal to the difference between (i) the average per pupil expenditure of the preschool program offered at the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and (ii) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of this section plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis. The commissioner may conduct a comprehensive financial review of the operating budget of any such magnet school charging such tuition to verify such tuition rate.
Sec. 3. Section 10-264o of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, interdistrict magnet schools that begin operations on or after July 1, 2008, pursuant to the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as determined by the Commissioner of Education, may operate without district participation agreements and enroll students from any district through a lottery designated by the commissioner. [For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, any tuition charged to a local or regional board of education by a regional educational service center operating such an interdistrict magnet school shall be in an amount equal to at least seventy-five per cent of the difference between the estimated per pupil cost less the state magnet grant pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-264l and any revenue from other sources as determined by the interdistrict magnet school operator. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, any tuition charged to a local or regional board of education by a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school for any student enrolled in such interdistrict magnet school shall be in an amount equal to at least ninety per cent of the difference between (1) the average per pupil expenditure of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and (2) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of section 10-264l plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis.]
(b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, [2011] 2013, and each fiscal year thereafter, any tuition charged to a local or regional board of education by a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school that began operations on or after July 1, 2008, pursuant to the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as determined by the Commissioner of Education, for any student enrolled [in a preschool program or] in kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, in such interdistrict magnet school shall be in an amount equal to the difference between [(A)] (1) the average per pupil expenditure of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and [(B)] (2) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of section 10-264l plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis. If any such board of education fails to pay such tuition, the commissioner may withhold from such board's town or towns a sum payable under section 10-262i in an amount not to exceed the amount of the unpaid tuition to the magnet school and pay such money to the fiscal agent for the magnet school as a supplementary grant for the operation of the interdistrict magnet school program. In no case shall the sum of such tuitions exceed the difference between [(i)] (A) the total expenditures of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and [(ii)] (B) the total per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of section 10-264l plus any revenue from other sources. The commissioner may conduct a comprehensive review of the operating budget of a magnet school to verify such tuition rate.
(c) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school that began operations on or after July 1, 2008, pursuant to the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as determined by the Commissioner of Education, and offering a preschool program shall not charge tuition for a child enrolled in such preschool program.
(2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school that began operations on or after July 1, 2008, pursuant to the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as determined by the Commissioner of Education, and offering a preschool program may charge tuition to the Department of Education for a child enrolled in such preschool program in an amount not to exceed an amount equal to the difference between (A) the average per pupil expenditure of the preschool program offered at the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and (B) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of section 10-264l plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis. The commissioner may conduct a comprehensive review of the operating budget of any such magnet school charging such tuition to verify such tuition rate.
(3) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and each fiscal year thereafter, a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict magnet school that began operations on or after July 1, 2008, pursuant to the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as determined by the Commissioner of Education, and offering a preschool program may charge tuition to the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in such preschool program in an amount that is in accordance with the sliding tuition scale adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 1 of this act. The Department of Education shall be financially responsible for any unpaid portion of the tuition not charged to such parent or guardian under such sliding tuition scale. Such tuition shall not exceed an amount equal to the difference between (A) the average per pupil expenditure of the preschool program offered at the magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and (B) the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of section 10-264l plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis. The commissioner may conduct a comprehensive review of the operating budget of any such magnet school charging such tuition to verify such tuition rate.
Sec. 4. (Effective from passage) Not later than February 1, 2014, the Department of Education shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education on the levels of diversity and integration for each public school located in the Sheff region. Such report shall include the number of and percentage of minority students in each such school and an analysis of how such data relates to the state's efforts in meeting the goals of the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al. For purposes of this section, (1) "Sheff region" means the school districts for the towns of Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Manchester, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, South Windsor, Suffield, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor and Windsor Locks, and (2) "minority students" means those whose race is defined as other than white, or whose ethnicity is defined as Hispanic or Latino by the federal Office of Management and Budget for use by the Bureau of Census of the United States Department of Commerce.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2013 10-264l(k)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2013 10-264o
Sec. 4 from passage New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
New section
Sec. 2
July 1, 2013
10-264l(k)
Sec. 3
July 1, 2013
10-264o
Sec. 4
from passage
New section
ED Joint Favorable Subst.
ED
Joint Favorable Subst.