Connecticut 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00946 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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4	4	LCO No. 3964 1 of 8
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6	6	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 946
7	7	January Session, 2021
8	8	LCO No. 3964
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10	10
11	11	Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
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13	13
14	14	Introduced by:
15	15	(ED)
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20	20	AN ACT CONCERNING TH E MINIMUM BUDGET REQ UIREMENT.
21	21	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
22	22	Assembly convened:
23	23
24	24	Section 1. Section 10-262j of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
25	25	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 2
26	26	(a) Except as otherwise provided under the provisions of subsections 3
27	27	(c) to (h), inclusive, of this section, for [the] any fiscal year, [ending June 4
28	28	30, 2020,] the budgeted appropriation for education shall be not less 5
29	29	than the budgeted appropriation for education for the prior fiscal year, 6
30	30	[ending June 30, 2019,] plus any aid increase described in subsection (d) 7
31	31	of section 10-262i, as amended by this act, except that a town may reduce 8
32	32	its budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year, [ending 9
33	33	June 30, 2020,] by one or more of the following: 10
34	34	(1) If a town experiences an aid reduction, as described in subsection 11
35	35	(d) of section 10-262i, as amended by this act, such town may reduce its 12
36	36	budgeted appropriation for education in an amount equal to the aid 13
37	37	reduction; 14
38	38	(2) If a district experiences a net reduction in its resident student 15 Raised Bill No. 946
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40	40
41	41
42	42	LCO No. 3964 2 of 8
43	43
44	44	count during a period that may include any of the five fiscal years 16
45	45	immediately prior to the fiscal year for which the budgeted 17
46	46	appropriation for education is calculated, such district may reduce its 18
47	47	budgeted appropriation for education in an amount equal to the 19
48	48	number of such net reduction multiplied by fifty per cent of the net 20
49	49	current expenditures per resident student of such district, provided no 21
50	50	district may use the resident student count for any fiscal year that was 22
51	51	previously used to reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in 23
52	52	any calculation of a net reduction of resident students for purposes of 24
53	53	reducing its budgeted appropriation for education pursuant to this 25
54	54	subdivision for any subsequent fiscal year; 26
55	55	(3) Any district (A) that does not maintain a high school and pays 27
56	56	tuition to another school district pursuant to section 10-33 for resident 28
57	57	students to attend high school in another district, and (B) in which the 29
58	58	number of resident students attending high school for such district for 30
59	59	October [1, 2018] first of the prior school year, using the data of record 31
60	60	as of January [31, 2019] thirty-first of the prior school year, is lower than 32
61	61	such district's number of resident students attending high school for 33
62	62	October [1, 2017] first of the school year before the prior school year, 34
63	63	using the data of record as of January [31, 2019] thirty-first of the school 35
64	64	year before the prior school year, may reduce such district's budgeted 36
65	65	appropriation for education by the difference in the number of resident 37
66	66	students attending high school for such years multiplied by the amount 38
67	67	of tuition paid per student pursuant to section 10-33; or 39
68	68	(4) Any district that realizes new and documentable savings through 40
69	69	(A) increased district efficiencies approved by the Commissioner of 41
70	70	Education, including, but not limited to, (i) reductions in costs 42
71	71	associated with transportation services, school district administration or 43
72	72	contracts that are not the result of collective bargaining or other labor 44
73	73	agreements, (ii) an agreement to provide medical or health care benefits 45
74	74	pursuant to section 7-464b, (iii) a cooperative agreement relating to the 46
75	75	performance of administrative and central office functions, such as 47
76	76	business manager functions, for the municipality and the school district 48
77	77	pursuant to section 10-241b, (iv) reductions in costs associated with the 49 Raised Bill No. 946
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81	81	LCO No. 3964 3 of 8
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83	83	purchasing or joint purchasing of property insurance, casualty 50
84	84	insurance and workers' compensation insurance, following the 51
85	85	consultation with the legislative body of the municipality of such district 52
86	86	pursuant to section 10-241c, (v) reductions in costs associated with the 53
87	87	purchasing of payroll processing or accounts payable software systems, 54
88	88	following the consultation with the legislative body of the municipality 55
89	89	of such district to determine whether such systems may be purchased 56
90	90	or shared on a regional basis pursuant to section 10-241e, (vi) 57
91	91	consolidation of information technology services, and (vii) reductions in 58
92	92	costs associated with the care and maintenance of athletic fields, or (B) 59
93	93	regional collaboration or cooperative arrangements pursuant to section 60
94	94	10-158a may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for 61
95	95	education in an amount equal to half of the amount of savings 62
96	96	experienced as a result of such district efficiencies, regional 63
97	97	collaboration or cooperative arrangement, provided such reduction 64
98	98	shall not exceed one-half of one per cent of the district's budgeted 65
99	99	appropriation for education for the prior fiscal year. [ending June 30, 66
100	100	2019.] 67
101	101	[(b) Except as otherwise provided under the provisions of subsections 68
102	102	(c) to (h), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 69
103	103	2021, a town's budgeted appropriation for education shall be not less 70
104	104	than the budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending 71
105	105	June 30, 2020, plus any aid increase received pursuant to subsection (d) 72
106	106	of section 10-262i, except that a town may reduce its budgeted 73
107	107	appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, by 74
108	108	one or more of the following: 75
109	109	(1) If a town experiences an aid reduction, as described in subsection 76
110	110	(d) of section 10-262i, such town may reduce its budgeted appropriation 77
111	111	for education in an amount equal to the aid reduction; 78
112	112	(2) If a district experiences a net reduction in its resident student 79
113	113	count during a period that may include any of the five fiscal years 80
114	114	immediately prior to the fiscal year for which the budgeted 81
115	115	appropriation for education is calculated, such district may reduce its 82 Raised Bill No. 946
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118	118
119	119	LCO No. 3964 4 of 8
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121	121	budgeted appropriation for education in an amount equal to the 83
122	122	number of such net reduction multiplied by fifty per cent of the net 84
123	123	current expenditures per resident student of such district, provided no 85
124	124	district may use the resident student count for any fiscal year that was 86
125	125	previously used to reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in 87
126	126	any calculation of a net reduction of resident students for purposes of 88
127	127	reducing its budgeted appropriation for education pursuant to this 89
128	128	subdivision for any subsequent fiscal year; 90
129	129	(3) Any district (A) that does not maintain a high school and pays 91
130	130	tuition to another school district pursuant to section 10-33 for resident 92
131	131	students to attend high school in another district, and (B) in which the 93
132	132	number of resident students attending high school for such district for 94
133	133	October 1, 2019, using the data of record as of January 31, 2020, is lower 95
134	134	than such district's number of resident students attending high school 96
135	135	for October 1, 2018, using the data of record as of January 31, 2020, may 97
136	136	reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for education by the 98
137	137	difference in the number of resident students attending high school for 99
138	138	such years multiplied by the amount of tuition paid per student 100
139	139	pursuant to section 10-33; or 101
140	140	(4) Any district that realizes new and documentable savings through 102
141	141	(A) increased district efficiencies approved by the Commissioner of 103
142	142	Education, including, but not limited to, (i) reductions in costs 104
143	143	associated with transportation services, school district administration or 105
144	144	contracts that are not the result of collective bargaining or other labor 106
145	145	agreements, (ii) an agreement to provide medical or health care benefits 107
146	146	pursuant to section 7-464b, (iii) a cooperative agreement relating to the 108
147	147	performance of administrative and central office functions, such as 109
148	148	business manager functions, for the municipality and the school district 110
149	149	pursuant to section 10-241b, (iv) reductions in costs associated with the 111
150	150	purchasing or joint purchasing of property insurance, casualty 112
151	151	insurance and workers' compensation insurance, following the 113
152	152	consultation with the legislative body of the municipality of such district 114
153	153	pursuant to section 10-241c, (v) reductions in costs associated with the 115
154	154	purchasing of payroll processing or accounts payable software systems, 116 Raised Bill No. 946
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158	158	LCO No. 3964 5 of 8
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160	160	following the consultation with the legislative body of the municipality 117
161	161	of such district to determine whether such systems may be purchased 118
162	162	or shared on a regional basis pursuant to section 10-241e, (vi) 119
163	163	consolidation of information technology services, and (vii) reductions in 120
164	164	costs associated with the care and maintenance of athletic fields, or (B) 121
165	165	regional collaboration or cooperative arrangements pursuant to section 122
166	166	10-158a, may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for 123
167	167	education in an amount equal to half of the amount of savings 124
168	168	experienced as a result of such district efficiencies, regional 125
169	169	collaboration or cooperative arrangement, provided such reduction 126
170	170	shall not exceed one-half of one per cent of the district's budgeted 127
171	171	appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020.] 128
172	172	[(c) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021,] (b) 129
173	173	For any fiscal year, the Commissioner of Education may permit a town 130
174	174	to reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in an amount 131
175	175	determined by the commissioner if the school district in such town has 132
176	176	permanently ceased operations and closed one or more schools in the 133
177	177	school district due to declining enrollment at such closed school or 134
178	178	schools in the [fiscal years ending June 30, 2013, to June 30, 2020, 135
179	179	inclusive] seven fiscal years immediately prior to the fiscal year for 136
180	180	which the budgeted appropriation for education is calculated. 137
181	181	[(d)] (c) Except as otherwise provided under the provisions of 138
182	182	[subsection (h)] subsections (g) and (h) of this section, [for the fiscal 139
183	183	years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021,] a town designated as an 140
184	184	alliance district, as defined in section 10-262u, shall not reduce its 141
185	185	budgeted appropriation for education pursuant to this section. 142
186	186	[(e) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021, the] 143
187	187	(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any district that is in 144
188	188	the top ten per cent of school districts based on the accountability index, 145
189	189	as defined in section 10-223e. 146
190	190	[(f) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021, the] 147
191	191	(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the member towns 148 Raised Bill No. 946
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193	193
194	194
195	195	LCO No. 3964 6 of 8
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197	197	of a regional school district during the first full fiscal year following the 149
198	198	establishment of the regional school district, provided the budgeted 150
199	199	appropriation for education for member towns of such regional school 151
200	200	district for each subsequent fiscal year shall be determined in 152
201	201	accordance with this section. 153
202	202	[(g) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021, any] 154
203	203	(f) Any district that has (1) elected to act as a self-insurer, pursuant to 155
204	204	section 10-236, (2) experienced a loss incurred as a result of one or more 156
205	205	catastrophic events, as declared by a nationally recognized catastrophe 157
206	206	loss index provider, during the prior fiscal year, and (3) increased its 158
207	207	budgeted appropriation for education during said prior fiscal year as a 159
208	208	result of such loss, shall not be required to include the amount of such 160
209	209	increase in the calculation of such district's budgeted appropriation for 161
210	210	education for the subsequent fiscal year. 162
211	211	[(h)] (g) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, [and June 30, 2021] 163
212	212	to June 30, 2023, inclusive, any district that has received (1) a 164
213	213	supplemental appropriation from the board of finance for a town having 165
214	214	a board of finance, the board of selectmen for a town having no board 166
215	215	of finance or the authority making appropriations for the school district, 167
216	216	for the purpose of covering costs associated with COVID -19 168
217	217	expenditures because the budgeted appropriation for education for the 169
218	218	district was insufficient to cover such costs, or (2) federal funds for the 170
219	219	purpose of covering costs associated with COVID-19 expenditures, 171
220	220	including, but not limited to, funds received pursuant to the 172
221	221	Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, P.L. 116-136, as 173
222	222	amended from time to time, and the Coronavirus Response and Relief 174
223	223	Supplemental Appropriations Act, P.L. 116-260, as amended from time 175
224	224	to time, shall not be required to include the amount of such 176
225	225	supplemental appropriation or federal funds in the calculation of such 177
226	226	district's budgeted appropriation for education for the subsequent fiscal 178
227	227	year. As used in this subsection, "COVID-19" means the respiratory 179
228	228	disease designated by the World Health Organization on February 11, 180
229	229	2020, as coronavirus 2019, and any related mutation thereof recognized 181
230	230	by the World Health Organization as a communicable respiratory 182 Raised Bill No. 946
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234	234	LCO No. 3964 7 of 8
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236	236	disease. 183
237	237	(h) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023, any 184
238	238	district that has been awarded a grant under the school security 185
239	239	infrastructure competitive grant program, established pursuant to 186
240	240	section 84 of public act 13-3, during the prior fiscal year, shall not be 187
241	241	required to include the amount of such grant in the calculation of such 188
242	242	district's budgeted appropriation for education for the subsequent fiscal 189
243	243	year. 190
244	244	Sec. 2. Subsection (d) of section 10-262i of the general statutes is 191
245	245	repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 192
246	246	2021): 193
247	247	[(d) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, (A) if the amount of 194
248	248	the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-195
249	249	262h is greater than such town's equalization aid grant amount for the 196
250	250	prior fiscal year, the difference between the amount of such town's 197
251	251	equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and such 198
252	252	town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year shall be 199
253	253	the aid increase for such town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, 200
254	254	and (B) if the amount of the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to 201
255	255	pursuant to section 10-262h is less than such town's equalization aid 202
256	256	grant amount for the prior fiscal year, the difference between such 203
257	257	town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year and the 204
258	258	amount of such town's equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending 205
259	259	June 30, 2020, shall be the aid reduction for such town for the fiscal year 206
260	260	ending June 30, 2020. 207
261	261	(2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, (A) if the amount of the 208
262	262	equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h 209
263	263	is greater than such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior 210
264	264	fiscal year, the difference between the amount of such town's 211
265	265	equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, and such 212
266	266	town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year shall be 213
267	267	the aid increase for such town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, 214 Raised Bill No. 946
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270	270
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273	273	and (B) if the amount of the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to 215
274	274	pursuant to section 10-262h is less than such town's equalization aid 216
275	275	grant amount for the prior fiscal year, the difference between such 217
276	276	town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year and the 218
277	277	amount of such town's equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending 219
278	278	June 30, 2021, shall be the aid reduction for such town for the fiscal year 220
279	279	ending June 30, 2021.] (d) For any fiscal year, (1) if the amount of the 221
280	280	equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h 222
281	281	is greater than such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior 223
282	282	fiscal year, the difference between the amount of such town's 224
283	283	equalization aid grant for the fiscal year, and such town's equalization 225
284	284	aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year shall be the aid increase for 226
285	285	such town for the fiscal year, and (2) if the amount of the equalization 227
286	286	aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h is less than 228
287	287	such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year, the 229
288	288	difference between such town's equalization aid grant amount for the 230
289	289	prior fiscal year and the amount of such town's equalization aid grant 231
290	290	for the fiscal year shall be the aid reduction for such town for the fiscal 232
291	291	year. 233
292	292	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
293	293	sections:
294	294
295	295	Section 1 July 1, 2021 10-262j
296	296	Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 10-262i(d)
297	297
298	298	Statement of Purpose:
299	299	To extend the provisions of and make revisions to the minimum budget
300	300	requirement for school districts by excluding from the calculation of a
301	301	school district's budgeted appropriation for education any funds
302	302	received or used for COVID-19 related expenses and funds received for
303	303	school security improvements.
304	304	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
305	305	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
306	306	underlined.]
307	307