| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | To amend Code Section 20-2-165 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to |
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| 9 | 9 | | 1 |
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| 10 | 10 | | equalization grants, annual calculations, and allocation, so as to revise the definition of the2 |
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| 11 | 11 | | term "qualified local school system" by reducing the minimum required millage rate or3 |
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| 12 | 12 | | effective millage rate from 14 mills to 10 mills; to provide for a 25 percent reduction of4 |
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| 13 | 13 | | equalization grant awards for local school systems whose millage rate or equivalent millage5 |
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| 14 | 14 | | rate does not meet the minimum requirement; to require annual reporting by the Department6 |
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| 15 | 15 | | of Education; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.7 |
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| 16 | 16 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 1.9 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Code Section 20-2-165 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to equalization10 |
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| 19 | 19 | | grants, annual calculations, and allocation, is amended by revising paragraph (9) of11 |
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| 20 | 20 | | subsection (a) and adding two new subsections to read as follows:12 |
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| 21 | 21 | | "(9) 'Qualified local school system' is defined as any local school system:13 |
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| 22 | 22 | | (A) Having an assessed valuation per weighted full-time equivalent count for the year14 |
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| 23 | 23 | | of the digest which is below the guaranteed valuation;15 |
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| 24 | 24 | | S. B. 44 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (B) Having an effective millage rate greater than the millage rate applied to calculate |
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| 27 | 27 | | 16 |
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| 28 | 28 | | the local five mill share pursuant to subsection (a) of Code Section 20-2-164; and17 |
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| 29 | 29 | | (C) Beginning July 1, 2015, having a millage rate or an equivalent millage of at least |
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| 30 | 30 | | 18 |
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| 31 | 31 | | 12 mills; beginning July 1, 2016, having a millage rate or an equivalent millage of at19 |
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| 32 | 32 | | least 12 1/2 mills; beginning July 1, 2017, having a millage rate or an equivalent20 |
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| 33 | 33 | | millage of at least 13 mills; beginning July 1, 2018, having a millage rate or an21 |
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| 34 | 34 | | equivalent millage of at least 13 1/2 mills; beginning July 1, 2019, and thereafter,22 |
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| 35 | 35 | | having a millage rate or an equivalent millage of at least 14 mills July 1, 2025, and23 |
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| 36 | 36 | | thereafter, having a millage rate or an equivalent millage rate of at least 10 mills."24 |
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| 37 | 37 | | "(d.1) If, after a local school system's equalization grant has been calculated for the25 |
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| 38 | 38 | | ensuing fiscal year as provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section, such local school26 |
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| 39 | 39 | | system decreases the actual or equivalent millage rate levied against its digest for27 |
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| 40 | 40 | | maintenance and operation to an amount below the minimum amount required in28 |
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| 41 | 41 | | subparagraph (a)(9)(C) of this Code section, a midterm adjustment in such local school29 |
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| 42 | 42 | | system's equalization grant shall be made such that the total equalization grant amount30 |
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| 43 | 43 | | awarded to such local school system is reduced to an amount equal to 75 percent of the31 |
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| 44 | 44 | | initial equalization grant amount."32 |
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| 45 | 45 | | "(f) Each year, the Department of Education shall prepare a report of each local school33 |
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| 46 | 46 | | system that received an equalization grant the previous fiscal year. Such report shall34 |
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| 47 | 47 | | include for each local school system the initial equalization grant amount, the midterm35 |
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| 48 | 48 | | adjustment to the equalization grant, and the total amount of equalization grants received36 |
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| 49 | 49 | | in the previous ten years. Such report shall also identify each local school system that37 |
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| 50 | 50 | | received an equalization grant during the previous fiscal year while having a millage rate38 |
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| 51 | 51 | | or an equivalent millage rate of less than 10 mills for the period of time upon which the39 |
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| 52 | 52 | | calculation of such equalization grant was based. Each year, no later than September 1, the40 |
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| 53 | 53 | | Department of Education shall provide such report to the chairpersons of the House41 |
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| 54 | 54 | | Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Appropriations Committee, the House42 |
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| 55 | 55 | | S. B. 44 |
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