Req. No. 9169 Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STATE OF OKLAHOMA 2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (202 2) HOUSE BILL 4011 By: Hasenbeck AS INTRODUCED An Act relating to schools; amending 70 O.S. 2021, Sections 18-113.1, 18-113.2, and 18-113.3, which relate to class size; removing exception from elementary class size penalty for school districts which meet certain indebtedness c riteria; deleting exception from kindergarten cl ass size penalty for school districts which meet certain indebtedness criteria; striking exception from secondary class size penalty for school districts which me et certain indebtedness criteria; and providing an effective date. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 18-113.1, is amended to read as follows: Section 18-113.1 A. The provisions of this subsection shall apply only to grades one through three. 1. Except as otherwise provided for in this section, no child shall be included in the average da ily membership of a school district for the purpose of computing and paying state -appropriated funds if that child is regularly assigned to a teacher or to a class that includes more than twenty (20) students. Req. No. 9169 Page 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2. If a class or classes in a grade exceed th e class size limitation provided for in this subsection, the class size limitation and penalty shall not apply if: a. the creation of an additional class would cause a class to have fewer than ten (10) students; and b. a teacher's assistant, as defined in Section 6-127 of this title, is employed to serve with each teacher in a class that exceeds the class size limitation provided for in this subsection. 3. No school district shall be penalized for exceeding class size limitations set forth in this subsecti on if the limitations are exceeded beginning after the first nine (9) weeks of the school year. Any school district found to be in violation of the provisions of this subsection shall receive a penalty in the State Aid formula as a reduction to State Aid t o be determined as follows: a. Multiply each pupil in excess of the class size membership limit as provided in this subsection by the grade level weight and by the Base Foundation Support Level for the current school year, and b. Multiply each pupil in exc ess of the class size membership limit as provided in this subsection by the grade level weight and by the Incentive Aid guarantee for the current school year times twenty (20), and Req. No. 9169 Page 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 c. Sum the products of subparagraphs a and b of this paragraph. B. The provisions of this subsection shall apply only to grades four through six. 1. Except as otherwise provided for in this section, no child shall be included in the average daily membership of a school district for the purpose of computing and paying state -appropriated funds if that child is regularly assigned to a teacher or to a class that includes more than twenty (20) students. 2. If a class or classes in a grade exceed the class size limitation provided for in this subsection, the class size limitation and penalty shall not apply if the creation of an additional class would cause a class to have fewer than sixteen (16) students. 3. No school district shall be penalized for exceeding class size limitations set forth in this subsection if the limitations ar e exceeded beginning after the first nine (9) weeks of the school year. 4. Any school district found to be in violation of the provisions of this subsection shall receive a penalty in the State Aid formula as a reduction to State Aid to be determined as follows: a. Multiply each pupil in excess of the class size membership limit as provided in this subsection by the Req. No. 9169 Page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 grade level weight and by the Base Foundation Support Level for the current school year, and b. Multiply each pupil in excess of the class si ze membership limit as provided in this subsection by the grade level weight and by the Incentive Aid guarantee for the current school year times twenty (20), and c. Sum the products of subparagraphs a and b of this paragraph. C. Classes in the following subjects shall not be subject to the class size limitations provided for in subsections A and B of this section: 1. Physical education; and 2. Chorus, band, orchestra and similar music classes. D. If a school district groups its grades as grades one thr ough five, grades six through eight, and grades nine through twelve, then as to such district the provisions of subsection B of this section shall apply to grades four and five rather than grades four through six, and the provisions of Section 18 -113.3 of this title shall apply to grades six through twelve. E. Any violations of the provisions of this section shall result in denial of accreditation in accordance with the requirements of Section 3 -104.4 of this title. F. Any school district which at the beg inning of the school year does not have sufficient classrooms to meet the class size Req. No. 9169 Page 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 limitation provided for in this section as determined by guidelines established by the State Board of Education shall not be penalized for failure to meet the class size l imitations provided for in this section if: a. the school district has voted indebtedness, at any time within the five (5) years preceding the year the district exceeds the class size limitations or during the year the district exceeds the class size limitations, through the issuance of bonds or approval by voters of issuance of new bonds for more than eighty-five percent (85%) of the maximum allowable pursuant to the provisions of Section 26 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution as shown on the school district budget filed with the State Equalization Board for the current school year and certifications by the Attorney General prior to February 1 of the current school year; and b. on the date of filing of the school district budget with the State Equaliz ation Board, the school district is voting the maximum millage allowable for the support, maintenance and construction of schools as provided for in subsections (a), (c), (d) and (d -1) of Section 9 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution Req. No. 9169 Page 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 and Section 10 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution. G. Any school district which exceeds the class size limitations as set forth in this section shall submit a written report to the State Board of Education, on or before July 1 of each year, setting forth the procedures that the district will follow in order to comply with this section. H. G. School districts which receive state -appropriated funds pursuant to the provisions of Section 18 -112.2 of this title and do not comply with the provisions of this section shal l be subject to loss of State Aid for each child in excess of the class size limitations specified in this section. SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 18 -113.2, is amended to read as follows: Section 18-113.2 A. The provisions of this section shall apply only to kindergarten. 1. No child shall be included in the average daily membership of a school district for the purpose of com puting and paying state - appropriated funds if that child is regularly assigned to a teacher or to a class that includes more than twenty (20) students. 2. If a class or classes in a grade exceed the class size limitation provided for in this subsection, t he class size limitation and penalty shall not apply if: Req. No. 9169 Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 a. the creation of an additional cl ass would cause a class to have fewer than ten (10) students; and b. a teacher's assistant, as defined in Section 6 -127 of this title, is employed to serve with eac h teacher in a class that exceeds the class size limitation provided for in this subsection. 3. No school district shall be penalized for exceeding class size limitations set forth in this section if the limitations are exceeded beginning after the first nine (9) weeks of the school year. 4. Any school district which at the beginning of the sch ool year does not have sufficient classrooms to meet the class size limitation provided for in this section as determined by guidelines established by the State Boa rd of Education shall not be penalized for failure to meet the class size limitations provid ed for in this section if: a. the school district has voted indebtedness, at any time within the five (5) years preceding the year the district exceeds the class si ze limitations or during the year the district exceeds the class size limitations, through t he issuance of bonds or approval by voters of issuance of new bonds for more than eighty-five percent (85%) of the maximum allowable pursuant to the provisions of S ection 26 of Article X Req. No. 9169 Page 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 of the Oklahoma Constitution as shown on the school district budget filed with the State Equalization Board for the current school year and certifications by the Attorney General prior to February 1 of the current school year; and b. on the date of filing of the school district budget with the State Equalization Board, the school district is voting the maximum millage allowable for the support, maintenance and construction of schools as provided for in subsections (a), (c), (d) and (d -1) of Section 9 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution and Section 10 of Article X of th e Oklahoma Constitution. 5. Any school district found to be in violation of the provisions of this subsection shall receive a penalty in the State Aid formula as a reduction to State Aid to be determined as follows: a. Multiply each pupil in excess of the class size membership limit as provided in this subsection by the grade level weight and by the Base Foundation Support Level for the current school year, and b. Multiply each pupil in excess of the class size membership limit as provided in this subsecti on by the grade level weight and by the Incentive Aid guarantee for the current school year times twenty (20), and Req. No. 9169 Page 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 c. Sum the products of subparagraphs a and b of t his paragraph. B. Any violations of the provisions of this section shall result in denial of accreditation in accordance with the requirements of Section 3 -104.4 of this title. C. School districts which receive state -appropriated funds pursuant to the provisions of Section 18 -112.2 of this title and do not comply with the provisions of this sec tion shall be subject to loss of State Aid for each child in excess of the class size limitations specified in this section. SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 18 -113.3, is amended to read as follows: Section 18-113.3 A. Class size, as used in Section 18-113.1 and Section 18-113.2 of this title, shall be determined by the average daily membersh ip divided by the full -time equivalency of the instructional staff assigned to each grade level by site. Full -time equivalency of special education teachers, Chapter 1 teachers, and teachers of classes not subject to class size limitations and the average daily membership of self -contained special education classes shall not be counted in class size computation. B. As used in this section, self-contained special education classes are those classes whose students attend the same class for three (3) or more class periods and who have individualized education plans. Req. No. 9169 Page 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 C. Beginning with the 1996 -97 school year and each school year thereafter, no teacher who is counted in class size count for grades seven through twelve shall be responsible for the instruction o f more than one hundred forty (140) students on any given six -hour school day. Class size count shall be taken during the month of October of each school year on a date set by the State Board of Education. If the class size count is in excess of the limi ts set forth in this subsection, the school district shall be subject to the penalties provided for in this section. D. Students within a class which is not subject to class size limitations pursuant to subsection D of Section 18 -113.1 of this title shall not be counted for purposes of the limitations set forth in subsection C of this section. E. No school district shall be penali zed for exceeding class size limitations set forth in this section if the limitations are exceeded beginning after the first ni ne (9) weeks of the school year. F. The first year that a school district exceeds the class size membership limitation as establ ished and computed in subsection C of this section, the district shall receive as a penalty a reduction in the State Aid for th e district. For each child in excess of the class size limitation, the reduction in State Aid to the district shall be determined as follows: Req. No. 9169 Page 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1. Multiply the averaged number of the October class size count of pupils which is in excess of the class size m embership limit as provided for in subsection C of this section by the grade weight and by the Base Foundation Support Level for the current school year; 2. Multiply the averaged number of the October class size count of pupils which is in excess of the c lass size membership limit as provided for in subsection C of this section by the grade level weight and by the Incentive Aid gua rantee for the current school year times twenty (20); and 3. Sum the products of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this subsection. G. If a school district exceeds the class size membership limitation as established and computed in subsection C of this section for two (2) consecutive years, the district shall receive as a penalty denial of accreditation in accordance with the requirements of Section 3-104.4 of this title. H. For the purpose of determining whether a penalty for exceeding class size limitations shall apply, a federally funded bilingual assistant shall not qualify as a teacher 's assistant. I. Any school district which at the beginning of the school year does not have sufficient classrooms to meet the class size limitation provided for in this section a s determined by guidelines established by the State Board of Education shall not be penalized for failure to meet the class siz e limitations provided for in this section if: Req. No. 9169 Page 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1. The school district has voted indebtedness, at any time within the five (5) ye ars preceding the year the district exceeds the class size limitations or during the year the district exceeds the class size limitations, through the issuance of bonds or approval by voters of issuance of new bonds for more than eighty - five percent (85%) of the maximum allowable pursuant to the provisions of Section 26 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution as shown on the school district budget filed with the State Equalization Board for the current school year and certifications by the Attorney General prior to February 1 of the current school year; and 2. On the date of filing of the school district budget with the State Equalization Board, the school district is voting the maximum millage allowable for the support, maintenance and construction of schools as provided for in subsections (a), (c), (d) and (d -1) of Section 9 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution and Section 10 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution. J. Any school district which exceeds the class size limitations as set forth in this section shall submit a written report to the State Board of Education, on or before July 1 of each year, setting forth the procedures that the district will follow in order to comply with this section. K. J. School districts which receive state -appropriated funds pursuant to the provisions of Section 18 -112.2 of this title and do Req. No. 9169 Page 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 not comply with the provisions of this section sh all be subject to loss of State Aid for each child in excess of the class size limitations as specified in this section. SECTION 4. This act shall become effective November 1, 2022. 58-2-9169 EK 01/11/22