Senators advanced a bill April 6 that would revise the state aid formula for K-12 education, resulting in a decrease of $13 million in total funding from the current fiscal year to the next.<\/p>\n
York Sen. Greg Adams introduced LB235, the bill containing state aid funding provisions. An Education Committee amendment replaced the original provisions of the bill and would provide schools $822 million for fiscal year 2011-12 and $880 for FY2012-13. The use of federal stimulus funds last biennium brought total state aid to $950 million for FY2010-11, but those were one-time funds.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s 251 school districts are all different, Adams said, but the cuts to state aid needed to be fair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you are going to reduce state aid by the amount we are doing here, you cannot nibble around the edges,\u201d Adams said. \u201cThere are only a few mechanisms you can go to that will get the numbers down.\u201d<\/p>\n
As amended, LB235 would:
\n\u2022 allow school districts with unused budget authority to spend 2 percent of their prior year expenditures;
\n\u2022 eliminate the allowable growth rate for FY2011-12 and increase the rate to 0.5 percent in FY2012-13;
\n\u2022 eliminate the additional percentage in the cost growth factor;
\n\u2022 set the local effort rate to $1.0395 for FY2011-12 and FY2012-13;
\n\u2022 reduce the averaging adjustment and needs stabilization thresholds by 5 percent for FY2011-12;
\n\u2022 reduce the allocated income tax by $21 million for FY2011-12 and FY2012-13;
\n\u2022 expand the comparison groups by 10 larger and 10 smaller districts; and
\n\u2022 subtract property tax refunds from district resources beginning with FY2012-13.<\/p>\n
The amendment also contains provisions originally introduced by Lincoln Sen. Bill Avery as LB148, which would exclude lobbying expenses from the definition of general fund operating expenditures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no better lobbyist for a school district than the superintendent,\u201d Avery said.<\/p>\n
Also included in the amendment are provisions of LB273, originally introduced by Fullerton Sen. Annette Dubas, to include converted contract students as option students and exclude receipts; and LB287, originally introduced by Adams, which would include early childhood in the formula\u2019s summer school allowance beginning in FY2012-13.<\/p>\n
Malcolm Sen. Ken Haar spoke in support of the amendment and the bill, saying it reinforces that K-12 education is a state priority.<\/p>\n
Of the $950 million that schools received this year, Haar said, $150 million came from the one-time federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act fund. Under LB235, aid from the state\u2019s general fund actually would increase from $810 million in FY2010-11 to $822 million in FY2011-12, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we need to recognize LB235 is not perfect, but it represents an increase in general fund spending,\u201d Haar said.<\/p>\n
Cedar Rapids Sen. Kate Sullivan also supported the bill, saying schools were warned of the \u201ccliff effect\u201d that would result when the one-time stimulus funds were used to cover school needs in the last budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you have before you is an 18 percent reduction from current [aid],\u201d she said. \u201cThe committee worked very diligently to be fair and spread the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
The committee amendment was adopted 41-0 and the bill advanced on a 41-0 vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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