H.65

Introduced by   Representatives Heath of Westford, Amidon of Charlotte, Aswad of Burlington and Myers of Essex

Referred to Committee on

Date:

Subject:  Education; technical education; regional technical academy; general state support grant; tuition reduction assistance; high school diploma

Statement of purpose:  This bill proposes to authorize a regional technical center school district to build and operate a regional technical academy which provides at least two years of full-time educational services to students; to fund the academy through a block grant, a supplemental assistance grant equal to 70 percent of the block grant, an amount equal to average local education spending in member districts, and special education assistance; to authorize a technical academy to grant a high school diploma; to increase the tuition reduction supplemental assistance grant for all regional technical schools from 40 percent of a block grant to 70 percent of a block grant; and to establish that if a high school pays the block grant amount to a technical center for one of its students, the student shall be counted in the general state support grant maximum loss provisions.

AN ACT RELATING TO REGIONAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION

It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:

Sec. 1.  16 V.S.A. § 11(31) is added to read:

(31)  “Regional technical academy” has the same meaning that it has in subdivision 1571(3) of this title.

Sec. 2.  16 V.S.A. § 261(c) is amended to read:

(c)  The state board may designate any school district, including a unified union district, as a supervisory district if it will offer schools in grades K-12 and is large enough to support the planning and administrative functions of a supervisory union.  The state board shall designate a regional technical center school district which operates a regional technical academy as a supervisory district, unless it would increase efficiency or convenience and economy to assign the district to an existing supervisory union.

Sec. 3.  16 V.S.A. § 1545 is amended to read:

§ 1545.  CREDITS AND GRADES EARNED; DIPLOMA GRANTING

               AUTHORITY

(a)  Grades earned in a technical education course offered within a technical education program approved by the state board shall not be altered by any public or independent school in Vermont and shall be applied by the school toward any state graduation requirements in accordance with rules adopted by the state board.  Any state board rules regarding earning of credits shall allow flexibility with respect to the integration of technical education and other academic courses.

(b)  The credits earned for a technical education program approved by the state board shall be honored by any public or independent school within Vermont and applied toward any school district or independent school graduation requirements exceeding the minimum number of credits required by the state board.

(c)  For any student attending the Vermont academy for science and technology pursuant to subsection 4011(e) of this title, the credits and grades earned shall, upon request of the student or the student’s parent or guardian, be applied toward graduation requirements at the Vermont high school which the student attended prior to enrolling in the academy.

(d)  A school board of a regional technical center may grant a high school diploma to an enrolled student pursuant to rule of the state board.  In this case, the school board shall accept grades and credits earned at a public or independent secondary school approved by the state board.

Sec. 4.  16 V.S.A. § 1561 is amended to read:

§ 1561.  TUITION REDUCTION

(a)  For the purpose of reducing the amount of tuition charged to Vermont residents under section 1552 of this title, technical centers shall receive assistance as provided in this section.  In this section,:

(1)  “Student” means a Vermont secondary student without a diploma regardless of age and regardless of whether the student is enrolled in a high school in Vermont; however, in the case of a regional technical center academy, student does not include a student who is enrolled as a full-time student at the academy and therefore counted in the average daily membership of the regional technical center school district; and

(2)  “Full-time equivalent student” means the average of a Vermont school district’s three prior years’ full-time equivalent enrollment of students in the technical center.

(b)  A technical center shall receive from the education fund for each

full-time equivalent student sent from a school district within Vermont, 100 percent of the per equalized pupil general state support grant and an equivalent amount shall be subtracted from the amount due to the sending district under section 4011 of this title. 

(c)  Annually, the general assembly shall appropriate funds to pay for a supplemental assistance grant per full-time equivalent student.  The amount of the grant shall be equal to 40 70 percent of the per equalized pupil general state support grant for that year.

Sec. 5.  16 V.S.A. § 1571(3) is added to read:

(3)  “Regional technical academy” means a regional technical center operated by a regional technical center school district which provides at least two years of full-time educational services and has adopted a finance structure pursuant to this subchapter.  A student enrolled as a full-time student in a regional technical academy shall be counted in the average daily membership of the regional technical center school district and shall not be considered enrolled in another school for purposes of average daily membership.

Sec. 6.  16 V.S.A. § 1572(b) is amended to read:

(b)  The planning committee may determine that no change to the governance structure is needed, or it may prepare a report in the form of an agreement between the school districts which are located in the technical center region.  The report shall describe:

* * *

(10)  A process for amending or dissolving the governance structure;  and

(11)  If the plan includes creation of a regional technical academy:

(A)  a description of services to be provided by the academy;

(B)  a description of how the academy is to be funded; and

(C)  a description of whether special education services will be provided by the regional technical center school district or whether the district will contract with another agency to provide the special education services; and

(11)(12)  Any other matter which the committee considers pertinent.

Sec. 7.  16 V.S.A. § 1580 is added to read:

§ 1580.  REGIONAL TECHNICAL ACADEMY; FINANCE STRUCTURE

(a)  A vote to adopt or amend provisions governing operation of a regional technical center school district may include a vote to establish and operate a regional technical academy.  A regional technical center school district which operates a regional technical academy shall be financed according to the provisions of this section.

(b)  For students who are residents of the technical center school district and are enrolled as full-time students at the regional technical academy, the district shall not assess a technical tuition and shall receive funding as follows:

(1)  a general state support grant pursuant to subchapter 2 of chapter 133 of this title;

(2)  a supplemental assistance grant per equalized pupil equal to 70 percent of the per equalized pupil general state support grant for that year;

(3)  an amount equal to the average local education spending amount in the regional technical center district for each equalized pupil in the district.  The average local education spending amount shall be calculated by adding the local education spending amount in all the member districts and dividing by the number of equalized pupils in all the member districts.  The pupils who are counted as a part of the average daily membership in the regional technical center school district shall not be counted in the denominator;

(4)  state aid for special education services pursuant to subchapter 2 of chapter 101 of this title;

(5)  transportation assistance pursuant to Sec. 22 of Act No. 60 of the Acts of 1997; and

(6)  federal funds allocated for the purpose. 

(c)  For students who are not residents of the technical center school district, are not enrolled as full-time students at the regional technical academy, or both, the district shall assess a technical tuition and receive other funding in the same manner as a regional technical center which is not subject to this section.

(d)  A regional technical academy shall be eligible to receive state assistance under sections 1564, 1565, and 1566 of this title.

Sec. 8.  16 V.S.A. § 2961(a) is amended to read:

(a)  Each town school district, unified union school district, regional technical center school district which operates a technical academy, and incorporated school district shall be eligible to receive a standard mainstream block grant each school year.  The mainstream block grant shall be equal to the school district's mainstream salary standard multiplied by 60 percent.

Sec. 9.  16 V.S.A. § 2962(a) is amended to read:

(a)  Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, extraordinary services reimbursement shall be payable to each town school district, unified union school district, regional technical center school district which operates a technical academy, and incorporated district.

Sec. 10.  16 V.S.A. § 2963(a) is amended to read:

(a)  Each town school district, unified union school district, regional technical center school district which operates a technical academy, and incorporated school district shall receive a special education expenditures reimbursement grant each school year.

Sec. 11.  16 V.S.A. § 2967(a) is amended to read:

(a)  On or before December 15, the commissioner shall publish an estimate, by town school district, unified union school district, regional technical center school district which operates a technical academy, and incorporated school district, of the amount of state assistance necessary to fully fund sections 2961 through 2963 of this title in the ensuing school year.

Sec. 12.  16 V.S.A. § 4001(1)(A) and (10) are amended to read:

(1)  “Average daily membership” of a school district in any year means:

(A)  the full-time equivalent enrollment of pupils, as defined by the state board by rule, who are legal residents of the district attending a school owned and operated by the district, attending a public school outside the district under an interdistrict agreement, or for whom the district pays union school assessment or tuition to one or more approved independent schools or public schools outside the district during the annual census period.  In the case of a regional technical center school district which operates a regional technical academy, only a resident pupil enrolled as a full-time student at the academy and not enrolled in another school district shall be a full-time equivalent pupil in the regional technical academy school district.  The census period consists of the first 40 days of the school year in which school is actually in session; and

(10)  “School district” means a town school district, city school district, incorporated school district, the member school districts of an interstate school district, the member towns of a unified union district, a regional technical center school district which operates a regional technical center academy, or an unorganized town or gore.

Sec. 13.  16 V.S.A. § 4010(f) is amended to read:

(f)  For purposes of the calculation under this section, a district's equalized pupils shall in no case be less than 96 and one-half percent of the district's equalized pupils in the previous year.  A portion of a full-time equivalent student which is counted in the transfer of a general state support grant from a secondary school to a technical center pursuant to subsection 1561(b) of this title shall be considered a loss of an equivalent portion of an equalized pupil for purposes of determining the amount of general state support grant due the sending school district.

Sec. 14.  16 V.S.A. § 4027(f) is added to read:

(f)  In this section, “school district” does not include a regional technical center school district.

Sec. 15.  TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

(a)  If a regional technical center school district builds and operates a regional technical academy, the average daily membership and equalized pupil count for the regional technical center school district shall be calculated as follows:

(1)  For the first year of operation, they shall be based on projected full‑time equivalent enrollment numbers, as certified by the commissioner, on June 30 of the year preceding the first school year of operation.

(2)  For the second year of operation, they shall be based on the average of the actual full-time equivalent enrollment during the census period of the first year of operation and the projected full-time equivalent enrollment for the second year on June 30 of the year preceding the second year of operation.

(3)  For the third year of operation and each year thereafter, they shall be calculated pursuant to chapter 133 of Title 16.

(b)  If a regional technical center school district builds and operates a regional technical academy, the average daily membership and equalized pupil count for the member school districts shall be calculated as follows:

(1)  For the first year of operation, they shall be based on average full‑time equivalent enrollment in the member school district during the census period of the two preceding years, minus the number of full‑time equivalent students from the member district projected to enroll in the regional technical center school district, as certified by the commissioner, on June 30 of the year preceding the first school year of operation of the regional technical center.

(2)  For the second year of operation, they shall be based on average full‑time equivalent enrollment in the member school district during the census period of the two preceding years, minus the average of actual full-time equivalent enrollment in the regional technical center during the census period of the first year of operation and the projected full-time equivalent enrollment for the second year on June 30 of the year preceding the second year of operation.

(3)  For the third year of operation and each year thereafter, they shall be calculated pursuant to chapter 133 of Title 16.