FISCAL NOTE
Date Requested: January 11, 2024
Time Requested: 10:47 PM |
| Agency: |
Education, WV State Board of |
|---|
| CBD Number: |
Version: |
Bill Number: |
Resolution Number: |
| 2252 |
Introduced |
HB4542 |
|
|---|
| CBD Subject: |
|
|---|
|
FUND(S):
N/A
Sources of Revenue:
Other Fund County Funded
Legislation creates:
Increases Existing Expenses
Fiscal Note Summary
Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.
This legislation, in its current form, does not have any fiscal impact on the WVDE since the allowances under the Public School Support Plan (PSSP) are not being increased. Consequently, the total estimated cost would be borne by the county boards of education. The estimated cost to the county boards of education to employ homeless coordinators as required by the proposed legislation is approximately $2,813,548.88.
Fiscal Note Detail
| Effect of Proposal |
Fiscal Year |
2024
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
2025
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation) |
| 1. Estmated Total Cost |
0 |
281,354,888 |
281,354,888 |
| Personal Services |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Current Expenses |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Repairs and Alterations |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Assets |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Other |
0 |
281,354,888 |
281,354,888 |
| 2. Estimated Total Revenues |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):
This legislation, in its current form, does not have any fiscal impact on the WVDE since the allowances under the Public School Support Plan (PSSP) are not being increased. Consequently, the total estimated cost would be borne by the county boards of education. The estimated cost to the county boards of education to employ homeless coordinators as required by the proposed legislation is approximately $2,813,548.88.
The West Virginia Department of Education and State Board of Education do not currently designate county boards of education as urban or rural districts. However, according to the latest U.S. Census data, twenty-one (21) counties are designated as metropolitan, and thirty-four (34) counties are designated as non-metropolitan according to the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) definitions for Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Counties designated as metropolitan will be identified as urban, and counties designated as non-metropolitan will be identified as rural for purposes of this legislation.
Under the proposed legislation, the twenty-one (21) county boards of education would be required to employ a full-time homeless coordinator and the other thirty-four (34) county boards of education would be required to employ a half-time homeless coordinator, for a total of thirty-eight (38) full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.
Using current average contracted salary data for all professional personnel within the county boards of education and current rates for fixed charges, health insurance, and retirement, the estimated cost to the county boards of education totals $2,813,548.88. Please note that this cost would change annually as county designations are revised.
Memorandum
The proposed legislation is vague as to when county boards of education would be required to begin hiring homeless coordinators. If the intent of the proposed legislation is that county boards of education begin hiring homeless coordinators upon passage of the legislation, there would be an additional cost to the county boards of education for hiring those positions for the remainder of the 2022-23 fiscal year. The proposed legislation also appears to place the requirement for hiring homeless coordinators on the state board (18-8A-5(a)). However, based upon the language of the proposed legislation’s stated purpose, we believe the legislation intends for homeless coordinators to be hired by and work within the county boards of education.
The attendance director position is currently included within the statutory definition of “professional student support personnel” (18-9A-2(f)) and is effectively funded through Step 5 (18-9A-8) of the PSSP. If it is the intent of the legislature to also include and fund the newly created homeless coordinator position, W. Va. Code 18-9A-2(f) and 18-9A-8 should be revised to include these positions. Also, if the intent of the Legislature is to provide additional funding to the county boards of education to fund the homeless coordinators via Step 5, the funding ratios contained within W. Va. Code 18-9A-8 would need to be increased an average of .16 FTE per 1,000 students, for an adjusted ratio total of 5.16 FTE per 1,000 students across all population densities.
Lastly, the State Board of Education does not currently designate school districts as urban or rural. For the purposes of determining urban and rural counties for this proposed legislation, the state board is relying on the most recent Metropolitan Statistical Area data from May 2022. Thus, counties that have been designated as a metropolitan area have been identified as urban, and counties that have been designated as a non-metropolitan area have been identified as rural. The definition of urban/rural included in this legislation may need to be re-evaluated to determine if this data is in alignment with the purpose of the proposed bill.
Person submitting Fiscal Note: Tina Payne
Email Address: tina.a.payne@k12.wv.us