HB5453 HFA Pushkin 3-3
Altizer - 3259
Delegate Pushkin moves to amend Com Sum for Com Sub for HB5453 on page 1, following the enacting clause, by striking out the remainder of the bill and inserting in lieu thereof, the following:
(a) Base funding. – Effective for the school year 2027-2028, all counties in this state shall be funded by a block grant in the amount of $6,500 per enrolled student. For purposes of the base funding amount, counties that have less than 1,200 enrolled pupils per county shall be funded at the minimum level of 1,200 pupils in that county.
(b) Supplemental funding for special needs students. – Effective for the school year 2027-2028, all counties in this state shall receive additional funding through a fund hereby created and known as the "Supplemental School Aid Fund." This fund shall be appropriated by the Legislature, based upon the number of Tier II and Tier III special needs students the county has. The funding shall be based on a per pupil allotment of $3,250 per Tier II and $6,500 per Tier III special needs students. The primary purpose for this supplemental fund shall be for the benefit of Tier II and Tier III special needs students, but may additionally be utilized as otherwise set forth in subsection (c).
(c) Additional supplemental funding. – Effective for the school year 2027-2028, all counties in this state may request funding for special cases through the Supplemental School Aid Fund created in subsection (b), which may include but are not limited to the following extraordinary expenses related to:
(1) Transportation;
(2) Vocational and technical education centers;
(3) Alternative learning centers; and
(4) Pilot programs.
(d) Discretion. – The funds available through subsection (c) may be distributed as funds are available and through the discretion of the State Department of Education.
(e) Classification. – Counties shall provide a written request to the State Department of Education to explain what additional funding they require based upon the items listed in subsection (c) of this section. The State Department of Education may distribute the money based upon the needs demonstrated per county for the classifications set forth in subsection (c).
(f) Reporting. – The distribution of funds provided in this section shall be reviewed by the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability ("LOCEA") at least yearly. The State Department of Education shall prepare this report.
(g) Conditional funding. – For the counties that are currently receiving more money than the base funding amount set forth in subsection (a) of this section, such counties shall receive conditional funding to be made whole for a period of three years, to allow for those counties to adjust to the new base funding amount provided for in subsection (a). This money shall be utilized from the supplemental fund set forth in subsection (b).
(h) Oversight. - The money provided and distributed through this section shall be utilized at the discretion of the county; however, the Legislature shall maintain oversight in the event of maladministration by a county and reserves the right to restrict funds to counties that engage in maladministration.
(1) For purposes of this section, “maladministration” means the occurrence of one or more of the following actions or failures to act, as documented by financial records, audit findings, or statutory noncompliance, within the preceding 12 months:
(A) Failure to maintain reserve balances at or above levels required by statute or State Board of Education rule for two consecutive reporting periods without submission of a corrective action plan.
(B) Failure to submit required financial reports, audits, or WVEIS data by statutory deadlines or with material inaccuracies including, but not limited to, approval of expenditures that exceed gross revenue for more than one fiscal year."