SECOND REGULAR SESSION

[I N T R O D U C E D]

SENATE BILL NO. 852

88th GENERAL ASSEMBLY


S3025.02I

AN ACT

To repeal section 163.031, RSMo 1994, and sections 164.011 and 165.011, RSMo Supp. 1995, relating to the use of public school funds, and enacting four new sections relating to the same subject.


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI,

AS FOLLOWS:

Section A. Section 163.031, RSMo 1994, and sections 164.011 and 165.011, RSMo Supp. 1995, are repealed and four new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 163.031, 164.011, 165.011 and 165.016, to read as follows:

163.031. 1. School districts which meet the requirements of section 163.021 shall be entitled to an amount computed as follows: an amount determined by multiplying the number of eligible pupils by the district's equalized operating levy for school purposes as defined in section 163.011 multiplied by the guaranteed tax base per eligible pupil times the proration factor. For the purposes of this section, the proration factor shall be equal to the sum of the total appropriation for distribution under subsections 1 and 2 of this section; and the state total of the deductions as calculated in subsection 2 of this section which do not exceed the district entitlements as adjusted by the same proration factor; divided by the amount of the state total of district entitlements before proration as calculated pursuant to this subsection.

2. From the district entitlement for each district there shall be deducted the following amounts: an amount determined by multiplying the district equalized assessed valuation by the district's equalized operating levy for school purposes times the district income factor; one hundred percent of the amount received the previous year for school purposes from intangible taxes, fines, forfeitures and escheats, payments in lieu of taxes and receipts from state assessed railroad and utility tax; one hundred percent of the amounts received the previous year for school purposes from federal properties pursuant to sections 12.070 and 12.080, RSMo; federal impact aid received the previous year for school purposes pursuant to P.L. 81-874 less fifty thousand dollars multiplied by ninety percent or the maximum percentage allowed by federal regulation if that percentage is less than ninety; fifty percent, or the percentage otherwise provided in section 163.087, of Proposition C revenues received the previous year for school purposes from the school district trust fund pursuant to section 163.087; one hundred percent of the amount received the previous year for school purposes from the fair share fund pursuant to section 149.015, RSMo; and one hundred percent of the amount received the previous year for school purposes from the free textbook fund, pursuant to section 148.360, RSMo.

3. School districts which meet the requirements of section 163.021 shall receive categorical add-on revenue as provided in this subsection. There shall be individual proration factors for each categorical entitlement provided for in this subsection, and each proration factor shall be determined by annual appropriations, but no categorical proration factor shall exceed the entitlement proration factor established pursuant to subsection 1 of this section, except that the vocational education entitlement proration factor established pursuant to line 16 of subsection 6 of this section and the educational and screening program entitlements proration factor established pursuant to line 17 of subsection 6 of this section may exceed the entitlement proration factor established pursuant to subsection 1 of this section. The categorical add-on for the district shall be the sum of: seventy-five percent of the district allowable transportation costs pursuant to section 163.161 multiplied by the proration factor; the special education approved or allowed cost entitlement for the district, provided for by section 162.975, RSMo, multiplied by the proration factor; seventy-five percent of the district gifted education approved or allowable cost entitlement as determined pursuant to section 162.975, RSMo, multiplied by the proration factor; the free and reduced lunch eligible pupil count for the district, as defined in section 163.011, multiplied by twenty percent times the guaranteed tax base per eligible pupil times the minimum value for an operating levy for school purposes as provided in section 163.011 times the proration factor; the career ladder entitlement for the district, as provided for in sections 168.500 to 168.515, RSMo, multiplied by the proration factor; the vocational education entitlement for the district, as provided for in section 167.332, RSMo, multiplied by the proration factor and the district educational and screening program entitlements as provided for in sections 178.691 to 178.699, RSMo, times the proration factor.

4. Each district's apportionment shall be the prorated categorical add-ons plus the greater of the district's prorated entitlement minus the total deductions for the district or zero.

5. (1) In the 1993-94 school year and all subsequent school years, pursuant to section 10(c) of article X of the state constitution, a school district shall adjust upward its operating levy for school purposes to the extent necessary for the district to at least maintain the current operating expenditures per pupil received by the district from all sources in the 1992-93 school year, except that its operating levy for school purposes shall not exceed the highest tax rate in effect subsequent to the 1980 tax year, or the minimum rate required by subsection 2 of section 163.021, whichever is less.

(2) Beginning with the 1993-94 school year, the revenue per eligible pupil received by a district from the following sources: line 1 minus line 10, or zero if line 1 minus line 10 is less than zero, plus line 14 of subsection 6 of this section; plus the product of the current assessed valuation of the district multiplied by the following tax rate - the greater of zero or the minimum rate required by subsection 2 of section 163.021 minus the district's equalized operating levy for school purposes for 1993, shall not be less than the revenue per eligible pupil received by a district in the 1992-93 school year from the foundation formula entitlement payment amount. The department of elementary and secondary education shall make an addition in the payment amount of line 19 of subsection 6 of this section to assure compliance with the provisions contained in this section.

(3) For any school district which meets the eligibility criteria for state aid as established in section 163.021, but which under subsections 1 to 4 of this section, receives no state aid for two successive school years, other than categorical add-ons, by August first following the second such school year, the commissioner of education shall present a plan to the superintendent of the school district for the waiver of rules and the duration of said waivers, in order to promote flexibility in the operations of the district and to enhance and encourage efficiency in the delivery of instructional services. The provisions of other law to the contrary notwithstanding, the plan presented to the superintendent shall provide a summary waiver, with no conditions, for the pupil testing requirements pursuant to section 160.257, RSMo. Further, the provisions of other law to the contrary notwithstanding, the plan shall detail a means for the waiver of requirements otherwise imposed on the school district related to the authority of the state board of education to classify school districts pursuant to section 161.092, RSMo, and such other rules as determined by the commissioner of education, except that such waivers shall not include the provisions established pursuant to sections 160.514 and 160.518, RSMo.

(4) In the 1993-94 school year and each school year thereafter for two years, those districts which are entitled to receive state aid under subsections 1 to 4 of this section, shall receive state aid in an amount per eligible pupil as provided in this subsection. For the 1993-94 school year, the amount per eligible pupil shall be twenty-five percent of the amount of state aid per eligible pupil calculated for the district for the 1993-94 school year pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 of this section plus seventy-five percent of the total amount of state aid received by the district from all sources for the 1992-93 school year for which the district is entitled and which are distributed in the 1993-94 school year pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 of this section. For the 1994-95 school year, the amount per eligible pupil shall be fifty percent of the amount of state aid per eligible pupil calculated for the district for the 1994-95 school year pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 of this section plus fifty percent of the total amount of state aid received by the district from all sources for the 1992-93 school year for which the district is entitled and which are distributed in the 1994-95 school year pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 of this section. For the 1995-96 school year, the amount of state aid per eligible pupil shall be seventy-five percent of the amount of state aid per eligible pupil calculated for the district for the 1995-96 school year pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 of this section plus twenty-five percent of the total amount of state aid received by the district from all sources for the 1992-93 school year for which the district is entitled and which are distributed in the 1995-96 school year pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 of this section. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to limit the authority of a school district to raise its district operating levy pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(5) If the total of state aid apportionments to all districts pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection is less than the total of state aid apportionments calculated pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 of this section, then the difference shall be deposited in the outstanding schools trust fund. If the total of state aid apportionments to all districts pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection is greater than the total of state aid apportionments calculated pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 of this section, then funds shall be transferred from the outstanding schools trust fund to the state school moneys fund to the extent necessary to fund the district entitlements as modified by subdivision (4) of this subsection for that school year with a district entitlement proration factor no less than one and such transfer shall be given priority over all other uses for the outstanding schools trust fund as otherwise provided by law.

6. State aid shall be determined as follows:

District Entitlement

1. Number of eligible pupils x (district's equalized

operating levy for school purposes) x (proration

x GTB per EP) ................................... $........

Deductions

2. District equalized assessed valuation

x district income factor x district's

equalized operating levy for school purposes .... $........

3. Intangible taxes, fines, forfeitures, escheats,

payments in lieu of taxes, etc. (100% of the

amount received the previous year for

school purposes) ................................ $........

4. Receipts from state assessed railroad and utility

tax (100% of the amount received the previous

year for school purposes) ....................... $........

5. Receipts from federal properties pursuant to

sections 12.070 and 12.080, RSMo (100% of the

amount received the previous year for

school purposes) ................................ $........

6. (Federal impact aid received the previous year

for school purposes pursuant to P.L. 81-874 less

$50,000) x 90% or the maximum percentage allowed

by federal regulations if less than 90% ......... $........

7. Fifty percent or the percentage otherwise

provided in section 163.087 of Proposition C

receipts from the school district trust fund

received the previous year for school purposes

pursuant to section 163.087, RSMo ............... $........

8. One hundred percent of the amount received

the previous year for school purposes from

the fair share fund pursuant to section

149.015, RSMo ................................... $........

9. One hundred percent of the amount received the

previous year for school purposes from the free

textbook fund pursuant to section 148.360,

RSMo ............................................ $........

10. Total deductions (sum of lines 2-9) ............. $........

Categorical Add-ons

11. The amount distributed pursuant to section

163.161 x proration ............................. $........

12. Special education approved or allowed cost

entitlement for the district pursuant to section

162.975, RSMo, x proration ...................... $........

13. Seventy-five percent of the gifted education

approved or allowable cost entitlement as

determined pursuant to section 162.975,

RSMo, x proration ............................... $........

14. Free and reduced lunch eligible pupil count for

the district, as defined in section 163.011,

RSMo, x .20 x GTB per EP x the minimum value

for an operating levy for school purposes as

provided in section 163.011 x proration ......... $........

15. Career ladder entitlement for the district

as provided for in sections 168.500 to

168.515, RSMo, x proration ...................... $........

16. Vocational education entitlements for

the district as provided in section 167.332,

RSMo, x proration ............................... $........

17. Educational and screening program entitlements

for the district as provided in sections 178.691

to 178.699, RSMo, x proration.................... $........

18. Sum of categorical add-ons for the district

(sum of lines 11-17)............................. $........

19. District apportionment (line 18 plus the greater

of line 1 minus line 10 or zero) ................ $........

7. Revenue received for school purposes by each school district pursuant to this section shall be placed in each of the incidental and teachers' funds based on the ratio of the property tax rate in the district for that fund to the total tax rate in the district for the two funds, except that, prior to the 1997-98 school year, no district may reduce the fraction of total district operating costs expended on certificated salaries[, and for the 1997-98 school year and thereafter, the district operating levy for the teachers' fund shall not be decreased by a greater proportion than the operating levy of the incidental fund is decreased for the same school year].

164.011. 1. The school board of each district annually shall prepare an estimate of the amount of money to be raised by taxation for the ensuing school year, the rate required to produce the amount, and the rate necessary to sustain the school or schools of the district for the ensuing school year, to meet principal and interest payments on the bonded debt of the district and to provide the funds to meet other legitimate district purposes. In preparing the estimate, the board shall have sole authority in determining what part of the total authorized rate shall be used to provide revenue for each of the funds as authorized by section 165.011, RSMo. [Prior to setting tax rates for the teachers' and incidental funds, the school board of each school district annually shall set the tax rate for the capital projects fund as necessary to meet the expenditures of the capital projects fund, except that the tax rate set in the capital projects fund shall not require the reduction of the equalized combined tax rates for the teachers' and incidental funds to be less than the greater of the minimum operating levy for the current year for school purposes established under subsection 2 of section 163.021, RSMo, or the 1993 tax rate as used for state aid purposes in section 163.031, RSMo, plus that portion of the full amount of any voter approved increase in the tax rate ceiling as defined in section 137.073, RSMo, approved after the first day of January, 1994, and before the thirtieth day of March, 1994, as levied in the current year, in any school district located in a county of the fourth classification that had an existing lease purchase arrangement for capital project purposes at the time of the election.]

2. The school board of each district shall forward the estimate to the county clerk on or before September first. In school districts divided by county lines, the estimate shall be forwarded to the proper officer of each county in which any part of the district lies.

165.011. 1. The following funds are created for the accounting of all school moneys: Teachers' fund, incidental fund, free textbook fund, capital projects fund and debt service fund. The treasurer of the school district shall open an account for each fund specified in this section, and all moneys received from the county school fund and all moneys derived from taxation for teachers' wages shall be placed to the credit of the teachers' fund. All tuition fees, state moneys received under sections 162.975, RSMo, and 163.031, RSMo, and all other moneys received from the state except as herein provided shall be placed to the credit of the teachers' and incidental funds at the discretion of the district board of education. Money received from other districts for transportation, and money derived from taxation for incidental expenses shall be credited to the incidental fund. Money apportioned for free textbooks shall be credited to the free textbook fund. All money derived from taxation or received from any other source for the erection of buildings or additions thereto and the remodeling or reconstruction of buildings and the furnishing thereof, for the payment of lease purchase obligations, for the purchase of real estate, or from sale of real estate, schoolhouses or other buildings of any kind, or school furniture, from insurance, from sale of bonds other than refunding bonds shall be placed to the credit of the capital projects fund. All moneys derived from the sale or lease of sites, buildings, facilities, furnishings and equipment by a school district as authorized under section 177.088, RSMo, shall be credited to the capital projects fund. Money derived from taxation for the retirement of bonds and the payment of interest thereon shall be credited to the debt service fund which shall be maintained as a separate bank account. Receipts from delinquent taxes shall be allocated to the several funds on the same basis as receipts from current taxes, except that where the previous years' obligations of the district would be affected by such distribution, the delinquent taxes shall be distributed according to the tax levies made for the years in which the obligations were incurred. All refunds received shall be placed to the credit of the fund from which the original expenditures were made. Money donated to the school districts shall be placed to the credit of the fund where it can be expended to meet the purpose for which it was donated and accepted. Money received from any other source whatsoever shall be placed to the credit of the fund or funds designated by the board.

2. The school board may expend from the incidental fund the sum that is necessary for the ordinary repairs of school property and an amount not to exceed the sum of expenditures for classroom instructional capital outlay, as defined by the department of elementary and secondary education by rule, in state-approved area vocational-technical schools and .06 dollars per one hundred dollars equalized assessed valuation multiplied by the guaranteed tax base for the second preceding year multiplied by the number of resident and nonresident eligible pupils educated in the district for the second preceding year for classroom instructional capital outlay, including but not limited to payments authorized pursuant to section 177.088, RSMo. Any and all payments authorized under section 177.088, RSMo, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, for the purchase or lease of sites, buildings, facilities, furnishings and equipment and all other expenditures for capital outlay shall be made from the capital projects fund. If a balance remains in the free textbook fund after books are furnished to pupils as provided in section 170.051, RSMo, it shall be transferred to the teachers' fund. The board may transfer the portion of the balance remaining in the incidental fund to the teachers' fund that is necessary for the total payment of all contracted obligations to teachers. If a balance remains in the debt service fund, after the total outstanding indebtedness for which the fund was levied is paid, the board may transfer the unexpended balance to the capital projects fund. If a balance remains in the bond proceeds after completion of the project for which the bonds were issued, the balance shall be transferred from the incidental or capital projects fund to the debt service fund. A school district may transfer from the capital projects fund to the incidental fund the interest earned for which placement is not otherwise provided by law.

3. Tuition shall be paid from either the teachers' or incidental funds.

4. Other provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding, the school board of a school district that satisfies the criteria specified in subsection 5 of this section may transfer from the incidental fund to the capital projects fund an amount not to exceed the greater of zero or the sum of .18 dollars per one hundred dollars equalized assessed valuation multiplied by the guaranteed tax base for the second preceding year multiplied by the number of resident and nonresident eligible pupils educated in the district for the second preceding year and the amount to be expended for transportation equipment that is considered an allowable cost under state board of education rules for transportation reimbursements during the current year and any amount necessary to satisfy obligations of the capital projects fund for state-approved area vocational-technical schools and an amount not to exceed .06 dollars per one hundred dollars equalized assessed valuation multiplied by the guaranteed tax base for the second preceding year multiplied by the number of resident and nonresident eligible pupils educated in the district for the second preceding year less any amount transferred pursuant to subsection 7 of this section, provided that any amount transferred pursuant to this subsection shall only be transferred as necessary to satisfy obligations of the capital projects fund less any amount expended from the incidental fund for classroom instructional capital outlay pursuant to subsection 2 of this section. For the purposes of this subsection, the guaranteed tax base and a district's count of resident and nonresident eligible pupils educated in the district shall not be less than their respective values calculated from data for the 1992-93 school year.

5. In order to transfer funds pursuant to subsection 4 of this section, a school district shall:

(1) Meet the minimum criteria for state aid and for increases in state aid for the current year established pursuant to section 163.021, RSMo;

(2) Not incur a total debt, including short-term debt and bonded indebtedness in excess of ten percent of the guaranteed tax base for the preceding payment year multiplied by the number of resident and nonresident eligible pupils educated in the district in the preceding year;

(3) Set tax rates pursuant to section 164.011, RSMo;

(4) First apply any voluntary rollbacks or reductions to the total tax rate levied to the teachers' and incidental funds;

(5) In order to be eligible to transfer funds for paying lease purchase obligations:

(a) Incur such obligations prior to January 1, 1997;

(b) Limit the term of such obligations to no more than twenty years;

(c) Limit annual installment payments on such obligations to an amount no greater than the amount of the payment for the first full year of the obligation, including all payments of principal and interest, except that the amount of the final payment shall be limited to an amount no greater than two times the amount of such first-year payment;

(d) Limit such payments to leasing nonathletic, classroom, instructional facilities as defined by the state board of education through rule; and

(e) Not offer instruction at a higher grade level than was offered by the district on July 12, 1994[; and

(6) Change the total compensation, including the district's contribution for retirement, for nonadministrative, certificated staff in the preceding year compared to the 1992-93 school year by a percentage equal to or greater than the percentage change in revenue credited to the teachers' and incidental funds for the same year. For the purposes of this subdivision, "revenue" shall not include any revenue from federal categorical sources, state categorical sources, state grants, student activities, payments from other districts, any amounts expended for classroom instructional capital outlay from the incidental fund, and any amounts transferred to the capital projects fund not otherwise excluded from the definition of revenue pursuant to this subdivision nor shall any expenditure from these sources be included in calculating the amount expended for compensation of nonadministrative, certificated staff. Beginning in the 1997-98 school year, districts shall demonstrate compliance based on data for the average of the preceding three years. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be construed to require any increase in total compensation greater than nine percent per annum].

6. A school district shall be eligible to transfer funds pursuant to subsection 7 of this section if:

(1) Prior to August 28, 1993:

(a) The school district incurred an obligation for the purpose of funding payments under a lease purchase contract authorized under section 177.088, RSMo;

(b) The school district notified the appropriate local election official to place an issue before the voters of the district for the purpose of funding payments under a lease purchase contract authorized under section 177.088, RSMo; or

(c) An issue for funding payments under a lease purchase contract authorized under section 177.088, RSMo, was approved by the voters of the district; or

(2) Prior to November 1, 1993, a school board adopted a resolution authorizing an action necessary to comply with subsection 9 of section 177.088, RSMo. Any increase in the operating levy of a district above the 1993 tax rate resulting from passage of an issue described in paragraph (b) of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be considered as part of the 1993 tax rate for the purposes of subsection 1 of section 164.011, RSMo.

7. Prior to transferring funds pursuant to subsection 4 of this section, a school district may transfer, pursuant to this subsection, from the incidental fund to the capital projects funds an amount as necessary to satisfy an obligation of the capital projects fund that satisfies at least one of the conditions specified in subsection 6 of this section, but not to exceed its payments authorized under section 177.088, RSMo, for the purchase or lease of sites, buildings, facilities, furnishings, equipment, and all other expenditures for capital outlay, plus the amount to be expended for transportation equipment that is considered an allowable cost under state board of education rules for transportation reimbursements during the current year plus any amount necessary to satisfy obligations of the capital projects fund for state-approved area vocational-technical schools.

8. Beginning in the 1995-96 school year, the department of elementary and secondary education shall deduct from a school district's state aid calculated pursuant to section 163.031, RSMo, an amount equal to the amount of any transfer of funds from the incidental fund to the capital projects fund performed during the previous year in violation of this section.

9. On or before June 30, 1995, a school district may transfer to the capital projects fund from the balances of the teachers' and incidental funds any amount, but only to the extent that the teachers' and incidental fund unrestricted balances on June 30, 1995, are equal to or greater than eight percent of expenditures from the teachers' and incidental funds for the year ending June 30, 1995.

165.016. 1. A school district shall expend as a percentage of current operating cost, for tuition, teacher retirement and compensation of certificated staff, a percentage that is for the 1994-95 and 1995-96 school years, no less than three percentage points less than the base school year certificated salary percentage and for the 1996-97 school year, no less than two percentage points less than the base school year certificated salary percentage. The base school year certificated salary percentage shall be the two year average percentage of the 1991- 92 and 1992-93 school years. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to hold harmless districts.

2. Beginning with the 1997-98 school year, a district shall have an unrestricted fund balance in the combined incidental and teachers funds on June 30 which is equal to or less than ten percent of the combined expenditures for the year from those funds, or the district shall expend, as a percentage of current operating cost for tuition, teacher retirement and compensation of certificated staff, a percentage that is no less than two percentage points less than the base school year certificated salary percentage.

3. The state board of education may exempt a school district from the requirements of this section upon receiving a request for an exemption by a school district. The request shall show the reason or reasons for the noncompliance, and the exemption shall apply for only one school year. Any school district requesting an exemption must notify the presidents of all teacher organizations in the district in writing of the district's intent. Prior to granting an exemption, the state board shall consider comments from teachers in the district. The state board decision shall be final.

4. Any school district which is determined by the department to be in violation of the requirements of subsections 1 or 2 of this section, or both, shall compensate the building level administrative staff and nonadministrative certificated staff during the year following the notice of violation by an additional amount which is equal to one hundred ten percent of the amount necessary to bring the district into compliance with this section for the year of violation. In any year in which a penalty is paid, the district shall pay the penalty specified in this subsection in addition to the amount required under this section for the current school year.