COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH
OVERSIGHT DIVISION
FISCAL NOTE
L.R. No.: 0112-01
Bill No.: Perfected SB 97
Subject: Education, Elementary and Secondary: Grants for Math Instruction
Type: Original
Date: February 28, 2001
FISCAL SUMMARY
| FUND AFFECTED | FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 |
| General Revenue | ($50,000) | $0 | (Unknown)* |
| Total Estimated
Net Effect on All State Funds |
($50,000) | $0 | (Unknown)* |
*Expected to exceed $100,000 annually
| FUND AFFECTED | FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 |
| Total Estimated
Net Effect on All Federal Funds |
$0 | $0 | $0 |
| FUND AFFECTED | FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 |
| School Districts | (Unknown) | (Unknown) | (Unknown) |
Numbers within parentheses: ( ) indicate costs or losses.
This fiscal note contains 5 pages.
ASSUMPTION
Officials from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) assume DESE would require a supervisor and senior secretary to adequately staff the program. Additionally, there would be some information technology (IT) costs associated with developing a web-based application process.
The grant amounts to be distributed by the program are not specified. For the program to be significant the amount to be appropriated for this purpose is assumed to be in excess of $100,000; however an unknown cost is assumed by DESE.
DESE officials assume one FTE Supervisor ($52,022 for FY 2004) and one FTE Senior Secretary ($26,416 for FY 2004) would be needed to develop the application, evaluate applications, administer grants and answer questions.
The Oversight Division assumes the Supervisor could administer the grant program with existing secretarial staff. Therefore, Oversight has excluded the Senior Secretary from the fiscal impact section. Oversight has also excluded travel costs of $4,500 annually, assuming the grant would be administered with minimal travel.
DESE IT section would be required to develop and maintain software. This is estimated to cost $83,200 the first year. Additionally, OIT charges an 8% project management fee ($6,656). Maintenance costs for subsequent years are estimated to be 15% of this amount in subsequent years. The Oversight Division assumes the grant software could be modeled after existing DESE grant programs and could be developed and maintained with existing DESE resources.
Officials of Department of Elementary and Secondary Education also noted that they would have to develop a means of identifying and tracking students for whom English is a second language so that their assessment scores would not be counted in district ratings until those students had gone to school for at least three full years at schools where English is the primary language. They assume the Department would need a Supervisor to track English as a Second Language students and a $50,000 fee to set up a new form with the Assessment Program.
Oversight assumes that school districts would be responsible for identifying and tracking students for whom English is a second language and notifying the state board of education which student scores should be separated from district scores and, therefore, has not included the second Supervisor in the costs for FY 2002.
DESE officials assume increased state money would go to school districts successfully applying ASSUMPTION (continued)
for grants. The amount of local assistance would depend on the amount appropriated by the General Assembly for grants and awarded to applicants.
Oversight assumes that parts of the proposal could result in some charter schools within the Kansas City School District receiving more money and the District receiving less money. Oversight will show unknown losses to the District and unknown income to charter schools. The proposal will not change the amount of state money flowing to Kansas City public schools.
| FISCAL IMPACT - State Government | FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 |
| GENERAL REVENUE FUND | |||
| Cost - Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) | |||
| Personal Service (1 FTE) | $0 | $0 | ($52,022) |
| Fringe Benefits | $0 | $0 | ($17,339) |
| Expense and Equipment | ($50,000) | $0 | ($8,438) |
| Grants | $0 | $0 | Unknown |
| Administrative Costs for DESE | ($50,000) | $0 | (Unknown)* |
*Expected to exceed $100,000 annually
| FISCAL IMPACT - Local Government | FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 |
| SCHOOL DISTRICTS | |||
| Income - Grants from DESE | $0 | $0 | Unknown |
| Costs | |||
| Matching Grants | $0 | $0 | Unknown |
| Mastering Math Program | $0 | $0 | Unknown |
| Identifying and Tracking Students for whom English is a Second Language | (Unknown) | (Unknown) | (Unknown) |
| Income - Charter Schools | $0 to Unknown | $0 to Unknown | $0 to Unknown |
| Loss - Kansas City School District | ($0 to Unknown) | ($0 to Unknown) | ($0 to Unknown) |
| ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS | (UNKNOWN) | (UNKNOWN) | (UNKNOWN) |
FISCAL IMPACT - Small Business
No direct fiscal impact to small businesses would be expected as a result of this proposal.
DESCRIPTION
The proposal would create the Mastering Math Program. Beginning July 1, 2003, DESE would provide four-year competitive matching grants to assist public school districts in math programs. Continued funding of grants after the second year would depend upon improvement in district student's math scores.
Upon conclusion of the grant and based on improvement in student performance on the math portion of the statewide assessment, DESE could reimburse the grantee for its local match.
The proposal would also revise the statutes governing charter schools by:
1) requiring urban school districts (the Kansas City School District) to lease buildings to charter schools on substantially equivalent terms and at substantially equivalent prices and to negotiate in good faith fair market prices for vacant properties and make them available for lease to charter schools within the districts (this provision would not affect any contracts in effect on or before January 1, 2001);
2) changing procedures and time frames for chartering schools; requiring charter schools to publish audit and annual financial reports under terms of chapter 165; requiring charter school sponsors to perform criminal background checks on prospective board members and to take reasonable steps needed to confirm sponsored charter schools are operating in conformity with their charters and sections 160.400 to 160.420; and making charter school board members subject to the same liability for official acts as members of public school boards.
The proposal would also specify that scores on state-required assessment tests of students for whom English is a second language would not be counted until those students have been educated three full years in schools in which English is the primary language.
This proposal contains an emergency clause.
This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not require additional capital improvements or rental space.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Jeanne Jarrett, CPA
Director
February 28, 2001