0961: SUMMARY OF DIFFERENCES (Date Completed: 4-30-12)

FY 2012-13 SCHOOL AID BUDGET S.B. 961 (S-2): SUMMARY OF DIFFERENCES

FY 2012-13 Senate-Passed Gross Appropriation.................................................................

$12,712,649,200

House Changes to Senate-Passed:
1. MPSERS Reimbursement. House funded the MPSERS categorical at $248.5 million. Senate eliminated this funding, and directed it to the foundation.	248,506,300
2. Best Practices. House funded the Best Practices categorical at $115.0 million. Senate eliminated this funding, and directed it to the foundation.	115,000,000
3. Pupil Performance. House did not fund Pupil Performance grants; Senate funded these grants at $40.0 million.	(40,000,000)
4. Technology Infrastructure Grants. House funded a new grant program designed to provide dollars to districts for building infrastructure related to technology needs.	75,000,000
5. Kindergarten Savings. House did not assume $50.0 million in savings (assumed by the Senate) would materialize from the change in funding for half-day kindergarten.	50,000,000
6. Foundation Allowance. House did not increase the foundation allowance as proposed by the Senate. Instead, as listed above, House funded MPSERS, Best Practices, and Technology Infrastructure grants.	(303,000,000)
7. Class-Size and Wayne-Westland. House did not include restoration of class-size reduction grants or 50% funding for Wayne-Westland.	(14,800,000)
8. Computer Adaptive Testing. House did not fund the Computer Adaptive Test that was funded in the Senate bill. (Both Senate and House did fund the MEAP.)	(18,000,000)
9. Great Start Readiness Grants. House did not include the $10.0 million increase in Great Start Readiness Program funding that was included by the Senate.	(10,000,000)
10. Education Reserve Fund. House did not include the $6.0 million appropriated by the Senate for a new Education Reserve Fund.	(6,000,000)
11. Vocational Education Increase. House increased funding for vocational education reimbursement by $3.4 million.	3,388,700
12. Renaissance Zone Reimbursements for Libraries. House included a restoration of Renaissance Zone reimbursements for public libraries.	3,000,000
13. Intermediate School District (ISD) Best Practices. While both the House and Senate included new funding for ISD best practices, House funded the program $1.1 million more than the Senate version.	1,105,000
14. Math/Science and STEM. House did not concur with the Senate's increase for math and science centers focused Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).	(100,000)

Total Changes.....................................................................................................................	$104,100,000
FY 2012-13 House-Passed Gross Appropriation..................................................................	$12,816,749,200

FY 2012-13 SCHOOL AID BUDGET BOILERPLATE HIGHLIGHTS

Changes from FY 2012-13 Senate-Passed:

1. Pupil Count Days. House included language stating the intent to move away from the current two-count per year system, to a system of counting students eight times a year. (Sec. 6)

2. Alternative and Vocational Education Boundaries. House did not include Senate language allowing districts to operate alternative and vocational education programs outside of their boundaries, in the event the resident district does not provide such educational services. (Sec. 6)

3. Study of Categoricals and Renaming of School Aid Fund. House did not include two sections added by the Senate stating the intent to study categoricals to determine if they should be rolled into the base foundation allowance, and to rename the School Aid Fund as the Comprehensive Education Fund. (Sections 11t and 11u)

4. Data Reporting Systems. House included new language stating the intent to move to a single statewide data collection reporting system, or a limited number of systems approved by the Department. (Sec. 19)

5. Early Childhood Block Grant. House did not concur with the Senate to roll three early childhood categoricals into one block grant, to be distributed to ISDs. (Sections 32b, 32j, 32L in current law; Sec. 32p in Senate bill)

6. Special Education Itinerant Lapsing Funds. House included a phase-out of the language that allows for lapsing special education dollars to be redistributed to ISDs affected by itinerant caps enacted in 2003-04. (Sec. 51a(7))

7. Grants for Principal Training. House added language requiring the Department to, at a minimum, approve all training programs recommended by the Governor's Council on Educator Effectiveness, as eligible grantees under this new principal training program. (Sec. 95)

8. Michigan Virtual University. House did not concur with the Senate/Governor to allow the Michigan Virtual University to appoint an advisory council to make recommendations to accelerate innovation in the education system. (Sec. 98)

9. District Reporting on Planned Instructional Hours. House did not concur with Senate's proposal to remove a reporting requirement from districts on their planned instructional hours. (Sec. 101)

10. Deficit Elimination Plans. House did not concur with Senate to include a requirement that districts with approved deficit elimination plans post those plans on the districts' web sites. (Sec. 102)

11. FY 2011-12 MPSERS Reserve. House did not concur with the Senate to amend the current-year purpose for Section 147b, the MPSERS Reserve for Reforms. Senate proposed to appropriate this money to pay for the additional costs employers will face in the short-run associated with the "401k for health" for new hires proposed under Senate Bill 1040. (Sec. 147b)

Date Completed: 4-30-12 Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.