HOUSE BILL No. 4739

 

May 15, 2013, Introduced by Rep. Oakes and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

 

     A bill to amend 1979 PA 94, entitled

 

"The state school aid act of 1979,"

 

by amending section 11 (MCL 388.1611), as amended by 2012 PA 465,

 

and by adding section 22o.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 11. (1) Subject to subsection (3), for the fiscal year

 

ending September 30, 2013, there is appropriated for the public

 

schools of this state and certain other state purposes relating to

 

education the sum of $10,961,245,600.00 $10,961,845,600.00 from the

 

state school aid fund and the sum of $282,400,000.00 from the

 

general fund. In addition, all other available federal funds,

 

except those otherwise appropriated under section 11p, are

 

appropriated for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013.

 

     (2) The appropriations under this section shall be allocated


 

as provided in this article. Money appropriated under this section

 

from the general fund shall be expended to fund the purposes of

 

this article before the expenditure of money appropriated under

 

this section from the state school aid fund.

 

     (3) Any general fund allocations under this article that are

 

not expended by the end of the state fiscal year are transferred to

 

the school aid stabilization fund created under section 11a.

 

     Sec. 22o. (1) From the money appropriated under section 11,

 

there is allocated for 2012-2013 an amount not to exceed

 

$600,000.00 for payments to intermediate districts under this

 

section to ensure completion of the school year for qualifying

 

districts. An intermediate district is eligible for a payment under

 

this section if the intermediate district has a constituent

 

district that is a qualifying district and agrees to accept funds

 

on behalf of the qualifying district, to forward those funds to the

 

qualifying district, and to supervise the qualifying district's use

 

of those funds as described in subsection (2).

 

     (2) An intermediate district receiving funds under this

 

section shall use those funds only for forwarding to a qualifying

 

district for making payments for the personnel of the qualifying

 

district and other operational costs as necessary for the education

 

of pupils of the qualifying district for the remainder of the

 

school year ending in the current fiscal year. The intermediate

 

district shall supervise the expenditures of the funds to ensure

 

that they are used only for these purposes. A qualifying district

 

shall allow the intermediate district to have access to its records

 

for this supervision. If the intermediate district determines that


 

the qualifying district is using these funds for any other purpose

 

or that the district has failed to provide at least the minimum

 

number of hours and days of pupil instruction for the school year

 

as required under section 101, the intermediate district promptly

 

shall notify the department.

 

     (3) Payments that are received by an intermediate district and

 

forwarded to a qualifying district under this section shall be

 

recovered by the department by deducting the amount received by the

 

district from the district's payments under this act over the next

 

5 state fiscal years after the fiscal year in which the money is

 

received.

 

     (4) The amount of the payment to an intermediate district

 

under this section shall be an amount equal to the total amount

 

allocated under this section divided by the number of qualifying

 

districts statewide for the fiscal year in which the payments are

 

made.

 

     (5) Notwithstanding section 17b, the money allocated under

 

this section to an eligible intermediate district shall be paid in

 

a lump sum not later than 3 business days after the effective date

 

of this section.

 

     (6) As used in this section, "qualifying district" means a

 

district that meets all of the following:

 

     (a) Will not receive any additional state school aid payments

 

under this act after the April installment payment for the current

 

fiscal year due to negative adjustments made under this act.

 

     (b) Has had an operating deficit for the 3 consecutive fiscal

 

years including the current fiscal year, but not for a period


 

longer than that 3-fiscal-year period.

 

     (c) Has a foundation allowance for the current fiscal year, as

 

calculated under section 20, greater than $7,500.00.

 

     (d) The percentage of pupils in membership in the district who

 

met the income eligibility criteria for free breakfast, lunch, or

 

milk in the immediately preceding state fiscal year, as calculated

 

and reported in the manner prescribed under section 31a, was

 

greater than 85%.

 

     Enacting section 1. In accordance with section 30 of article I

 

of the state constitution of 1963, under article I of the state

 

school aid act of 1979, 1979 PA 94, MCL 388.1601 to 388.1896, as

 

amended by this amendatory act, by 2012 PA 465, and by 2012 PA 201,

 

total state spending on school aid from state sources for fiscal

 

year 2012-2013 is estimated at $11,244,245,600.00 and state

 

appropriations for school aid to be paid to local units of

 

government for fiscal year 2012-2013 are estimated at

 

$10,935,749,700.00.