Bill Information

An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, adding definitions; further providing for background checks of prospective employees and conviction of employees of certain offenses, for fiscal year, for tax levy and limitations, and for per capita taxes; authorizing school districts to reopen their 2003-2004 budgets; imposing limitations on certain unreserved fund balances; repealing provisions relating to professional teacher assessment; further providing for residence and right to free school privileges, for cost of tuition and maintenance of certain exceptional children in approved institutions and for actual cost of tuition and maintenance of certain exceptional children in the four chartered schools for education of the deaf and the blind; providing for firefighter and emergency service training; amending provisions relating to the education support services program; providing for the educational assistance program and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program; defining "history of financial distress"; further providing for education empowerment list, for implementation of school district improvement plan by board of school directors, for education empowerment districts, for school improvement grants, for mandate waiver program and for definitions; providing for State System of Higher Education campus police powers and duties; imposing certain limitations on provisions relating to education empowerment; amending provisions relating to educational improvement tax credit; further providing for small district assistance and for temporary special aid to school districts suffering loss of tax revenue due to reduction in assessed valuation of taxable property; providing for basic education funding for 2002-2003 school year and for reimbursement of additional expenses related to basic education; further providing for payments to intermediate units, for special education payments to school districts, for extraordinary special education program expenses and for Commonwealth reimbursements for charter schools and cyber charter schools; providing for Pennsylvania accountability grants and Keystone educational accountability; further providing for powers and duties of the State Board of Education; providing for teacher recruitment assistance; and making a related repeal.