PRINTER'S NO. 1601
No. 1292 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, MAY 5, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MAY 5, 2003
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," further providing for small district
6 assistance, for payments to intermediate units, for special
7 education payments to school districts; providing for basic
8 education funding; and making appropriations.
9 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
10 hereby enacts as follows:
11 Section 1. Section 2502.13 of the act of March 10, 1949
12 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949,
13 amended June 29, 2002 (P.L.524, No.88), is amended to read:
14 Section 2502.13. Small District Assistance.--For the 1984-
15 1985 and 1985-1986 school years, the Commonwealth shall pay to
16 each school district which has an average daily membership of
17 one thousand five hundred (1,500) or less and has a market
18 value/income aid ratio of five thousand ten-thousandths (0.5000)
19 or greater, an amount equal to fifty dollars ($50) multiplied by
20 that district's average daily membership. For the 1985-1986
1 school year, no school district shall receive less on account of
2 this section than it did for the 1984-1985 school year. For the
3 school year 1986-1987, the Commonwealth shall pay to each school
4 district which has an average daily membership of one thousand
5 five hundred (1,500) or less and has a market value/income aid
6 ratio of five thousand ten-thousandths (0.5000) or greater, or
7 received payments under this section for the 1985-1986 school
8 year, an amount equal to seventy-five dollars ($75) multiplied
9 by that district's average daily membership. For the school year
10 1987-1988, the Commonwealth shall pay to each school district
11 which has an average daily membership of one thousand five
12 hundred (1,500) or less and a market value/income aid ratio of
13 five thousand ten-thousandths (0.5000) or greater, or received
14 payments under this section for the 1986-1987 school year, an
15 amount equal to eighty-five dollars ($85) multiplied by that
16 district's average daily membership. For the school year 1988-
17 1989, the Commonwealth shall pay to each school district which
18 has an average daily membership of one thousand five hundred
19 (1,500) or less and a market value/income aid ratio of five
20 thousand ten thousandths (0.5000) or greater, or received
21 payments under this section for the 1987-1988 or 1988-1989
22 school year, an amount equal to one hundred five dollars ($105).
23 For the school year 1989-1990, the Commonwealth shall pay to
24 each school district which has an average daily membership of
25 one thousand five hundred (1,500) or less and a market
26 value/income aid ratio of five thousand ten-thousandths (0.5000)
27 or greater, or received payments under this section for the
28 1987-1988 school year, an amount equal to one hundred fifteen
29 dollars ($115) multiplied by the district's average daily
30 membership as provided for in section 212 of the act of July 1,
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1 1990 (P.L.1591, No.7A), known as the "General Appropriation Act
2 of 1990." For the school year 1990-1991, the Commonwealth shall
3 pay to each school district which has an average daily
4 membership of one thousand five hundred (1,500) or less and a
5 market value/income aid ratio of five thousand ten-thousandths
6 (0.5000) or greater, or received payments under this section for
7 the prior school year, an amount equal to one hundred seventy
8 dollars ($170) multiplied by that district's average daily
9 membership. For the school year 1990-1991, each school district
10 with a population per square mile of less than ninety (90),
11 which otherwise meets the average daily membership and market
12 value/income aid ratio requirements of this section, or received
13 payments under this section for the prior school year, shall
14 instead receive an amount equal to one hundred ninety dollars
15 ($190) multiplied by that district's average daily membership.
16 For the 1987-1988 school year through the 1990-1991 school year,
17 no school district shall receive less on account of this section
18 than it did for the prior school year. For the school year 1994-
19 1995, the Commonwealth shall pay to each school district which
20 has an average daily membership of one thousand five hundred
21 (1,500) or less and a market value/income aid ratio of five
22 thousand ten-thousandths (0.5000) or greater, an amount equal to
23 ninety five dollars ($95) multiplied by that district's average
24 daily membership. For each of the school years 1997-1998 through
25 1999-2000, the Commonwealth shall pay to each school district
26 which has an average daily membership of one thousand five
27 hundred (1,500) or less and a market value/income aid ratio of
28 five thousand ten-thousandths (0.5000) or greater an amount
29 equal to seventy-five dollars ($75) multiplied by that
30 district's average daily membership. For the school years 2000-
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1 2001 and 2001-2002, the Commonwealth shall pay to each school
2 district which has an average daily membership of one thousand
3 five hundred (1,500) or less an amount equal to seventy-five
4 dollars ($75) multiplied by that district's average daily
5 membership. For school year 2002-2003, the Commonwealth shall
6 pay to each school district which has a modified average daily
7 membership of one thousand (1,000) or less an amount equal to
8 five thousand four hundred ninety dollars ($5,490) times twenty
9 percent (20%) of the school district's modified average daily
10 membership times its market value/income aid ratio. For the
11 purposes of this section, modified average daily membership is
12 calculated by subtracting the product of one-half (0.5) times
13 the sum of the half-time and full-time kindergarten average
14 daily membership from the school district's average daily
15 membership.
16 Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
17 Section 2502.42. Basic Education Funding for 2002-2003
18 School Year.--(a) For the 2002-2003 school year, the
19 Commonwealth shall calculate an amount for each school district
20 which will be used for property tax reduction in 2003-2004
21 pursuant to Article VI-A, except that in school districts of the
22 first class the amount will be used for resident and nonresident
23 wage tax reduction in 2003-2004. The amount available for tax
24 reduction in each school district will equal the foundation
25 funding, adjusted for minimum and maximum property tax reduction
26 percentages, minus the basic education funding allocation for
27 the 2001-2002 school year pursuant to sections 2502.13 and
28 2502.40. The amount of funds identified for property tax and
29 wage tax reduction shall be placed in the Property Tax Relief
30 Trust Fund. The foundation funding shall consist of:
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1 (1) A base supplement calculated by multiplying the
2 foundation grant amount of five thousand four hundred ninety
3 dollars ($5,490) times the school district's 2002-2003 modified
4 average daily membership times its 2003-2004 market value/income
5 aid ratio. The modified average daily membership is calculated
6 by subtracting one-half (0.5) times the sum of the half-time and
7 full-time kindergarten average daily membership from the school
8 district's average daily membership.
9 (2) A limited English proficiency supplement calculated by
10 multiplying the foundation grant amount of five thousand four
11 hundred ninety dollars ($5,490) times twenty-five percent (25%)
12 of the school district's 2002-2003 modified average daily
13 membership times its 2003-2004 market value/income aid ratio.
14 (3) A poverty supplement calculated for qualifying school
15 districts as follows:
16 (i) If its 2001 personal income per modified average daily
17 membership is equal to or less than eighty-five thousand dollars
18 ($85,000), multiply six hundred fifteen dollars ($615) times its
19 modified average daily membership.
20 (ii) If its 2001 personal income per modified average daily
21 membership is greater than eighty-five thousand dollars
22 ($85,000) and equal to or less than one hundred thousand dollars
23 ($100,000), multiply one hundred fifty dollars ($150) times its
24 modified average daily membership.
25 (iii) If its 2001 personal income per modified average daily
26 membership is greater than one hundred thousand dollars
27 ($100,000) and equal to or less than one hundred fifteen
28 thousand dollars ($115,000), multiply seventy-five dollars ($75)
29 times its modified average daily membership.
30 (4) An amount as necessary so that the sum of the amounts
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1 under section 2502.13 and clauses (1), (2) and (3) and this
2 clause will equal the amount received in its 2001-2002 basic
3 education funding allocation pursuant to sections 2502.13 and
4 2502.40.
5 (b) Adjustments for minimum and maximum property tax
6 reductions pursuant to Article VI-A shall be calculated as
7 follows:
8 (1) If the school district's 2003-2004 market value/income
9 aid ratio is equal to or greater than four thousand five hundred
10 ten thousandths (0.4500) an amount will be provided as necessary
11 such that the amount available for property tax reduction is not
12 less than thirty percent (30%) of the property taxes. For the
13 purpose of this section, the property taxes will be calculated
14 by reducing the total property tax amount as reported by the
15 school district on its 2001-2002 annual financial report by an
16 amount equal to the percent of assessed valuations attributable
17 to industrial and commercial properties as certified by the
18 State Tax Equalization Board.
19 (2) If the school district's 2003-2004 market value/income
20 aid ratio is less than four thousand five hundred ten
21 thousandths (0.4500) an amount will be provided as necessary
22 such that the amount available for property tax reduction is not
23 less than fifteen percent (15%) of the property taxes.
24 (3) If the amount available for property tax reduction is
25 greater than sixty percent (60%) of the property taxes, the
26 amount available will be adjusted so that the property tax
27 reduction equals sixty percent (60%).
28 (c) For the 2002-2003 school year, the Commonwealth shall
29 pay to each school district a basic education funding allocation
30 which consists of the following:
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1 (1) An amount determined by adding subsection (a)(1) and (2)
2 and subtracting the amount designated for the Property Tax
3 Relief Trust Fund.
4 (2) A pro rata share of one hundred two million dollars
5 ($102,000,000) calculated as follows:
6 (i) Multiply the school district's 2003-2004 market
7 value/income aid ratio by its 2002-2003 average daily
8 membership.
9 (ii) Multiply the product of subclause (i) by one hundred
10 two million dollars ($102,000,000).
11 (iii) Divide the product from subclause (ii) by the sum of
12 the products for the market value/aid ratio multiplied by the
13 2002-2003 average daily membership for all school districts.
14 Section 3. Sections 2509.1 and 2509.5 of the act are amended
15 by adding subsections to read:
16 Section 2509.1. Payments to Intermediate Units.--* * *
17 (b.11) Up to nine million five hundred thousand dollars
18 ($9,500,000) may be utilized for programs administered and
19 operated by intermediate units during the 2003-2004 school year
20 for institutionalized children as established in subsection
21 (b.1).
22 * * *
23 Section 2509.5. Special Education Payments to School
24 Districts.--* * *
25 (ll) During the 2003-2004 school year, each school district
26 shall be paid the amount it received during the 2002-2003 school
27 year under subsection (kk).
28 (mm) During the 2003-2004 school year, nineteen million two
29 hundred and seventy-one thousand dollars ($19,271,000) of the
30 funds appropriated to the Department of Education for special
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1 education shall be used to provide supplemental funding for
2 special education to all school districts. The supplemental
3 funding shall be calculated as follows: multiply each school
4 district's 2003-2004 market value/income aid ratio by sixteen
5 percent (16%) of its 2002-2003 average daily membership and
6 multiply this product by nineteen million two hundred and
7 seventy-one thousand dollars ($19,271,000) and divide the
8 resultant product by the sum of the products of the 2003-2004
9 market value/income aid ratio multiplied by sixteen percent
10 (16%) of the 2002-2003 average daily membership for all school
11 districts.
12 Section 4. The sum of $25,625,000 is hereby appropriated
13 from the General Fund to school districts of the first class for
14 the fiscal period July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004.
15 Section 5. The sum of $56,762,000 is hereby appropriated
16 from the General Fund for vocational-technical education for the
17 fiscal period July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004. This amount
18 shall replace the appropriation contained in the act of March
19 20, 2003 (P.L. , No.1A), known as the General Appropriation
20 Act of 2003. Any money which has been appropriated and expended
21 under that act shall be deducted from this appropriation.
22 Section 6. The sum of $4,188,326,000 is hereby appropriated
23 from the General Fund for basic education funding for the fiscal
24 period July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004.
25 Section 7. The sum of $896,177,000 is hereby appropriated
26 from the General Fund for special education for the fiscal
27 period July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004. This amount shall
28 replace the similar appropriation contained in the act of March
29 20, 2003 (P.L. , No.1A), known as the General Appropriation Act
30 of 2003. Any money which has been appropriated and expended
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1 under that act shall be deducted from this appropriation.
2 Section 8. This act shall take effect immediately.
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