Bill Text: AZ SB1599 | 2023 | Fifty-sixth Legislature 1st Regular | Engrossed
Bill Title: School districts; teacher salaries; posting
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2023-03-20 - House Committee of the Whole action: Retained on the Calendar [SB1599 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2023-SB1599-Engrossed.html
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Senate Engrossed
school districts; teacher salaries; posting |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-sixth Legislature First Regular Session 2023
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SENATE BILL 1599 |
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An Act
amending section 15-903, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to school district budgets.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-903, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-903. Budget format; prohibited expenditures; annual report; civil penalty
A. The superintendent of public instruction in conjunction with the auditor general shall prepare and prescribe a budget format to be utilized used by all school districts.
B. The budget format shall be designed to allow all school districts to plan and provide in detail for the use of using available funds monies. The budget format shall contain distinct sections for, but need not be limited to, maintenance and operation, debt service, special projects, capital outlay, adjacent ways and classroom site fund. The maintenance and operation section shall include, but need not be limited to, separate subsections for regular education programs, special education programs and operational expenditures for pupil transportation. Each subsection shall clearly distinguish classroom instruction expenditures. The special education program subsection shall include a subtotal for the disability classifications as defined in section 15-761 and programs for gifted, vocational and technical education, remedial education and bilingual students. The total expenditures for each of these programs shall be included on the budget form. The pupil transportation subsection shall include all operational expenditures relating to the transportation of transporting pupils, including all operational expenditures within a contract if the school district contracts for pupil transportation.
C. The capital outlay section of the budget shall include a subsection for unrestricted capital outlay. The unrestricted capital outlay subsection shall include budgeted expenditures for acquisitions by purchase, lease-purchase or lease of capital items as defined in the uniform system of financial records and shall include:
1. Land, buildings and improvements to land and buildings, including labor and related employee benefits costs and material costs if work is performed by school district employees.
2. Furniture, furnishings, athletic equipment and other equipment, including computer software.
3. Pupil and nonpupil transportation vehicles and equipment, including all capital expenditures within a contract if the school district contracts for pupil transportation.
4. Textbooks and related printed subject matter materials adopted by the governing board.
5. Instructional aids.
6. Library books.
7. Payment of principal and interest on bonds.
8. School district administration emergency needs that are directly related to pupils.
D. The budget format shall contain distinct subsections for the following:
1. Special programs to improve academic achievement of pupils in kindergarten programs and grades one through three as provided in section 15-482.
2. School plant funds.
3. Capital outlay budget increases as provided in section 15-481.
4. Property taxation, including the following:
(a) The primary tax rates for the school district for the current year and the budget year.
(b) The secondary tax rates for maintenance and operation, K-3 and capital overrides for the school district for the current year and the budget year.
(c) The secondary tax rates for class A bonds for the school district for the current year and the budget year.
(d) The secondary tax rates for class B bonds for the school district for the current year and the budget year.
5. A description of any corrections or adjustments made to the budget pursuant to section 15-915.
E. The budget format shall also contain:
1. A statement identifying proposed pupil-teacher ratios and pupil-staff ratios relating to the provision of special education services for the budget year.
2. A statement identifying the number of full-time equivalent certified employees.
3. The prominent display of the average salary of all teachers employed by the school district for the current year. The school district shall also prominently post this information on its website home page separately from its budget.
4. The prominent display of the average salary of all teachers employed by the school district for the previous year. The school district shall also prominently post this information on its website home page separately from its budget.
5. The prominent display of the dollar increase in the average salary of all teachers employed by the school district for the current year. The school district shall also prominently post this information on its website home page separately from its budget.
6. The prominent display of the percentage increase in the average salary of all teachers employed by the school district for the current year. The school district shall also prominently post this information on its website home page separately from its budget.
F. The special projects section shall include budgeted expenditures for state special projects, including special adult projects, career education, deficiencies correction fund projects and new school facilities fund projects, such federal special projects as ESEA title programs, vocational education and title IV Indian education, and other special projects.
G. A school district shall not make expenditures for campaign literature associated with school district or charter school officials. If the superintendent of public instruction determines that a school district has violated this subsection, the superintendent of public instruction may withhold any portion of the school district's apportionment of state aid.
H. The budget format shall include an electronic format that shall be submitted for each proposed, adopted and revised budget.
I. On or before November 30 of each year, the department of education shall electronically submit to the joint legislative budget committee and the governor's office of strategic planning and budgeting a report that compiles the information required by subsection E, paragraphs 3 through 6 of this section for all school districts statewide. The department of education shall prominently post the report on the website maintained by the department.
J. Beginning January 1, 2024, and each year thereafter, if the department of education determines that a school district is in violation of one or more of the posting requirements prescribed in subsection E, paragraphs 3 through 6 of this section, the department shall notify the school district that it is in violation of this section and that the department may impose a civil penalty if the school district does not correct the violation. If the department of education determines that the school district has failed to correct the violation within sixty days after the notice is issued pursuant to this subsection, the department of education shall impose a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 for each day that the violation continues after the sixty-day period. Actions taken under this subsection are subject to appeal pursuant to Title 41, chapter 6, article 10.
