HOUSE BILL No. 4305

 

February 15, 2005, Introduced by Rep. Hummel 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 2004 PA 518.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 11. (1) In addition to all other appropriations under

 

this act for that fiscal year, for the fiscal year ending September

 

30, 2004, there is appropriated to the state school aid fund from

 

the unreserved balance in the general fund an amount equal to any

 

deficit balance that would otherwise exist in the state school aid

 

fund at bookclosing for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004.

 

For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005 2006, there is

 

appropriated for the public schools of this state and certain other

 

state purposes relating to education the sum of $10,909,200,000.00

 

$______________.00 from the state school aid fund established by

 

section 11 of article IX of the state constitution of 1963 and the


 

sum of $264,700,000.00 $___________.00 from the general fund. In

 

addition, available federal funds are appropriated for each of

 

those fiscal years.

 

     (2) The appropriations under this section shall be allocated

 

as provided in this act. Money appropriated under this section from

 

the general fund shall be expended to fund the purposes of this act

 

before the expenditure of money appropriated under this section

 

from the state school aid fund. If the maximum amount appropriated

 

under this section from the state school aid fund for a fiscal year

 

exceeds the amount necessary to fully fund allocations under this

 

act from the state school aid fund, that excess amount shall not be

 

expended in that state fiscal year and shall not lapse to the

 

general fund, but instead shall be deposited into the school aid

 

stabilization fund created in section 11a.

 

     (3) If the maximum amount appropriated under this section from

 

the state school aid fund and the school aid stabilization fund for

 

a fiscal year exceeds the amount available for expenditure from the

 

state school aid fund for that fiscal year, payments under sections

 

11f, 11g, 11j, 22a, 26a, 31d, 51a(2), 51a(12), 51c, 53a, and 56

 

shall be made in full. In addition, for districts beginning

 

operations after 1994-95 that qualify for payments under section

 

22b, payments under section 22b shall be made so that the

 

qualifying districts receive the lesser of an amount equal to the

 

1994-95 foundation allowance of the district in which the district

 

beginning operations after 1994-95 is located or $5,500.00. The

 

amount of the payment to be made under section 22b for these

 

qualifying districts shall be as calculated under section 22a, with


 

the balance of the payment under section 22b being subject to the

 

proration otherwise provided under this subsection and subsection

 

(4). Subject to subsection (5), if proration is necessary after

 

2002-2003, state payments under each of the other sections of this

 

act from all state funding sources shall be prorated in the manner

 

prescribed in subsection (4) as necessary to reflect the amount

 

available for expenditure from the state school aid fund for the

 

affected fiscal year. However, if the department of treasury

 

determines that proration will be required under this subsection,

 

or if the department of treasury determines that further proration

 

is required under this subsection after an initial proration has

 

already been made for a fiscal year, the department of treasury

 

shall notify the state budget director, and the state budget

 

director shall notify the legislature at least 30 calendar days or

 

6 legislative session days, whichever is more, before the

 

department reduces any payments under this act because of the

 

proration. During the 30 calendar day or 6 legislative session day

 

period after that notification by the state budget director, the

 

department shall not reduce any payments under this act because of

 

proration under this subsection. The legislature may prevent

 

proration from occurring by, within the 30 calendar day or 6

 

legislative session day period after that notification by the state

 

budget director, enacting legislation appropriating additional

 

funds from the general fund, countercyclical budget and economic

 

stabilization fund, state school aid fund balance, or another

 

source to fund the amount of the projected shortfall.

 

     (4) Subject to subsection (5), if proration is necessary, the


 

department shall calculate the proration in district and

 

intermediate district payments that is required under subsection

 

(3) as follows:

 

     (a) The department shall calculate the percentage of total

 

state school aid allocated under this act for the affected fiscal

 

year for each of the following:

 

     (i) Districts.

 

     (ii) Intermediate districts.

 

     (iii) Entities other than districts or intermediate districts.

 

     (b) The department shall recover a percentage of the proration

 

amount required under subsection (3) that is equal to the

 

percentage calculated under subdivision (a)(i) for districts by

 

reducing payments to districts. This reduction shall be made by

 

calculating an equal dollar amount per pupil as necessary to

 

recover this percentage of the proration amount and reducing each

 

district's total state school aid from state sources, other than

 

payments under sections 11f, 11g, 11j, 22a, 26a, 31d, 51a(2),

 

51a(12), 51c, and 53a, by that amount.

 

     (c) The department shall recover a percentage of the proration

 

amount required under subsection (3) that is equal to the

 

percentage calculated under subdivision (a)(ii) for intermediate

 

districts by reducing payments to intermediate districts. This

 

reduction shall be made by reducing the payments to each

 

intermediate district, other than payments under sections 11f, 11g,

 

26a, 51a(2), 51a(12), 53a, and 56, on an equal percentage basis.

 

     (d) The department shall recover a percentage of the proration

 

amount required under subsection (3) that is equal to the


 

percentage calculated under subdivision (a)(iii) for entities other

 

than districts and intermediate districts by reducing payments to

 

these entities. This reduction shall be made by reducing the

 

payments to each of these entities, other than payments under

 

sections 11j and 26a, on an equal percentage basis.

 

     (5) Beginning in 2004-2005, if a district has an emergency

 

financial manager in place under the local government fiscal

 

responsibility act, 1990 PA 72, MCL 141.1201 to 141.1291, payments

 

to that district are not subject to proration under this section.

 

     (6) Except for the allocation under section 26a, any general

 

fund allocations under this act that are not expended by the end of

 

the state fiscal year are transferred to the state school aid fund.

 

If it is determined at the May 2005 revenue estimating conference

 

conducted under section 367b of the management and budget act, 1984

 

PA 431, MCL 18.1367b, that there is additional school aid fund

 

revenue beyond that determined at the May 2004 revenue estimating

 

conference, then it is the intent of the legislature to enact

 

legislation to fund, to the extent that revenues are available, the

 

same programs in the same amount that were funded under section 81

 

in 2003 PA 236 and the same pupil membership formula as in effect

 

under 2003 PA 236.