49-13-112 - Funding.
49-13-112. Funding.
(a) A local board of education shall allocate to the charter school an amount equal to the per student state and local funds received by the LEA and all appropriate allocations under federal law or regulation, including, but not limited to, Title I and ESEA funds. The allocation shall be in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the department of education. All funds received by a charter school shall be spent according to the budget submitted or as otherwise revised by the public charter school governing body, subject to the requirements of state and federal law. At the request of the charter school governing body, a local board of education may act as fiscal agent for a public charter school in accordance with the charter agreement and applicable state and federal law.
(b) The department of education shall promulgate rules and regulations that provide for the determination of the allocation of state and local funds as provided in subsection (a). The department shall promulgate the rules and regulations effective for the 2010-2011 school years. Notwithstanding § 4-5-209, any rules promulgated under this subsection (b) may be promulgated as emergency rules in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, part 2. At a minimum, the rules shall provide that:
(1) Allocations shall be based on one hundred percent (100%) of state and local funds received by the LEA, including current funds allocated for capital outlay purposes, excluding the proceeds of debt obligations and associated debt service;
(2) Student enrollments used in allocations shall be for the same period used in allocating state funds to the LEA under the basic education program (BEP); and
(3) Allocations to the charter school may not be reduced by the LEA for administrative, indirect or any other category of cost or charge except as specifically provided in a charter agreement.
(c) (1) Notwithstanding any provisions of chapter 3, part 3 of this title or this section to the contrary, the department of education shall calculate the amount of state funding required under the BEP for capital outlay as a non-classroom component to be received in a fiscal year by an LEA in which one (1) or more charter schools operate. The department shall reserve from the sum for such LEA the funds that constitute the amount due to charter schools operating in the LEA and shall not distribute such reserved amount to the LEA. The department shall distribute from the reserved amount directly to each charter school its total per pupil share as determined by its average daily membership (ADM). The per pupil share of each charter school shall be based on prior year ADM, except that the per pupil share of any charter school in its first year of operation shall be based on the anticipated enrollment in the charter agreement.
(2) Although the BEP does not require LEAs to expend specific amounts for the individual components by which the funds were generated, the per pupil funding required to be paid directly by the department to a charter school under this subsection (c) shall be used solely for charter school facilities. Such per pupil facilities aid may be used for rent for school facilities, construction, renovation of an existing school facility, leasehold improvements, debt service on a school facility or purchase of a building or land; provided, that no such funds shall be expended for purchase of land when the charter school does not have immediate plans to construct a building on the land.
(3) Notwithstanding subdivision (c)(1), the LEA shall include in the local share of funds paid to a charter school the required LEA match for the state funds generated under the BEP for capital outlay as a non-classroom component that are paid under this subsection (c) directly to a charter school as per pupil facilities aid.
(d) In order to comply with the requirements for allocating funds to the public charter school, the local board of education may provide liability or other forms of insurance pursuant to the charter agreement.
(e) A public charter school may also be funded by:
(1) (A) Federal grants;
(B) Grants, gifts, devises or donations from any private sources;
(C) State funds appropriated for the support of the public charter school, if any; and
(D) Any other funds that may be received by the local school district.
(2) Receipt of any such funds shall be reported to the chartering authority. Public charter schools, the local board of education and the state department of education are encouraged to apply for federal funds appropriated specifically for the support of public charter schools.
[Acts 2002, ch. 850, § 12; 2009, ch. 555, § 8; ]