§ 16-77.1-2. Operating costs.
(a) Operating costs of a charter public school shall be the total of the per pupil payments
for each student attending the charter public school. The per pupil payment for each
student shall be determined based on the per pupil cost for the district of residence
of each student. The state's share of the per pupil amount for each student attending
the charter public school shall be paid by the state directly to the charter public
school and shall be the percent, or share ratio, previously calculated under chapter
7 of this title; provided, that in no case shall the ratio be less than thirty percent
(30%), minus the five percent (5%) of per pupil cost designated for indirect cost
support to the student's school district as defined in subsection (b). The five percent
(5%) indirect cost amount shall be deducted from the district per pupil cost before
the state share is derived by applying the share ratio to the district per pupil cost.
The local share of the per pupil amount for each student attending the charter public
school shall be paid to the charter public school by the district of residence of
the student and shall be the per pupil cost for the district of residence of the student
minus the state share of that per pupil cost as designated in this section.
(b) In addition to all state aid to education paid to a local district pursuant to chapter
7.1 of this title, the state will pay an additional amount to the district for each
student from this district who is attending a charter public school. The additional
amount of state aid per pupil shall be five percent (5%) of the districts per pupil
cost. The additional state aid shall be for the purpose of assisting local school
districts to undertake the indirect costs borne by a district when its student attends
a charter public school.
(c) The state department of elementary and secondary education shall annually determine
both the state and local share of each charter public school's operating costs by
deriving the respective shares associated with each student reported as a member of
the charter public school as of June 30 of the reference year as defined in § 16-7-16(11) (or the enrollment as of October 1 of the current school year in the first year of
operation of a charter school). All other data used in this determination shall be
based upon the reference year as defined in § 16-7-16(11).
(d) The state shall make payments of its share of operating costs to each charter public
school on a quarterly basis in July, October, January, and April. The July and October
payments will be based upon the reported student membership of the charter public
school as of June 30 of the reference year as defined in § 16-7-16(11) (or the enrollment as of October 1 of the current school year in the first year of
operation of a charter school). Charter public schools will report current student
enrollment, including district of residence for school purposes of each student enrolled,
and each district will report current total district operating expenses and total
district enrollments (including district students enrolled in charter public schools)
annually by October 1. If the October 1 data on a charter public school's student
enrollment show a ten percent (10%) or greater increase or decrease in students from
the June membership count, the third and fourth quarter payments to the charter public
school will be adjusted to reflect actual student enrollment in the charter public
school.
(e) Local district payments to charter public schools for each district's students enrolled
in the charter public school shall also be made quarterly as designated in subsection
(d); the first local district payment shall be made by August 15 instead of July.
Any local school district more than thirty (30) days in arrears on a quarterly payment
for its student(s) enrolled in a charter public school shall have the amount of the
arrearage deducted from state aid to that district and the withheld arrearage shall
be paid by the state directly to the charter public school.
(f) Local school districts with student(s) enrolled in a charter public school shall continue
to report these students in the total census of district public school students and
will receive state aid for all these students pursuant to the provisions of chapter
7.1 of this title.
(g) All entitlements except those provided for in § 16-24-6.2 shall be ratably reduced if less than one hundred percent (100%) of the expenditures
is appropriated.
(h) For fiscal year 2007, the indirect aid paid to districts pursuant to this section
shall equal the amount received in the fiscal year 2006 enacted budget by the 2005
general assembly.