§ 53F-4-518 — Small school student access to courses.

Subject to legislative appropriations and Subsection 53F-4-514(2), and notwithstanding Subsections 53F-4-509(2) and (3), the state board shall:
(1) use funds from an appropriation for the Statewide Online Education Program to pay for an online course fee described in Section 53F-4-505 for a student who is enrolled in a public high school that enrolls fewer than 1,000 students;
(2) after the funds described in Subsection (1) have been expended, make a deduction as described in Subsection 53F-4-507(3);
(3) establish a prioritized funding distribution system that evaluates and ranks schools based on:
(3)(a) the school's demonstrated inability to provide courses, including Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Concurrent Enrollment due to:
(3)(a)(i) insufficient student enrollment to justify full course sections;
(3)(a)(ii) geographic isolation from qualified instructors;
(3)(a)(iii) limited staff capacity to teach courses; or
(3)(a)(iv) financial constraints in hiring qualified instructors; and
(3)(b) the school's current access to college and career readiness programming;
(4) develop an annual assessment process to:
(4)(a) identify schools with the highest demonstrated need based on the criteria in Subsection (3); and
(4)(b) adjust funding priorities based on program outcomes;
(5) establish reporting requirements for recipient schools to:
(5)(a) document the use of allocated funds;
(5)(b) track student participation in online courses;
(5)(c) measure student achievement in funded courses; and
(5)(d) demonstrate ongoing need for continued funding; and
(6) at the request of the Education Interim Committee, submit a report that includes:
(6)(a) a list of schools receiving prioritized funding;
(6)(b) the basis for funding prioritization;
(6)(c) student participation and achievement data; and
(6)(d) recommendations for program improvement.

Legislative History

Amended by Chapter 534, 2025 General Session