COURSES FOR NONPUBLIC STUDENTS S.B. 836: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 836 (as introduced 10-18-07)
Sponsor: Senator Gerald Van Woerkom
Committee: Education
Date Completed: 2-13-08
CONTENT
The bill would amend the State School Aid Act to revise the terms under which a district may receive State school aid for a nonpublic school student or home-schooled student enrolled in certain curricular offerings provided by the district.
Under the Act, a parent or legal guardian of a minor who is enrolled in a nonpublic school within a district, or who resides in a district and is being home-schooled, may enroll the minor in a curricular offering being provided by the district at the nonpublic school site.
State school aid may be provided for a minor under these provisions only if certain conditions are met. These include a requirement that the nonpublic school be located, or the nonpublic students be educated, within the geographic boundaries of either the district or a contiguous district operating under a cooperative program for which the district is a member and that is established for the purpose of providing nonessential elective courses to nonpublic school students.
The bill instead would require that the nonpublic school be located, or the nonpublic students be educated, within the geographic boundaries of the district, or if the district could not or would not provide all or some of the instruction, the portion of the instruction that the district could not or would not provide instead was provided by a contiguous district.
The other conditions that a curricular offering described above must meet are that it is scheduled during the regular school day; the instruction is provided directly by an employee of the district or of an intermediate school district; the curricular offering also is available during the regular school day at a public school site; and the curricular offering is restricted to nonessential elective courses for pupils in grades 1 through 12. A minor enrolled under these provisions is considered a part-time pupil for purposes of State school aid.
MCL 388.1766b Legislative Analyst: Curtis Walker
FISCAL IMPACT
If the bill resulted in more opportunities for children at nonpublic or home schools to be counted as part-time memberships in district-taught elective classes, then State school aid costs would increase. The increase would be equal to the number of additional part-time members newly taught (as a result of this bill) and counted in a district's membership, multiplied by the district's foundation allowance. This, then, would increase local school aid revenue by the same amount. It is estimated, though, that the fiscal impact of this legislation would be small.
Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers-Coty
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb836/0708