WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCE S.B. 23:
SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 23 (as introduced 1-18-23)
CONTENT
The bill would allow a pupil who participated in a work-based learning experience or work-based learning experience related to a State-approved career and technical education program to be counted as not more than 0.75 full-time equated membership (FTE) in addition to the membership related to the pupil's concurrent enrollment in high school courses. The current rules allow for up to 0.5 FTE to be counted for these purposes, so the bill would increase that by 0.25 FTE. The total membership for the pupil could not exceed 1.0 FTE. The Department of Education could not promulgate a rule requiring a pupil described above to be counted as less than 0.75 FTE, but a district could count the pupil as less than 0.75 FTE to ensure that the pupil was able to meet the district's graduation requirements on time.
Additionally, the bill would appropriate $2.0 million from the School Aid Fund (SAF) for fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 for competitive grants to districts for extra costs incurred with regard to pupils who participated in the programs described above.
"Work-based learning experience" would mean a learning experience that was coordinated by a district or public school academy (PSA) through a training agreement with an employer providing a paid or unpaid educational experience relating to school instruction that may be offered as part of the pupil's schedule.
"Work-based learning experience related to a state-approved career and technical education program" would mean a learning experience related to a State-approved career and technical education program that is coordinated by a district or PSA through a training agreement with an employer providing an educational experience relating to school instruction that may be offered as part of the pupil's schedule.
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would increase gross appropriations and SAF appropriations by $2.0 million in FY 2022-23. If a district has an approved early middle college (EMC) program, and the student enrolled in the work-based learning experience used that experience to participate in the EMC program, extending high school for a fifth year, and the student would not have participated in the EMC program absent the changes in the bill, there would be additional costs to the SAF. For each pupil who remained in high school for an extra year, the SAF would be responsible for paying the foundation allowance as well as any related categorical funding for that pupil. It is unknown how many additional pupils would utilize the EMC program but, based on the target foundation allowance for FY 2023-24 ($9,608), if 1,000 pupils per year participated, the additional cost to the SAF for the foundation allowance would be $9.6 million.
This 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.