Education, Administration

Section R277-419-5

Student Membership

Notice of Proposed Rule

(Amendment)

DAR File No.: 35905
Filed: 03/02/2012 03:18:12 PM

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

Section R277-419-5 is amended to make the rule consistent with state law in that, as of February 2012, public education students who are attending regional applied technology colleges (ATC) cannot be counted in student membership during the regular school day for the periods of ATC attendance.

Summary of the rule or change:

The amendment adds language to the rule prohibiting public education students from being counted for attendance purposes at public schools for the periods that the students attend ATCs. The amendment also deletes language that allows public education students to include travel time to ATCs as school attendance.

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

• Subsection 53A-1-402(1)(e)
• Subsection 53A-1-401(3)

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

There are no anticipated costs or savings to the state budget due to this amended rule. The Legislature withheld $5,000,000 from the Minimum School Program (MSP) to adjust for students who were claimed in public school enrollment while taking ATC classes.

local governments:

There are no anticipated costs or savings to local government due to this amended rule because the Utah State Office of Education previously adjusted MSP distribution to local education agencies to account for students attending ATCs during the regular school day.

small businesses:

There are no anticipated costs or savings to small businesses. This rule applies to public education and does not affect businesses.

persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities:

There are no anticipated costs or savings to persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local government entities. The amendment has decreased funding to public schools for students who attended ATC classes.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

There are no compliance costs for affected persons. Public schools will no longer claim state funding for students for the periods that students attend ATCs.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

I have reviewed this rule and I see no fiscal impact on businesses.

Larry K. Shumway, State Superintendent

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Education
Administration
250 E 500 S
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84111-3272

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

• Carol Lear at the above address, by phone at 801-538-7835, by FAX at 801-538-7768, or by Internet E-mail at carol.lear@schools.utah.gov

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

05/01/2012

This rule may become effective on:

05/08/2012

Authorized by:

Carol Lear, Director, School Law and Legislation

R277. Education, Administration.

R277-419. Pupil Accounting.

R277-419-5. Student Membership.

A. Eligibility

(1) In order to generate membership for funding through the MSP for any clock hour of instruction on any school day, a student shall:

(a) not have previously earned a basic high school diploma or certificate of completion;

(b) not be enrolled in a YIC program with a YIC time code other than ISI-1 or ISI-2;

(c) not be enrolled in a regional applied technology college created under Title 53B, Chapter 2a, Utah College of Applied Technology;

([c]d) not have unexcused absences on all of the prior ten consecutive school days;

([d]e) be a resident of Utah as defined under Sections 53A-2-201 through 213;

([e]f) be of compulsory school age or a retained senior;

([f]g)(i) be expected to attend a regular learning facility operated or recognized by the LEA on each regularly scheduled school day; or

(ii) have direct instructional contact with a licensed educator provided by the LEA at an LEA-sponsored center for tutorial assistance or at the student's place of residence or convalescence for at least 120 minutes each week during an expected period of absence, if physically excused from such a facility for an extended period of time, due to:

(A) injury, illness, surgery, suspension, pregnancy, pending court investigation or action; or

(B) an LEA determination that home instruction is necessary.

(2) Students may generate MSP funding by participation in an LEA-sponsored or LEA-supported virtual education program other than the Utah Electronic High School that is consistent with the student's SEOP, has been approved by the student's counselor, and includes regular face-to-face instruction or facilitation by a designated employee of the LEA.

B. Reporting

(1) LEAs shall report aggregate membership for each student via the School Membership field in the S1 record and special education membership in the SCRAM Membership field in the S2 record and YIC membership in the S3 record of the Year End upload of the Data Clearinghouse file.

(2) In the Data Clearinghouse, aggregate membership shall be expressed in days.

C. Calculations

(1) If a student was enrolled for only part of the school day or only part of the school year, the student's membership shall be prorated according to the number of hours, periods or credits for which the student actually was enrolled in relation to the number of hours, periods or credits for which a full-time student normally would have been enrolled. For example:

(a) If the student was enrolled for 4 periods each day in a 7 period school day for all 180 school days, the student's aggregate membership would be 4/7 of 180 days or 103 days.

(b) If the student was enrolled for 7 periods each day in a 7 period school day for 103 school days, the student's membership would also be 103 days.

(2) For students in grades 2 through 12, days in membership shall be calculated by the LEA using a method equivalent to the following: total clock hours of instruction for which the student was enrolled during the school year divided by 990 hours and then multiplied by 180 days and finally rounded up to the nearest whole day. For example, if a student was enrolled for only 900 hours during the school year, the student's aggregate membership would be (900/990)*180, and the LEA would report 164 days.

(3) For students in grade 1, the first term of the formula shall be adjusted to use 810 hours as the denominator.

(4) For students in kindergarten, the first term of the formula shall be adjusted to use 450 hours as the denominator.

D. Constraints

(1) The sum of regular plus self-contained special education and self-contained YIC membership days may not exceed 180 days;

(2) The sum of regular and resource special education membership days may not exceed 360 days;

(3) The sum of regular, ISI-1 and ISI-2 YIC membership days may not exceed 360 days.

E. Exceptions

LEAs may also count a student in membership for the equivalent in hours of up to:

(1) one period each school day, if the student has been:

(a) released by school upon parent's request during the school day for religious instruction or individual learning activity consistent with the student's SEOP; or

(b) exempted from school attendance under 53A-11-102 for home schooling and participates in one or more extracurricular activities under R277-438;

[ (2) two periods each school day for time spent in bus travel during the regular school day to and from UCAT facilities, if the student is enrolled in CTE instruction consistent with the student's SEOP;

] ([3]2) all periods each school day, if the student is enrolled in:

(a) a concurrent enrollment program that satisfies all the criteria of R277-713;

(b) a private school without religious affiliation under a contract initiated by an LEA which directs that the instruction be paid by public funds. Contracts shall be approved by the LEA board in an open meeting.

(c) a foreign exchange student program under 53A-2-206[(2)(i)(B)](8).

(d) Electronic High School [or UCAT classes]courses for credit which meet curriculum requirements, consistent with the student's SEOP and following written school counselor approval.

(e) a school operated by an LEA under a Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind IEP:

(i) students may only be counted in (S1) membership and shall not have an S2 record;

(ii) the S2 record for these students shall only be submitted by the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.

 

KEY: education finance, school enrollment

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: [December 8, 2011]2012

Notice of Continuation: October 5, 2007

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: Art X Sec 3; 53A-1-401(3); 53A-1-402(1)(e); 53A-1-404(2); 53A-1-301(3)(d); 53A-3-404; 53A-3-410