Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/477223
AEA Advocate | Spring 2015 7 AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL AT THE CAPITOL Continues on p. 32. Charter School Funding Reduction Reduces charter additional assistance funds by $10,268,900. Directs this reduction to be in non- classroom spending at charter schools. Infl ation Funding $85.3 million for 1.57% infl ation increase to the per student base level amount, the transportation route mile factor, and the charter school additional assistance. Also provides $74.4 million for the base level increase. This amount falls far short of what the court has ordered for infl ation funding. In July 2014 Judge Cooper ordered that the state must reset the base level to $3,559.62 for the 2013-2014 fi scal year. Governor Ducey's proposal only sets the base level at $3,481.23 which is $184.89 below what it should be in fi scal year 2015-2016—$3,666.12. Legislative Base Appropriately Adjusted Fiscal Year 1 Level 2 Infl ation 3 Base Level 4 FY 2008-2009 $3,291.42 N/A N/A FY 2009-2010 $3,267.72 2% $3,357.25 FY 2010-2011 $3,267.72 1.2% $3,397.54 FY 2011-2012 $3,267.72 0.9% $3,428.11 FY 2012-2013 $3,267.72 2% $3,496.68 FY 2013-2014 $3,326.54 1.8% $3,559.62 FY 2014-2015 $3,373.11 1.4% $3,609.45 FY 2015-2016 $3,481.23 1.57% $3,666.12 1 Fiscal Year: The applicable fi scal year. 2 Legislative Base Level: What the base level has actually been (as funded by the Legislature and Governor). 3 Infl ation: What the appropriate infl ation adjustment has been each year. 4 Appropriately Adjusted Base Level: What the base level would have been each year if adjustments had been consistently and properly made. Access Our Best Public Schools Fund (repeals "Student Success Funding") Repeals the "Student Success Funding" program created by the Brewer administration. Transfers $23.9 million that would have gone to this fund to create the "Access Our Best Public Schools Fund." This fund will be administered by the School Facilities Board to create options for "high-quality program expansion for both charter schools and district schools accepted into the Arizona Public School Achievement District." For high-performing charters, this fund may be used to expand existing facilities or construct new ones. The main purpose is to guarantee debt fi nancing. Requires that 50% of the approved projects for this fund be in low-income communities. Background: During the 2014-2015 school year, districts and charters received a total of $21.5 million statewide for the Student Success Funding program. This was former Governor Brewer's new program that rewarded schools in three ways: 1) students reaching or exceeding grade-level profi ciency, 2) students achieving above-average growth from the prior year, and 3) students graduating from high school. The proposal weighted student growth for students who did not meet grade-level profi ciency. The funding for the Student Success Funding program is repealed in the Ducey budget and remaining dollars are transferred to the Access Our Best Public Schools Fund. Ducey's proposal