CHAPTER 172
SUPPORT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. TRANSPORTATION

      Sec. 10-262f. Definitions. Whenever used in this section and sections 10-262h to 10-262j, inclusive:

      (1) "Adjusted equalized net grand list" means the equalized net grand list of a town multiplied by its income adjustment factor.

      (2) "Base aid ratio" means one minus the ratio of a town's wealth to the state guaranteed wealth level, provided no town's aid ratio shall be less than nine one-hundredths, except for towns which rank from one to twenty when all towns are ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine based on the ratio of the number of children below poverty to the number of children age five to seventeen, inclusive, the town's aid ratio shall not be less than thirteen one-hundredths when based on data used to determine the grants pursuant to section 10-262h for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.

      (3) "Income adjustment factor" means the average of a town's per capita income divided by the per capita income of the town with the highest per capita income in the state and a town's median household income divided by the median household income of the town with the highest median household income in the state.

      (4) "Median household income" for each town means that enumerated in the most recent federal decennial census of population or that enumerated in the current population report series issued by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, whichever is more recent and available on January first of the fiscal year two years prior to the fiscal year in which payment is to be made pursuant to section 10-262i.

      (5) "Supplemental aid factor" means for each town the average of its percentage of children eligible under the temporary family assistance program and its grant mastery percentage.

      (6) "Percentage of children eligible under the temporary family assistance program" means the town's number of children under the temporary family assistance program divided by the number of children age five to seventeen, inclusive, in the town.

      (7) "Average mastery percentage" means for each school year the average of the three most recent mastery percentages available on December first of the school year.

      (8) "Equalized net grand list", for purposes of calculating the amount of grant to which any town is entitled in accordance with section 10-262h, means the average of the net grand lists of the town upon which taxes were levied for the general expenses of the town two, three and four years prior to the fiscal year in which such grant is to be paid, provided such net grand lists are equalized in accordance with section 10-261a.

      (9) "Foundation" means (A) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, three thousand nine hundred eighteen dollars, (B) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, four thousand one hundred ninety-two dollars, (C) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, four thousand four hundred eighty-six dollars, (D) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1993, June 30, 1994, and June 30, 1995, four thousand eight hundred dollars, (E) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, June 30, 1997, and June 30, 1998, five thousand seven hundred eleven dollars, (F) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, five thousand seven hundred seventy-five dollars, (G) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, to June 30, 2007, inclusive, five thousand eight hundred ninety-one dollars, and (H) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, to June 30, 2012, inclusive, nine thousand six hundred eighty-seven dollars.

      (10) "Number of children age five to seventeen, inclusive" means that enumerated in the most recent federal decennial census of population or enumerated in the current population report series issued by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, whichever is more recent and available on January first of the fiscal year two years prior to the fiscal year in which payment is to be made pursuant to section 10-262i.

      (11) "Supplemental aid ratio" means .04 times the supplemental aid factor of a town divided by the highest supplemental aid factor when all towns are ranked from low to high, provided any town whose percentage of children eligible under the temporary family assistance program exceeds twenty-five shall have a supplemental aid ratio of .04.

      (12) "Grant mastery percentage" means (A) for the school year ending June 30, 1989, average mastery percentage, and (B) for the school years ending June 30, 1990, through the school year ending June 30, 1995, the average mastery percentage plus the mastery improvement bonus, and (C) for each school year thereafter, the average mastery percentage.

      (13) "Mastery count" of a town means for each school year the grant mastery percentage of the town multiplied by the number of resident students.

      (14) "Mastery improvement bonus" means for each school year through the school year ending June 30, 1995, seventy-five per cent of the difference between (A) the grant mastery percentage for the previous school year, and (B) the average mastery percentage for the school year, but not less than zero.

      (15) "Mastery percentage" of a town for any school year means, using the mastery test data of record for the examination administered in such year, the number obtained by dividing (A) the total number of valid tests with scores below the state-wide standard for remedial assistance as determined by the Department of Education in each subject of the examinations pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of section 10-14n taken by resident students, by (B) the total number of such valid tests taken by such students.

      (16) "Mastery test data of record" means (A) for any examination administered prior to the 2005-2006 school year, the data of record on the April thirtieth subsequent to the administration of the examinations pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of section 10-14n, except that school districts may, not later than the March first following the administration of an examination, file a request with the Department of Education for an adjustment of the mastery test data from such examination, and (B) for examinations administered in the 2005-2006 school year and each school year thereafter, the data of record on the December thirty-first subsequent to the administration of the examinations pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (c) of section 10-14n, or such data adjusted by the Department of Education pursuant to a request by a local or regional board of education for an adjustment of the mastery test data from such examination filed with the department not later than the November thirtieth following the administration of the examination.

      (17) "Number of children under the temporary family assistance program" means the number obtained by adding together the unduplicated aggregate number of children five to eighteen years of age eligible to receive benefits under the temporary family assistance program or its predecessor federal program, as appropriate, in October and May of each fiscal year, and dividing by two, such number to be certified and submitted annually, no later than the first day of July of the succeeding fiscal year, to the Commissioner of Education by the Commissioner of Social Services.

      (18) "Per capita income" for each town means that enumerated in the most recent federal decennial census of population or that enumerated in the current population report series issued by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, whichever is more recent and available on January first of the fiscal year two years prior to the fiscal year in which payment is to be made pursuant to section 10-262i.

      (19) "Regional bonus" means, for any town which is a member of a regional school district and has students who attend such regional school district, an amount equal to one hundred dollars for each such student enrolled in the regional school district on October first or the full school day immediately preceding such date for the school year prior to the fiscal year in which the grant is to be paid multiplied by the ratio of the number of grades, kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, in the regional school district to thirteen.

      (20) "Regular program expenditures" means (A) total current educational expenditures less (B) expenditures for (i) special education programs pursuant to subsection (h) of section 10-76f, (ii) pupil transportation eligible for reimbursement pursuant to section 10-266m, (iii) land and capital building expenditures, and equipment otherwise supported by a state grant pursuant to chapter 173, including debt service, provided, with respect to debt service, the principal amount of any debt incurred to pay an expense otherwise includable in regular program expenditures may be included as part of regular program expenditures in annual installments in accordance with a schedule approved by the Department of Education based upon substantially equal principal payments over the life of the debt, (iv) health services for nonpublic school children, (v) adult education, (C) expenditures directly attributable to (i) state grants received by or on behalf of school districts except grants for the categories of expenditures listed in subparagraphs (B)(i) to (B)(v), inclusive, of this subdivision and except grants received pursuant to section 10-262i and section 10-262c of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 1987, and except grants received pursuant to chapter 173, (ii) federal grants received by or on behalf of school districts except for adult education and federal impact aid, and (iii) receipts from the operation of child nutrition services and student activities services, (D) expenditures of funds from private and other sources, and (E) tuition received on account of nonresident students. The town of Woodstock may include as part of the current expenses of its public schools for each school year the amount expended for current expenses in that year by Woodstock Academy from income from its endowment funds upon receipt from said academy of a certified statement of such current expenses. The town of Winchester may include as part of the current expenses of its public school for each school year the amount expended for current expenses in that year by the Gilbert School from income from its endowment funds upon receipt from said school of a certified statement of such current expenses.

      (21) "Regular program expenditures per need student" means, in any year, the regular program expenditures of a town for such year divided by the number of total need students in the town for such school year, provided for towns which are members of a kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district and for such regional school district, "regular program expenditures per need student" means, in any year, the regular program expenditures of such regional school district divided by the sum of the number of total need students in all such member towns.

      (22) "Resident students" means the number of pupils of the town enrolled in public schools at the expense of the town on October first or the full school day immediately preceding such date, provided the number shall be decreased by the Department of Education for failure to comply with the provisions of section 10-16 and shall be increased by one one-hundred-eightieth for each full-time equivalent school day in the school year immediately preceding such date of at least five hours of actual school work in excess of one hundred eighty days and nine hundred hours of actual school work and be increased by the full-time equivalent number of such pupils attending the summer sessions immediately preceding such date at the expense of the town; "enrolled" shall include pupils who are scheduled for vacation on the above date and who are expected to return to school as scheduled. Pupils participating in the program established pursuant to section 10-266aa shall be counted in accordance with the provisions of subsection (h) of section 10-266aa.

      (23) "Schools" means nursery schools, kindergarten and grades one to twelve, inclusive.

      (24) "State guaranteed wealth level" means (A) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, 1.8335 times the town wealth of the town with the median wealth as calculated using the data of record on December first of the fiscal year prior to the year in which the grant is to be paid pursuant to section 10-262i, (B) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1991, and 1992, 1.6651 times the town wealth of the town with such median wealth, (C) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1993, June 30, 1994, and June 30, 1995, 1.5361 times the town wealth of the town with the median wealth, (D) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, to June 30, 2007, inclusive, 1.55 times the town wealth of the town with the median wealth, and (E) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and each fiscal year thereafter, 1.75 times the town wealth of the town with the median wealth.

      (25) "Total need students" means the sum of (A) the number of resident students of the town for the school year, except that for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2008, such number shall be reduced by one-quarter of the number resident students of the town for the school year enrolled in full-time approved interdistrict magnet school programs pursuant to section 10-264l, (B) (i) for any school year commencing prior to July 1, 1998, one-quarter the number of children under the temporary family assistance program for the prior fiscal year, and (ii) for the school years commencing July 1, 1998, to July 1, 2006, inclusive, one-quarter the number of children under the temporary family assistance program for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, (C) for school years commencing July 1, 1995, to July 1, 2006, inclusive, one-quarter of the mastery count for the school year, (D) for school years commencing July 1, 1995, to July 1, 2006, inclusive, ten per cent of the number of eligible children, as defined in subdivision (1) of section 10-17e, for whom the board of education is not required to provide a program pursuant to section 10-17f, (E) for the school year commencing July 1, 2007, and each school year thereafter, fifteen per cent of the number of eligible students, as defined in subdivision (1) of section 10-17e, for whom the board of education is not required to provide a program pursuant to section 10-17f, and (F) for the school year commencing July 1, 2007, and each school year thereafter, thirty-three per cent of the number of children below the level of poverty.

      (26) "Town wealth" means the average of a town's adjusted equalized net grand list divided by its total need students for the fiscal year prior to the year in which the grant is to be paid and its adjusted equalized net grand list divided by its population.

      (27) "Population" of a town means that enumerated in the most recent federal decennial census of population or that enumerated in the current population report series issued by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census available on January first of the fiscal year two years prior to the fiscal year in which a grant is to be paid, whichever is most recent; except that any town whose enumerated population residing in state and federal institutions within such town and attributed to such town by the census exceeds forty per cent of such "population" shall have its population adjusted as follows: Persons who are incarcerated or in custodial situations, including, but not limited to jails, prisons, hospitals or training schools or persons who reside in dormitory facilities in schools, colleges, universities or on military bases shall not be counted in the "population" of a town.

      (28) "Base revenue" for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, means the sum of the grant entitlements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, of a town pursuant to section 10-262h and subsection (a) of section 10-76g, including its proportional share, based on enrollment, of the revenue paid pursuant to section 10-76g, to the regional district of which the town is a member, and for each fiscal year thereafter means the amount of each town's entitlement pursuant to section 10-262h minus its density supplement, as determined pursuant to subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of section 10-262h, except that for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, each town's entitlement shall be determined without using the adjustments made to the previous year's grant pursuant to subparagraph (M) of subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of section 10-262h, except that for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, each town's entitlement shall be determined without using the adjustments made to the previous year's grant pursuant to subparagraph (N) of subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of section 10-262h.

      (29) "Density" means the population of a town divided by the square miles of a town.

      (30) "Density aid ratio" means the product of (A) the density of a town divided by the density of the town in the state with the highest density, and (B) .006273.

      (31) "Mastery goal improvement count" means the product of (A) the difference between the percentage of state-wide mastery examination scores, pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of section 10-14n, at or above the mastery goal level for the most recently completed school year and the percentage of such scores for the prior school year, and (B) the resident students of the town, or zero, whichever is greater.

      (32) "Target aid" means the sum of (A) the product of a town's base aid ratio, the foundation level and the town's total need students for the fiscal year prior to the year in which the grant is to be paid, (B) the product of a town's supplemental aid ratio, the foundation level and the sum of the portion of its total need students count described in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of subdivision (25) of this section for the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the grant is to be paid, and the adjustments to its resident student count described in subdivision (22) of this section relative to length of school year and summer school sessions, and (C) the town's regional bonus.

      (33) "Fully funded grant" means the sum of (A) the product of a town's base aid ratio, the foundation level and the town's total need students for the fiscal year prior to the year in which the grant is to be paid, and (B) the town's regional bonus.

      (34) "Number of children below the level of poverty" means the number of children, ages five to seventeen, inclusive, in families in poverty, as determined under Part A of Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act, P.L. 107-110. The count for member towns of regional school districts shall be the sum of towns' initial determination under Title I and the proportionate share of the regional districts determination based member enrollment in the regional district.

      (35) "Current program expenditures" means (A) total current educational expenditures less (B) expenditures for (i) land and capital building expenditures, and equipment otherwise supported by a state grant pursuant to chapter 173, including debt service, provided, with respect to debt service, the principal amount of any debt incurred to pay an expense otherwise includable in current program expenditures may be included as part of current program expenditures in annual installments in accordance with a schedule approved by the Department of Education based upon substantially equal principal payments over the life of the debt, (ii) health services for nonpublic school children, and (iii) adult education, (C) expenditures directly attributable to (i) state grants received by or on behalf of school districts except grants for the categories of expenditures listed in subparagraphs (B)(i) to (B)(iii), inclusive, of this subdivision and except grants received pursuant to section 10-262i and section 10-262c of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 1987, and except grants received pursuant to chapter 173, (ii) federal grants received by or on behalf of school districts except for adult education and federal impact aid, and (iii) receipts from the operation of child nutrition services and student activities services, (D) expenditures of funds from private and other sources, and (E) tuition received on account of nonresident students. The town of Woodstock may include as part of the current expenses of its public schools for each school year the amount expended for current expenses in that year by Woodstock Academy from income from its endowment funds upon receipt from said academy of a certified statement of such current expenses. The town of Winchester may include as part of the current expenses of its public school for each school year the amount expended for current expenses in that year by the Gilbert School from income from its endowment funds upon receipt from said school of a certified statement of such current expenses.

      (36) "Current program expenditures per resident student" means, in any year, the current program expenditures of a town for such year divided by the number of resident students in the town for such school year.

      (37) "Base aid" means the amount of the grant pursuant to section 10-262h that a town was eligible to receive for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007.

      (P.A. 88-358, S. 1, 9; P.A. 89-124, S. 2-4, 13; 89-355, S. 7-9, 20; P.A. 90-225, S. 4-6, 10; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7, S. 10, 22; P.A. 92-262, S. 24, 25, 42; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-14, S. 3, 11; P.A. 93-145, S. 1, 6; 93-262, S. 1, 87; 93-353, S. 48, 52; P.A. 95-226, S. 1, 30; P.A. 96-161, S. 7, 13; 96-244, S. 23, 24, 63; P.A. 97-290, S. 24, 29; 97-318, S. 1, 12; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 13, 165; P.A. 98-168, S. 14, 26; 98-252, S. 18, 80; P.A. 99-217, S. 1-4, 8; 99-289, S. 8, 11; P.A. 00-187, S. 13, 75; 00-220, S. 14, 43; P.A. 01-173, S. 22, 67; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1, S. 1-3, 54; P.A. 03-76, S. 21, 22; 03-278, S. 115; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 22, 24; P.A. 05-13, S. 2, 3; 05-245, S. 29; P.A. 07-241, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 61; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 48.)

      History: P.A. 89-124 redefined "regional bonus" to add a provision that the regional bonus is for towns which are members of regional school districts, to provide that the bonus equals $25 for each student enrolled in the regional school district on October first or the immediately preceding full school day rather than for each resident student and made a technical change, redefined "regular program expenditures" to substitute "capital building expenditures" for "buildings" in Subpara. (B)(iii), transferred Subpara. (C)(i) re tuition received on account of nonresident students to new Subpara (E) and renumbered the subparagraph, in new Subpara. (C)(i) excepted grants received pursuant to Sec. 10-257f and chapter 173 and added new Subpara. (D) re expenditures of funds from private and other sources, and in Subdiv. (18) added a definition of "regular program expenditures per need student" for towns which are members of certain regional school districts and for such school districts; P.A. 89-355 redefined "education enhancement aid" by substituting 4.5% for 5% as the amount to be added to base aid for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, in Subpara. (A) and by substituting 4.5% for 5% as the amount to be added to the previous year's education enhancement aid for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, and each fiscal year thereafter in Subpara. (B), redefined "minimum aid" by substituting one-half of 1% for 1% as the amount to be added to base aid for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, in Subpara. (A) and by substituting 0.5% for 1% as the amount to be added to the previous year's minimum aid for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, and each fiscal year thereafter in Subpara. (B), and redefined "state guaranteed wealth level" by substituting 1.8335 for two as the number to be multiplied by the town wealth of the town with the median wealth; P.A. 90-225 in Subdiv. (5) redefined "education enhancement aid" to be for towns which rank seventeen to one hundred sixty-nine in wealth rather than for towns which in a certain fiscal year did not receive certain educational equalization grants and for the fiscal years after the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, added that education enhancement aid can be the previous year's minimum aid, if applicable, and reduced the additional percentage from 4.5% to 4%; Subdiv. (13) redefined "minimum aid" to be for towns which rank one to sixteen in wealth rather than for towns which in a certain fiscal year did not receive certain educational equalization grants and for the fiscal years after June 30, 1990, added that minimum aid means the previous year's minimum aid or education enhancement aid rather than the previous year's minimum aid plus one-half of 1% and in Subdiv. (22) redefined "state guaranteed wealth level" to be 1.6651 times the town wealth of the town with the median wealth for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, and thereafter; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7 amended Subdivs. (5) and (13) to substitute "the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992" for "each fiscal year thereafter" and amended Subdiv. (17) to remove a reference to welfare services for nonpublic school children; P.A. 92-262 amended Subdiv. (22) to add 1992 in Subpara. (B) and to add Subpara. (C) pertaining to fiscal year 1993 and ensuing years and added Subdivs. (28) and (29) defining "equalized mill rate" and "grand levy"; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-14 amended Subdiv. (29) to add "net taxable"; (Revisor's note: In 1993 an obsolete reference in Subdiv. (14) to repealed Sec. 17-107 was replaced editorially by the Revisors with reference to Sec. 17-106); P.A. 93-145 amended Subdiv. (7)(D) to include the fiscal years ending June 30, 1994, and June 30, 1995, and Subdiv. (7)(E) to replace the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-353 amended Subdivs. (11) and (12) defining "mastery percentage" and "mastery test data of record" to remove a reference to Sec. 10-14n(c), effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-226 revised the definitions of "adjusted equalized net grand list", "base aid ratio", "foundation", "grant mastery percentage", "mastery improvement bonus", "mastery percentage", "regular program expenditures", "resident students", "state guaranteed wealth level", "total need students" and "town wealth", added the definitions of "income adjustment factor", "median household income", "supplemental aid factor", "percentage of children eligible under the aid to families with dependent children program", "number of children age five to seventeen, inclusive", "supplemental aid ratio", "population", "base revenue", "density", "density aid ratio" and "mastery goal improvement count", deleted definitions, made technical changes and renumbered, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-161 redefined "resident students" to change the basis for decreases and increases to correspond to the requirements of Sec. 10-16 and to rewrite the provision concerning the counting of students attending summer sessions, effective June 3, 1996; P.A. 96-244 amended Subdiv. (20) to make technical changes, deleting references to Secs. 10-257b to 10-257d, inclusive, and 10-257f, repealed elsewhere in the act, and amended Subdiv. (29) to substitute "enrollment" for "resident student counts", effective July 1, 1996 (Revisor's note: P.A. 96-244 omitted the closing sentence of Subdiv. (20) re inclusion of Gilbert School expenses as part of public school expenses of the town of Winchester. Since the provision was not enclosed within brackets the omission has been treated as a clerical error and the provision, as enacted by section 1 of public act 95-226, preserved); P.A. 97-290 amended Subdiv. (22) to add provision concerning pupils participating in the program established pursuant to Sec. 10-266aa, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 97-318 amended Subdiv. (9) to add June 30, 1998, and June 30, 1999, made a technical change in Subdiv. (13) and deleted former Subdiv. (23) defining "resident students in regular programs", renumbering the remaining Subdivs., effective July 1, 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 replaced references to "aid to families with dependent children" with "temporary family assistance", effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-168 amended the definition of "foundation" in Subpara. (E) of Subdiv. (9)(E) to increase the amount to $5,775, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 98-252 made technical changes in Subdivs. (5) and (11), effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-217 amended Subdiv. (2) to substitute "six one-hundredths" for "zero", amended Subdiv. (9) to add provisions pertaining to the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, and June 30, 2001, and to make technical changes, amended Subdiv. (17) to add reference to the predecessor federal program to the temporary family assistance program, and amended Subdiv. (25) to add provision in Subpara. (B)(ii) and to make the existing language in Subpara. (B)(i) apply to school years commencing prior to July 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 99-289 amended Subdiv. (22) to remove an obsolete reference, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-187 amended Subdiv. (19) to increase the amount from $25 to $100, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 00-220 amended Subdiv. (22) to make a technical change, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 amended Subdiv. (22) to make a technical change, effective July 1, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 amended Subdiv. (9)(G) to apply the amount through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, amended Subdiv. (28) to add exception for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, and added Subdiv. (32) defining "target aid", effective July 1, 2001 (Revisor's note: In Subdiv. (28), the word "of" was added editorially by the Revisors after "subdivision (6)" and before "subsection (a)" for clarity and proper form); P.A. 03-76 made technical changes in Subdivs. (16) and (20), effective June 3, 2003; P.A. 03-278 made a technical change in Subdiv. (22), effective July 9, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subdiv. (9)(G) to apply amount through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, and amended Subdiv. (28) by adding provision re town's entitlement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 05-13 made technical changes in Subdivs. (15), (16) and (31), effective May 4, 2005; P.A. 05-245 amended Subdiv. (9)(G) to apply amount through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 07-241 redefined "mastery percentage" in Subdiv. (15) to eliminate reference to examination year and redefined "mastery test data of record" in Subdiv. (16) to limit existing language to examinations administered prior to 2005-2006 school year, designate existing language as Subpara. (A) and add Subpara. (B) re examinations administered in 2005-2006 school year and each school year thereafter, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subdiv. (2) to redefine "base aid ratio" to be no less than nine one-hundredths, except for towns ranked one to twenty when ranked in descending order based on ratio of children below poverty to number of children age five to seventeen, amended Subdiv. (9) to define "foundation" for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, to June 30, 2012, in Subpara. (H), amended Subdiv. (24) to redefine "state guaranteed wealth level" for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and each fiscal year thereafter, in Subpara. (E), amended Subdiv. (25) to redefine "total need students" to provide exception for fiscal year commencing July 1, 2008, in Subpara. (A), to terminate provision in Subpara. (B)(ii) with school year ending June 30, 2006, to provide that provisions in Subparas. (C) and (D) apply to school years commencing July 1, 1995, to July 1, 2006, and to add Subparas. (E) and (F) to apply to school years commencing on and after July 1, 2007, added Subdiv. (33) to define "fully funded grant", added Subdiv. (34) to define "number of children below the level of poverty", added Subdiv. (35) to define "current program expenditures", added Subdiv. (36) to define "current program expenditures per resident student", added Subdiv. (37) to define "base aid" and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subdiv. (35) to change references to regular program expenditures to current program expenditures and amended Subdiv. (36) to eliminate proviso re towns which are members of kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school districts, effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-262h. Equalization aid grant calculations. (a) Each town maintaining public schools according to law shall be entitled to an equalization aid grant as follows:

      (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, a grant in an amount equal to the sum of (A) the town's base aid and (B) twenty-one and one-half per cent of the difference between the town's target grant and its base aid;

      (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, a grant in an amount equal to the sum of (A) the town's base aid and (B) forty-five per cent of the difference between the town's target grant and its base aid;

      (3) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, a grant in an amount equal to the sum of (A) the town's base aid plus seventy-one per cent of the difference between the town's target grant aid and its base aid and (B) for towns whose minimum aid or enhancement aid, whichever is applicable, is more than the amount determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, a percentage, determined pursuant to subparagraph (C) of this subdivision, of the difference between such minimum aid or enhancement aid, whichever is applicable, and the amount determined pursuant to said subparagraph (A). (C) Such percentage shall be determined as follows: (i) Towns whose minimum aid or enhancement aid, whichever is applicable, is more than the amount determined pursuant to said subparagraph (A) shall be ranked in descending order based on the average of the grant mastery percentage of such town, as defined in subdivision (8) of section 10-262f, for the school year prior to the school year in which the grant is to be paid and the ratio of the number of children in such town under the aid to families with dependent children program, as defined in subdivision (14) of said section, to the resident students of such town, as defined in subdivision (19) of said section, for the school year two years prior to the fiscal year in which the grant is to be paid, (ii) based upon such ranking, a percentage of not more than eighty and not less than thirty-eight and two-tenths shall be determined for each town on a continuous scale, except that the percentage for minimum aid towns shall be twenty-five per cent;

      (4) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, a grant in the amount equal to the sum of (A) the product of the town's aid ratio, the foundation level and the town's total need students for the prior school year, and (B) the town's regional bonus, and (C) for any town whose grant is less than the grant it received in the previous fiscal year, the product of such difference and the sum of such town's grant mastery percentage, as defined in subdivision (8) of section 10-262f, for the school year prior to the school year in which the grant is to be paid and the ratio of the number of children in such town under the aid to families with dependent children program, as defined in subdivision (14) of said section 10-262f, to the resident students of such town, as defined in subdivision (19) of said section 10-262f, for the school year two years prior to the fiscal year in which the grant is to be paid, except such sum shall be adjusted to the greater amount as follows: (i) If such sum is forty or more it shall be multiplied by two, (ii) for towns whose rank when all towns are ranked in ascending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine based on equalized mill rate is greater than eighty-five, such sum shall be fifty and (iii) for towns which received payments pursuant to section 32-9s, during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, such sum shall be fifty, and (D) provided no town shall receive a grant greater than one hundred four and thirty-five hundredths per cent of its previous year's grant;

      (5) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1994, and June 30, 1995, a grant in an amount equal to the sum of (A) the product of the town's aid ratio, the foundation level and the town's total need students for the prior fiscal year, and (B) the town's regional bonus, except that no town shall receive a grant smaller than the grant it received in the previous fiscal year;

      (6) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and each fiscal year thereafter, a grant in an amount equal to the amount of its target aid as described in subdivision (32) of section 10-262f except that such amount shall be capped in accordance with the following: (A) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, June 30, 1997, June 30, 1998, and June 30, 1999, for each town, the maximum percentage increase over its previous year's base revenue shall be the product of five per cent and the ratio of the wealth of the town ranked one hundred fifty-third when all towns are ranked in descending order to each town's wealth, provided no town shall receive an increase greater than five per cent. (B) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, June 30, 2001, June 30, 2002, June 30, 2003, and June 30, 2004, for each town, the maximum percentage increase over its previous year's base revenue shall be the product of six per cent and the ratio of the wealth of the town ranked one hundred fifty-third when all towns are ranked in descending order to each town's wealth, provided no town shall receive an increase greater than six per cent. (C) No such cap shall be used for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, or any fiscal year thereafter. (D) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, for each town, the maximum percentage reduction from its previous year's base revenue shall be equal to the product of three per cent and the ratio of each town's wealth to the wealth of the town ranked seventeenth when all towns are ranked in descending order, provided no town's grant shall be reduced by more than three per cent. (E) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1997, June 30, 1998, and June 30, 1999, for each town, the maximum percentage reduction from its previous year's base revenue shall be equal to the product of five per cent and the ratio of each town's wealth to the wealth of the town ranked seventeenth when all towns are ranked in descending order, provided no town's grant shall be reduced by more than five per cent. (F) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year thereafter, no town's grant shall be less than the grant it received for the prior fiscal year. (G) For each fiscal year prior to the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, except for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, in addition to the amount determined pursuant to this subdivision, a town shall be eligible for a density supplement if the density of the town is greater than the average density of all towns in the state. The density supplement shall be determined by multiplying the density aid ratio of the town by the foundation level and the town's total need students for the prior fiscal year provided, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year thereafter, no town's density supplement shall be less than the density supplement such town received for the prior fiscal year. (H) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, the grant determined in accordance with this subdivision for a town ranked one to forty-two when all towns are ranked in descending order according to town wealth shall be further reduced by one and two-hundredths of a per cent and such grant for all other towns shall be further reduced by fifty-six-hundredths of a per cent. (I) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, and each fiscal year thereafter, no town whose school district is a priority school district shall receive a grant pursuant to this subdivision in an amount that is less than the amount received under such grant for the prior fiscal year. (J) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, no town whose school district is a priority school district shall receive a grant pursuant to this subdivision that provides an amount of aid per resident student that is less than the amount of aid per resident student provided under the grant received for the prior fiscal year. (K) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, and each fiscal year thereafter, no town whose school district is a priority school district shall receive a grant pursuant to this subdivision in an amount that is less than seventy per cent of the sum of (i) the product of a town's base aid ratio, the foundation level and the town's total need students for the fiscal year prior to the year in which the grant is to be paid, (ii) the product of a town's supplemental aid ratio, the foundation level and the sum of the portion of its total need students count described in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of subdivision (25) of section 10-262f for the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the grant is to be paid, and the adjustments to its resident student count described in subdivision (22) of said section 10-262f relative to length of school year and summer school sessions, and (iii) the town's regional bonus. (L) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year thereafter, no town whose school district is a transitional school district shall receive a grant pursuant to this subdivision in an amount that is less than forty per cent of the sum of (i) the product of a town's base aid ratio, the foundation level and the town's total need students for the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the grant is to be paid, (ii) the product of a town's supplemental aid ratio, the foundation level and the sum of the portion of its total need students count described in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of subdivision (25) of section 10-262f for the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year in which the grant is to be paid, and the adjustments to its resident student count described in subdivision (22) of said section 10-262f relative to length of school year and summer school sessions, and (iii) the town's regional bonus. (M) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, (i) each town whose target aid is capped pursuant to this subdivision shall receive a grant that includes a pro rata share of twenty-five million dollars based on the difference between its target aid and the amount of the grant determined with the cap, and (ii) all towns shall receive a grant that is at least 1.68 per cent greater than the grant they received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001. (N) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, (i) each town whose target aid is capped pursuant to this subdivision shall receive a pro rata share of fifty million dollars based on the difference between its target aid and the amount of the grant determined with the cap, and (ii) each town shall receive a grant that is at least 1.2 per cent more than its base revenue, as defined in subdivision (28) of section 10-262f. (O) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, each town shall receive a grant that is at least equal to the grant it received for the prior fiscal year. (P) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, (i) each town whose target aid is capped pursuant to this subdivision shall receive a grant that includes a pro rata share of fifty million dollars based on the difference between its target aid and the amount of the grant determined with the cap, (ii) each town's grant including the cap supplement shall be reduced by three per cent, (iii) the towns of Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven shall each receive a grant that is equal to the grant such towns received for the prior fiscal year plus one million dollars, (iv) those towns described in clause (i) of this subparagraph shall receive a grant that includes a pro rata share of three million dollars based on the same pro rata basis as used in said clause (i), (v) towns whose school districts are priority school districts pursuant to subsection (a) of section 10-266p or transitional school districts pursuant to section 10-263c or who are eligible for grants under section 10-276a or 10-263d for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2002, to June 30, 2004, inclusive, shall receive grants that are at least equal to the grants they received for the prior fiscal year, (vi) towns not receiving funds under clause (iii) of this subparagraph shall receive a pro rata share of any remaining funds based on their grant determined under this subparagraph. (Q) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, (i) no town shall receive a grant pursuant to this subparagraph in an amount that is less than sixty per cent of the amount determined pursuant to the previous subparagraphs of this subdivision, (ii) notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, each town shall receive a grant that is equal to the amount the town received for the prior fiscal year increased by twenty-three and twenty-seven hundredths per cent of the difference between the grant amount calculated pursuant to this subdivision and the amount the town received for the prior fiscal year, (iii) no town whose school district is a priority school district pursuant to subsection (a) of section 10-266p shall receive a grant pursuant to this subdivision that is less than three hundred seventy dollars per resident student, and (iv) each town shall receive a grant that is at least the greater of the amount of the grant it received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, or the amount of the grant it received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, increased by seven tenths per cent, except that the town of Winchester shall not receive less than its fixed entitlement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003. (R) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2006, and June 30, 2007, each town shall receive a grant that is equal to the amount of the grant the town received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, increased by two per cent plus the amount specified in section 33 of public act 05-245*, provided for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, no town shall receive a grant in an amount that is less than sixty per cent of the amount of its target aid as described in subdivision (32) of section 10-262f. (S) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, a grant in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the town's base aid, and (ii) seventeen and thirty-one one-hundredths per cent of the difference between the town's fully funded grant as described in subdivision (33) of section 10-262f, and its base aid, except that such per cent shall be adjusted for all towns so that no town shall receive a grant that is less than the amount of the grant the town received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, increased by four and four tenths per cent. (T) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, a grant in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the town's base aid, and (ii) twenty-three and three tenths per cent of the difference between the fully funded grant as described in said subdivision (33) of section 10-262f, and its base aid, except that no town shall receive a grant that is less than the amount of the grant the town received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, increased by four and four tenths per cent;

      (7) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, for towns that used an accrual method of accounting for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, the portion of the grant received pursuant to subdivision (6) of this subsection which is considered to be a reimbursement for special education expenses incurred in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, shall be equal to the ratio of the amount received for special education pursuant to subsection (a) of section 10-76g, in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, to the sum of such special education amount and the education equalization aid pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, and each fiscal year thereafter, such ratio shall be used to identify the amount of the grant pursuant to this section which is considered to be a reimbursement for special education expenses for the prior fiscal year.

      (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, and the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, no town's equalization aid entitlement shall be less than its minimum aid or its education enhancement aid, whichever is applicable.

      (P.A. 88-358, S. 2, 9; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7, S. 11, 22; P.A. 92-262, S. 26, 42; P.A. 93-1, S. 1, 3; P.A. 95-226, S. 2, 30; P.A. 96-178, S. 2, 18; P.A. 97-318, S. 2, 12; P.A. 98-168, S. 15, 26; P.A. 99-217, S. 5, 8; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1, S. 4, 54; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 2; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 23; P.A. 04-254, S. 2; P.A. 05-2, S. 1; 05-245, S. 32; P.A. 06-135, S. 19; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 62; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 53.)

      *Note: Section 33 of public act 05-245 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force and effect according to its terms.

      History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-7 amended Subsec. (a)(3) to change the formula, amended Subsec. (a)(4) to require that no town receive a grant smaller than the grant it received in the previous fiscal year and limited the applicability of Subsec. (b) to the fiscal years ending in June 1990 and 1991; P.A. 92-262 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to change the formula for fiscal year 1992-1993 and added Subdiv. (5) re fiscal year 1993-1994 and thereafter; P.A. 93-1 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to clarify that the exception for distressed municipalities applies to towns which received payments during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, effective January 28, 1993; P.A. 95-226 amended Subsec. (a) to limit Subdiv. (5) to the years ending June 30, 1994, and June 30, 1995, and added Subdivs. (6) and (7) concerning grants for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-178 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to add a further reduction of .02% or 0.56% for towns depending upon their rank when all towns are ranked in descending order according to town wealth, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 97-318 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to add provisions concerning the fiscal years ending June 30, 1998, and June 30, 1999, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-168 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to increase the amount of the maximum percentage increase from 2% to 5% and substituted the product of 5% for 2% in the formula for determining such percentage, decreased the amount of the maximum percentage reduction for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1997 to June 30, 1999, inclusive, from 9% to 5% and substituted the product of 5% for 9% in the formula for determining such percentage, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-217 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to extend the applicability of the formula to each fiscal year commencing after June 30, 1996, to add cap for the percentage increase for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, to June 30, 2003, and to specify that no such adjustment be made for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, or any fiscal year thereafter, to provide that for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year thereafter, no town's grant shall be less than the grant it received for the prior fiscal year, to provide that the density supplement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year thereafter, shall not be less than the density supplement for the prior fiscal year, to extend the provisions limiting reductions in grants to priority school districts, to add provision requiring grants to priority school districts to at least maintain the amount of aid per student that was received under the grant for the prior fiscal year and to add provision limiting reductions in grants to transitional school districts, effective July 1, 1999; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to designate portions of existing provisions as Subparas. (A) to (L), to use the term target aid in place of language in former Subparas. (A) to (C) that was identical to the definition of target aid, to substitute "capped" for "adjusted", to add Subpara. (M) re fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, and Subpara. (N) re fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2001; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 amended Subsec. (a)(6) by adding new Subpara. (O) re hold harmless provision for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, effective August 15, 2002; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to extend cap in Subparas. (B) and (C), to end density supplement in Subpara. (G), to end hold harmless provision for priority school districts in Subpara. (J) and to add Subparas. (P) and (Q) re grant calculations for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-254 amended Subsec. (a)(6) by removing the cap in Subparas. (B) and (C), by restoring the density supplement in Subpara. (G) and by amending Subpara. (Q) re grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, by providing that no town shall receive a grant less than 60% of any grant previously received, each town shall receive a grant at least equal to the previous year plus a percentage increase, grants associated with priority school districts shall be at least $370 per student and no town shall receive less than it did for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, increased by 0.07%, except that Winchester shall receive at least its fixed entitlement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-2 amended Subsec. (a)(6)(Q)(iv) to change percentage increase in grant from 0.07% to 0.7%, effective March 22, 2005; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (a)(6) by adding Subpara. (R) re grant amount for fiscal years ending June 30, 2006, and June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (a)(6) by providing in Subpara. (R), for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, that no town shall receive less than 60% of its target aid and by adding Subpara. (S) requiring that, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and each fiscal year thereafter, each town shall be held harmless and shall receive at least 60% of its target aid, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (a)(6) to provide that provision in Subpara. (G) applies to fiscal years prior to fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, revise Subpara. (S) to terminate provision with fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and replace former hold-harmless provision with language providing grant in amount that is the sum of town's base aid and 17.31% of difference between town's fully funded grant and its base aid, except that no town shall receive less than it did for fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, increased by 4.4%, and add Subpara. (T) to provide grant for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, in amount that is the sum of town's base aid and 23.3% of the difference between town's fully funded grant and its base aid, except that no town shall receive less than it did for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, increased by 4.4%, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (a)(6)(S)(ii) to add language re adjustment of per cent for all towns, effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-262i. Grant payments. Expenditures for educational purposes only, exception. Prohibition against supplanting local funding. Minimum budget requirement. Penalty. (a) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, and for each fiscal year thereafter, each town shall be paid a grant equal to the amount the town is entitled to receive under the provisions of section 10-262h, as calculated using the data of record as of the December first prior to the fiscal year such grant is to be paid, adjusted for the difference between the final entitlement for the prior fiscal year and the preliminary entitlement for such fiscal year as calculated using the data of record as of the December first prior to the fiscal year when such grant was paid.

      (b) The amount due each town pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be paid by the Comptroller, upon certification of the Commissioner of Education, to the treasurer of each town entitled to such aid in installments during the fiscal year as follows: Twenty-five per cent of the grant in October, twenty-five per cent of the grant in January and the balance of the grant in April. The balance of the grant due towns under the provisions of this subsection shall be paid in March rather than April to any town which has not adopted the uniform fiscal year and which would not otherwise receive such final payment within the fiscal year of such town.

      (c) All aid distributed to a town pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be expended for educational purposes only and shall be expended upon the authorization of the local or regional board of education. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and each fiscal year thereafter, if a town receives an increase in funds pursuant to this section over the amount it received for the prior fiscal year such increase shall not be used to supplant local funding for educational purposes. The budgeted appropriation for education in any town receiving an increase in funds pursuant to this section shall be not less than the amount appropriated for education for the prior year plus such increase in funds.

      (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, the budgeted appropriation for education in any town receiving an increase in funds pursuant to this section shall be not less than the amount appropriated for education for the prior year plus the percentage of such increase in funds as determined under subsection (e) of this section.

      (e) The percentage of the increase in aid pursuant to this section applicable under subsection (d) shall be the average of the results of (1) (A) a town's current program expenditures per resident student pursuant to subdivision (36) of section 10-262f, subtracted from the highest current program expenditures per resident student in this state, (B) divided by the difference between the highest current program expenditures per resident student in this state and the lowest current program expenditures per resident student in this state, (C) multiplied by fifty per cent, (D) plus fifteen percentage points, (2) (A) a town's wealth pursuant to subdivision (26) of section 10-262f, subtracted from the wealth of the town with the highest wealth of all towns in this state, (B) divided by the difference between the wealth of the town with the highest wealth of all towns in this state and the wealth of the town with the lowest wealth of all towns in this state, (C) multiplied by fifty per cent, (D) plus fifteen percentage points, and (3) (A) a town's grant mastery percentage pursuant to subdivision (12) of section 10-262f, subtracted from one, subtracted from one minus the grant mastery percentage of the town with the highest grant mastery percentage in this state, (B) divided by the difference between one minus the grant mastery percentage of the town with the highest grant mastery percentage in this state and one minus the grant mastery percentage of the town with the lowest grant mastery percentage in this state, (C) multiplied by fifty per cent, (D) plus fifteen percentage points. For any town whose school district is in its third year or more of being identified as in need of improvement pursuant to section 10-223e, and has failed to make adequate yearly progress in mathematics or reading at the whole district level, the percentage determined pursuant to this subsection for such town shall be increased by an additional twenty percentage points. Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, charter, special act or home rule ordinance, on or before September 15, 2007, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, a town may request the Commissioner of Education to defer a portion of the town's increase in aid over the prior fiscal year pursuant to this section to be expended in the subsequent fiscal year. If the commissioner approves such request, the deferred amount shall be credited to the increase in aid for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, rather than the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. Such funds shall be expended in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, in accordance with the provisions of this section. In no case shall a town be allowed to defer increases in aid required to be spent for education as a result of failure to make adequate yearly progress in accordance with the provisions of this subdivision.

      (f) Upon a determination by the State Board of Education that a town or kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district failed in any fiscal year to meet the requirements pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of this section, the town or kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall forfeit an amount equal to two times the amount of the shortfall. The amount so forfeited shall be withheld by the Department of Education from the grant payable to the town in the second fiscal year immediately following such failure by deducting such amount from the town's equalization aid grant payment pursuant to this section, except that in the case of a kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district, the amount so forfeited shall be withheld by the Department of Education from the grants payable pursuant to this section to the towns which are members of such regional school district. The amounts deducted from such grants to each member town shall be proportional to the number of resident students in each member town. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the State Board of Education may waive such forfeiture upon agreement with the town or kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district that the town or kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall increase its budgeted appropriation during the fiscal year in which the forfeiture would occur by an amount not less than the amount of said forfeiture or for other good cause shown. Any additional funds expended pursuant to such an agreement shall not be included in a district's expenditures for the purpose of establishing any future minimum expenditure requirement.

      (P.A. 88-358, S. 3, 9; P.A. 89-124, S. 5, 13; P.A. 98-168, S. 16, 26; P.A. 05-245, S. 31; P.A. 06-13, S. 6; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 63; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 52.)

      History: P.A. 89-124 in Subsec. (b) provided that the balance be paid in March rather than April for towns which have not adopted the uniform fiscal year and which would not otherwise receive such payment within their fiscal year; P.A. 98-168 amended Subsec. (c) to add prohibition against using an increase to supplant local funding, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (c) by adding language re appropriation not less than the amount for previous year plus increase in funds and added Subsec. (d) re penalty, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-13 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective May 2, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 added new Subsec. (d) re minimum budget requirement, added Subsec. (e) re failure to make adequately yearly progress and deferral of increase in aid, redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (f) and added reference therein to Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (e) to add language re notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, charter, special act or home rule ordinance, effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-262j. Minimum expenditure requirement. (a) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1990, June 30, 1991, June 30, 1992, and June 30, 1993, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be not less than the greater of (1) the product of (A) the target foundation multiplied by the number of total need students of the town for the prior school year, and (B) the ratio of the town's grant entitlement for such year pursuant to section 10-262h divided by the town's target grant, or (2) an amount equal to the sum of (A) the regular program expenditures for the town for the prior fiscal year, and (B) the amount of the aid increase paid to the town as calculated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.

      (b) For the purposes of subsection (a) of this section, the amount of the aid increase paid to a town shall be (1) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, the amount of aid to be paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, pursuant to section 10-262i, less the base aid for the town, (2) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, the amount of aid paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, pursuant to said section, less the amount of aid paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1990, pursuant to said section, (3) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, the amount of aid paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, pursuant to said section, less the amount of aid paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, pursuant to said section, (4) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, the amount of aid paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, less the amount of aid paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, pursuant to said section, (5) for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1994, and June 30, 1995, the amount of aid paid to the town for the fiscal year pursuant to said section, less the amount of aid paid to the town for the prior fiscal year pursuant to said section, (6) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, the amount paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, pursuant to said section less base revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, (7) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, the amount paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, less the amount paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, pursuant to said section, (8) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, the amount paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, less the amount paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, pursuant to said section, (9) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, the amount paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, less the amount paid to the town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, pursuant to said section, and (10) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount paid to the town for said fiscal year, less the amount paid to the town for the year prior to said fiscal year, provided any amounts paid pursuant to section 7 of public act 99-217* shall be included in the determination of the aid increase paid to the town.

      (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, for the years ending June 30, 1990, June 30, 1991, June 30, 1992, and June 30, 1993, no town shall be required to spend more on regular program expenditures than an amount equal to the product of the foundation for such year and the total need students of the town for the prior school year.

      (d) (1) For the year ending June 30, 1994, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be not less than the greater of the foundation for such year multiplied by the total need students of the town for the prior school year or an amount equal to the sum of (A) the regular program expenditures for the town for the prior fiscal year, and (B) the amount of the aid increase paid to the town as calculated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, except that no town shall be required to spend more on regular program expenditures than one hundred five per cent of the product of the foundation for such year and the total need students of the town for the prior school year.

      (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be not less than the greater of the foundation for such year multiplied by the total need students of the town for the prior school year or an amount equal to the sum of (A) the regular program expenditures for the town for the prior fiscal year, and (B) the amount of the aid increase paid to the town as calculated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, except that no town shall be required to spend more on regular program expenditures than one hundred ten per cent of the product of the foundation for such year and the total need students of the town for the prior school year.

      (3) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, the regular program expenditures of a town shall not be less than the lesser of (A) the sum of the regular program expenditures for the town for the prior fiscal year, and the amount of the aid increase paid to a town pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or (B) the sum of the town's minimum expenditure requirement cap as determined by the Department of Education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, and the sum of any aid increases paid to a town pursuant to subsection (b) of this section after the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995.

      (4) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be the lesser of the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 1996, using the data of record as of December 1, 1996, and its final audited resident student count for October 1993, by one-half of the foundation, or the sum of (i) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, and (ii) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.

      (5) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be the lesser of the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 1997, using the data of record as of December 1, 1997, and the town's resident student count for October 1996, using the data of record as of December 1, 1996, by one-half of the foundation, or the sum of (i) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, and (ii) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.

      (6) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be no less than the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 1998, using the data of record as of December 1, 1998, and the town's resident student count for October 1997, using the data of record as of December 1, 1997, by one-half of the foundation.

      (7) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be no less than the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) if the resident student count for October 1999, is less than the resident student count for October 1998, the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 1999, using the data of record as of December 1, 1999, and the town's resident student count for October 1998, using the data of record as of December 1, 1998, by one-half of the foundation.

      (8) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be no less than the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) if the resident student count for October 2000, is less than the resident student count for October 1999, the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 2000, using the data of record as of December 1, 2000, and the town's resident student count for October 1999, using the data of record as of December 1, 1999, by one-half of the foundation.

      (9) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be no less than the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) if the resident student count for October 2001, is less than the resident student count for October 2000, the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 2001, using the data of record as of December 1, 2001, and the town's resident student count for October 2000, using the data of record as of December 1, 2000, by one-half of the foundation.

      (10) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be no less than the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) if the resident student count for October 2002, is less than the resident student count for October 2001, the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 2002, using the data of record as of December 1, 2002, and the town's resident student count for October 2001, using the data of record as of December 1, 2001, by one-half of the foundation.

      (11) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be no less than the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) if the resident student count for October 2003, is less than the resident student count for October 2002, the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 2003, using the data of record as of December 1, 2003, and the town's resident student count for October 2002, using the data of record as of December 1, 2002, by one-half of the foundation.

      (12) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be no less than the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) if the resident student count for October 2004, is less than the resident student count for October 2003, the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October 2004, using the data of record as of December 1, 2004, and the town's resident student count for October 2003, using the data of record as of December 1, 2003, by one-half of the foundation.

      (13) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, the regular program expenditures of a town shall be no less than the sum of (A) its minimum expenditure requirement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, (B) its aid increase pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (C) if the resident student count for October, 2005 is less than the resident student count for October, 2004 the result obtained by multiplying the difference between the town's resident student count for October, 2005 using the data of record as of December 1, 2005, and the town's resident student count for October, 2004 using the data of record as of December 1, 2004, by one-half of the foundation.

      (e) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a), (b) and (c) of this section: (A) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1990, June 30, 1991, June 30, 1992, and June 30, 1993, the regular program expenditures of a kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall not be less than the greater of (i) the product of (I) the target foundation multiplied by the sum of the number of total need students in the member towns in the regional school district for the prior school year, and (II) the ratio of the sum of the member towns' grant entitlements for such year pursuant to section 10-262h divided by the sum of the member towns' target grants, or (ii) an amount equal to the sum of (I) the regular program expenditures for the regional school district for the prior fiscal year, and (II) the amount of the sum of the aid increases paid to the member towns as calculated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, provided no kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall be required to spend more on regular program expenditures than an amount equal to the product of the foundation for such year and the sum of the total need students in the member towns of the regional school district for the prior school year; and (B) for the year ending June 30, 1993, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the regular program expenditures of a kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall be not less than the foundation for such year multiplied by the sum of the total need students of all member towns for the prior school year.

      (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (3) of subsection (d) of this section, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, the regular program expenditures of a kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall not be less than the lesser of (A) the sum of the regular program expenditures for the regional school district for the prior fiscal year, and the sum of the member towns' aid increases pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, or (B) the sum of the member towns' minimum expenditure requirement caps as determined by the Department of Education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, and the sum of the member towns' aid increases paid pursuant to subsection (b) of this section after the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995.

      (f) For the purposes of this section "total need students" means total need students as calculated using the data of record as of December first of such data year.

      (P.A. 88-358, S. 4, 9; P.A. 89-124, S. 6, 13; P.A. 92-262, S. 27, 42; P.A. 93-145, S. 2, 3, 6; P.A. 94-245, S. 35, 46; P.A. 95-226, S. 3, 4, 7, 30; P.A. 97-318, S. 4, 12; P.A. 99-217, S. 6, 8; P.A. 00-187, S. 14, 21, 75; P.A. 01-173, S. 62, 67; P.A. 03-76, S. 23; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 25; P.A. 05-245, S. 30; P.A. 06-135, S. 5; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 64.)

      *Note: Section 7 of public act 99-217 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force and effect according to its terms.

      History: P.A. 89-124 in Subsec. (e) added forfeiture provisions and a minimum expenditure requirement for kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school districts and added new Subsec. (g) re definition of "total need students" for purposes of the section; P.A. 92-262 amended Subsecs. (a), (c) and (f) to add fiscal year 1993, added Subsec. (b)(4), and amended Subsec. (d) to substitute 1994 for 1993; P.A. 93-145 added Subsec. (b)(5) re the amount of aid for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, and each fiscal year thereafter and amended Subsec. (d) to make the existing Subsec. Subdiv. (1), limited the applicability of said Subdiv. to the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, added the "greater of the" existing requirement or the sum of the items described in Subparas. (A) and (B) and added the exception language, and added Subdiv. (2) concerning program expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, and for each fiscal year thereafter, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-245 amended Subsec. (e) to add provision that any additional funds expended pursuant to an agreement between the State Board of Education and a kindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, regional school district shall not be included in a district's expenditures for the purpose of establishing any future minimum expenditure requirement, effective June 2, 1994; P.A. 95-226 added Subsec. (b)(6)and (7) re the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, amended Subsec. (d) to limit Subdiv. (2) to the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, and added Subdiv. (3) concerning the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, and added Subsec. (f)(2) re fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-318 amended Subsecs. (b) and (d) to add provisions re the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, and the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, respectively, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-217 added Subsec. (d)(6) and (7) re expenditures for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, and June 30, 2001, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-187 added Subsec. (b)(10) re fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year thereafter and amended Subsec. (d)(7)(C) to add the clause "if the resident student count for October 1999, is less than the resident student count for October 1998", effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 added Subsec. (d)(8) and (9)re fiscal years ending June 30, 2002, and June 30, 2003, respectively, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 03-76 made technical changes in Subsec. (e), effective June 3, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 added Subsec. (d)(10) and (11) re fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 05-245 added Subsec. (d)(12) re minimum expenditure for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-135 added Subsec. (d)(13) re minimum expenditure for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 deleted former Subsec. (e) re forfeitures, redesignated existing Subsecs. (f) and (g) as Subsecs. (e) and (f) and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-264h. Grants for capital expenditures for interdistrict magnet school facilities. (a)(1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, until the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, a local or regional board of education, regional educational service center or a cooperative arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a for purposes of an interdistrict magnet school may be eligible for reimbursement up to the full reasonable cost of any capital expenditure for the purchase, construction, extension, replacement, leasing or major alteration of interdistrict magnet school facilities, including any expenditure for the purchase of equipment, in accordance with this section. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, and each fiscal year thereafter, such entities may be eligible for reimbursement up to ninety-five per cent of such cost. To be eligible for reimbursement under this section a magnet school construction project shall meet the requirements for a school building project established in chapter 173, except that the Commissioner of Education may waive any requirement in such chapter for good cause. On and after July 1, 1997, the commissioner shall approve only applications for reimbursement under this section that he finds will reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation.

      (2) (A) Not later than July 1, 2007, the Commissioner of Education and the president of the Connecticut Science Center, Inc. shall enter into a memorandum of understanding establishing the parameters within which the center shall operate as and be given the status of a state-wide magnet science learning center. Upon achieving such status, the Connecticut Science Center, Inc. shall be eligible to apply for, in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, a grant of reimbursement of ninety-five per cent of any expenditures for the construction, replacement, alteration or repair of its facilities, including the reasonable and necessary costs for major exhibits. The Connecticut Science Center, Inc. may fund its five per cent share of expenditures from private contributions.

      (B) To be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to this subdivision, the Connecticut Science Center, Inc. shall file an application with the Commissioner of Education in such form and manner as the commissioner prescribes. Construction projects at the magnet science learning center shall meet the requirements of chapter 173, except that the commissioner may waive any requirements in such chapter for good cause.

      (b) Subject to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the applicant shall receive current payments of scheduled estimated eligible project costs for the facility, provided (1) the applicant files an application for a school building project, in accordance with section 10-283 by the date prescribed by the commissioner, (2) final plans and specifications for the project are approved pursuant to sections 10-291 and 10-292, and (3) such district submits to the commissioner, in such form as the commissioner prescribes, and the commissioner approves a plan for the operation of the facility which includes, but need not be limited to: A description of the educational programs to be offered, the completion date for the project, an estimated budget for the operation of the facility, written commitments for participation from the districts that will participate in the school and an analysis of the effect of the program on the reduction of racial, ethnic and economic isolation. The commissioner shall notify the secretary of the State Bond Commission when the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (3) of this subsection have been met. Upon application to the Commissioner of Education, compliance with the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (3) of this subsection and after authorization by the General Assembly pursuant to section 10-283, the applicant shall be eligible to receive progress payments in accordance with the provisions of section 10-287i.

      (c) (1) If the school building ceases to be used as an interdistrict magnet school facility and the grant was provided for the purchase or construction of the facility, the commissioner shall determine whether (A) title to the building and any legal interest in appurtenant land shall revert to the state or (B) the school district shall reimburse the state an amount equal to the difference between the amount received pursuant to this section and the amount the district would have been eligible to receive based on the percentage determined pursuant to section 10-285a multiplied by the estimated eligible project costs. (2) If the school building ceases to be used as an interdistrict magnet school facility and the grant was provided for the extension or major alteration of the facility, the school district shall reimburse the state the amount determined in accordance with subparagraph (B) of subdivision (1) of this subsection. A school district receiving a request for reimbursement pursuant to this subdivision shall reimburse the state not later than the close of the fiscal year following the year in which the request is made. If the school district fails to so reimburse the state, the Department of Education may withhold such amount from the total sum which is paid from the State Treasury to such school district or the town in which it is located or, in the case of a regional school district, the towns which comprise the school district. If the amount paid from the State Treasury is less than the amount due, the department may refer the matter to the Department of Administrative Services for collection.

      (d) The commissioner shall provide for a final audit of all project expenditures pursuant to this section and may require repayment of any ineligible expenditures.

      (P.A. 93-263, S. 9, 14; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-2, S. 177, 203; P.A. 95-226, S. 22, 30; P.A. 97-265, S. 84, 98; 97-290, S. 15, 29; P.A. 98-252, S. 20, 63, 80; 98-259, S. 2, 17; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-5, S. 7; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-6, S. 2; P.A. 07-249, S. 21.)

      History: P.A. 93-263 effective June 28, 1993; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-2 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute current payments of scheduled estimated eligible project costs for a lump sum payment equal to the highest percentage rate determined pursuant to Sec. 10-285a multiplied by estimated eligible project costs and provided for a grant in an amount equal to 5% of the amount authorized and allocated for the project upon compliance with the provisions of Subdivs. (1) and (3), amended Subsec. (b) to provide for reimbursement to the state of the difference between the amount received pursuant to this section and the amount the school district would have been eligible to receive based on the percentage determined pursuant to Sec. 10-285a multiplied by the estimated eligible project costs if within three years after completion of the project children from at least two or more school districts are not participating in the school and to provide, in such a case, if the school district does not reimburse the state, title to the building shall revert to the state, inserted a new Subsec. (c) on a final audit and relettered Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d), effective June 21, 1994; P.A. 95-226 divided Subsec. (a) into Subsecs. (a) and (b) and relettered the remaining Subsecs., in Subsec. (a) specified that the cost be "reasonable", added the requirement concerning chapter 173 and made technical changes, in Subsec. (b) added the requirement for the plan to include an estimated budget for the operation of the facility, specified that the project be authorized by the General Assembly and made technical changes, deleted former Subsec. (d) re reversion and added similar provision to Subsec. (c), and in Subsec. (c) replaced provision requiring the school district to reimburse the state if within three years of completion of the project students from two or more school districts are not participating in the school with provision allowing the commissioner to decide between reversion and reimbursement if the school building ceases to be used for the purpose for which the grant was provided, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-265 amended Subsec. (a) to make a technical change, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 97-290 amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions re cooperative arrangements for the purposes of an interdistrict magnet school and the limitation on the approval of applications on and after July 1, 1997, to applications that the commissioner finds will reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation, and amended Subsec. (b) to add the requirement for the plan to include an analysis of the effect of the program on the reduction of racial, ethnic and economic isolation, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-252 and P.A. 98-259 both amended Subsec. (b) to replace a grant in the amount of 5% of the amount authorized for the project with progress payments in accordance with Sec. 10-287i, effective July 1, 1998, and P.A. 98-252 further amended Subsec. (c) to designate existing provisions as Subdiv. (1) and limit applicability to grants for purchase or construction of a facility and to add new Subdiv. (2) re grants for extension or major alteration of a facility, effective June 8, 1998; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-5 amended Subsec. (a) by making existing provisions re full reimbursement applicable until June 30, 2002, and by adding provisions re 95% reimbursement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, and fiscal years thereafter, effective July 1, 2002; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-6 amended Subsec. (a) by delaying change from full reimbursement to 95% reimbursement until the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, and fiscal years thereafter, effective July 1, 2002; P.A. 07-249 amended Subsec. (a) to designate existing language as Subdiv. (1) and add Subdiv. (2) re Connecticut Science Center, Inc., effective July 10, 2007.

      Sec. 10-264l. Grants for the operation of interdistrict magnet school programs. Transportation. Special education. (a) The Department of Education shall, within available appropriations, establish a grant program to assist local and regional boards of education, regional educational service centers, the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of Manchester Community College, and cooperative arrangements pursuant to section 10-158a with the operation of interdistrict magnet school programs. All interdistrict magnet schools shall be operated in conformance with the same laws and regulations applicable to public schools. For the purposes of this section "an interdistrict magnet school program" means a program which (1) supports racial, ethnic and economic diversity, (2) offers a special and high quality curriculum, and (3) requires students who are enrolled to attend at least half-time. An interdistrict magnet school program does not include a regional vocational agriculture school, a regional vocational-technical school or a regional special education center. On and after July 1, 2000, the governing authority for each interdistrict magnet school program that is in operation prior to July 1, 2005, shall restrict the number of students that may enroll in the program from a participating district to eighty per cent of the total enrollment of the program. The governing authority for each interdistrict magnet school program that begins operations on or after July 1, 2005, shall (A) restrict the number of students that may enroll in the program from a participating district to seventy-five per cent of the total enrollment of the program, and (B) maintain such a school enrollment that at least twenty-five per cent but not more than seventy-five per cent of the students enrolled are pupils of racial minorities, as defined in section 10-226a.

      (b) Applications for interdistrict magnet school program operating grants awarded pursuant to this section shall be submitted annually to the Commissioner of Education at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. In determining whether an application shall be approved and funds awarded pursuant to this section, the commissioner shall consider, but such consideration shall not be limited to: (1) Whether the program offered by the school is likely to increase student achievement; (2) whether the program is likely to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation; (3) the percentage of the student enrollment in the program from each participating district; and (4) the proposed operating budget and the sources of funding for the interdistrict magnet school. If requested by the commissioner, the applicant shall meet with the commissioner or the commissioner's designee to discuss the budget and sources of funding. The commissioner shall not award a grant to a program that is in operation prior to July 1, 2005, if more than eighty per cent of its total enrollment is from one school district, except that the commissioner may award a grant for good cause, for any one year, on behalf of an otherwise eligible magnet school program, if more than eighty per cent of the total enrollment is from one district. The commissioner shall not award a grant to a program that begins operations on or after July 1, 2005, if more than seventy-five per cent of its total enrollment is from one school district or if less than twenty-five or more than seventy-five per cent of the students enrolled are pupils of racial minorities, as defined in section 10-226a, except that the commissioner may award a grant for good cause, for one year, on behalf of an otherwise eligible interdistrict magnet school program, if more than seventy-five per cent of the total enrollment is from one district or less than twenty-five or more than seventy-five per cent of the students enrolled are pupils of racial minorities. The commissioner may not award grants pursuant to such an exception for a second consecutive year.

      (c) (1) The maximum amount each interdistrict magnet school program, except those described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subdivision (3) of this subsection, shall be eligible to receive per enrolled student who is not a resident of the town operating the magnet school shall be (A) six thousand sixteen dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, (B) six thousand seven hundred thirty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, (C) seven thousand four hundred forty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, and (D) eight thousand one hundred fifty-eight dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. The per pupil grant for each enrolled student who is a resident of the town operating the magnet school program shall be three thousand dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and each fiscal year thereafter.

      (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, and each fiscal year thereafter, the commissioner may, within available appropriations, provide supplemental grants for the purposes of enhancing educational programs in such interdistrict magnet schools, as the commissioner determines. Such grants shall be made after the commissioner has reviewed and approved the total operating budget for such schools, including all revenue and expenditure estimates.

      (3) (A) Each interdistrict magnet school operated by a regional educational service center that enrolls less than fifty-five per cent of the school's students from a single town shall receive a per pupil grant in the amount of (i) six thousand two hundred fifty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, (ii) six thousand five hundred dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, (iii) seven thousand sixty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, (iv) seven thousand six hundred twenty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, (v) eight thousand one hundred eighty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, and (vi) eight thousand seven hundred forty-one dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011.

      (B) Each interdistrict magnet school operated by a regional educational service center that enrolls at least fifty-five per cent of the school's students from a single town shall receive a per pupil grant for each enrolled student who is not a resident of the district that enrolls at least fifty-five per cent of the school's students in the amount of (i) six thousand sixteen dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, (ii) six thousand seven hundred thirty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, (iii) seven thousand four hundred forty dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, and (iv) eight thousand one hundred fifty-eight dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. The per pupil grant for each enrolled student who is a resident of the district that enrolls at least fifty-five per cent of the school's students shall be three thousand dollars.

      (C) Each interdistrict magnet school operated by a regional educational service center that enrolls at least fifty-five per cent of the school's students from a single town shall receive a per pupil grant in an amount that is at least three thousand dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, and for each fiscal year thereafter.

      (4) The amounts of the grants determined pursuant to this subsection shall be proportionately adjusted, if necessary, within available appropriations, and in no case shall any grant pursuant to this section exceed the reasonable operating budget of the interdistrict magnet school program, less revenues from other sources. Any interdistrict magnet school program operating less than full-time, but at least half-time, shall be eligible to receive a grant equal to sixty-five per cent of the grant amount determined pursuant to this subsection.

      (5) Within available appropriations, the commissioner may make grants to regional educational service centers that provide summer school educational programs approved by the commissioner to students participating in the interdistrict magnet school program.

      (d) Grants made pursuant to this section shall be paid as follows: Fifty per cent by September first and the balance by January first of each fiscal year. The January first payment shall be adjusted to reflect actual interdistrict magnet school program enrollment as of the preceding October first, if the actual level of enrollment is lower than the projected enrollment stated in the approved grant application.

      (e) The Department of Education may retain up to one-half of one per cent of the amount appropriated for purposes of this section for program evaluation and administration.

      (f) Each local or regional school district in which an interdistrict magnet school is located shall provide the same kind of transportation to its children enrolled in such interdistrict magnet school as it provides to its children enrolled in other public schools in such local or regional school district. The parent or guardian of a child denied the transportation services required to be provided pursuant to this subsection may appeal such denial in the manner provided in sections 10-186 and 10-187.

      (g) On or before October fifteenth of each year, the Commissioner of Education shall determine if interdistrict magnet school enrollment is below the number of students for which funds were appropriated. If the commissioner determines that the enrollment is below such number, the additional funds shall not lapse but shall be used by the commissioner for grants for interdistrict cooperative programs pursuant to section 10-74d.

      (h) In the case of a student identified as requiring special education, the school district in which the student resides shall: (1) Hold the planning and placement team meeting for such student and shall invite representatives from the interdistrict magnet school to participate in such meeting; and (2) pay the interdistrict magnet school an amount equal to the difference between the reasonable cost of educating such student and the sum of the amount received by the interdistrict magnet school for such student pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and amounts received from other state, federal, local or private sources calculated on a per pupil basis. Such school district shall be eligible for reimbursement pursuant to section 10-76g. If a student requiring special education attends an interdistrict magnet school on a full-time basis, such interdistrict magnet school shall be responsible for ensuring that such student receives the services mandated by the student's individualized education program whether such services are provided by the interdistrict magnet school or by the school district in which the student resides.

      (i) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the enrollment of nonpublic school students in an interdistrict magnet school program that operates less than full-time, provided (1) such students constitute no more than five per cent of the full-time equivalent enrollment in such magnet school program, and (2) such students are not counted for purposes of determining the amount of grants pursuant to this section and section 10-264i.

      (j) After accommodating students from participating districts in accordance with the approved enrollment agreement, an interdistrict magnet school that has unused student capacity may enroll directly into its program any interested student. A student from a district that is not participating in the interdistrict magnet school shall be given preference. The local or regional board of education otherwise responsible for educating such student shall contribute funds to support the operation of the interdistrict magnet school in an amount equal to the per student tuition, if any, charged to participating districts. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, such tuition shall be in an amount that is equal to seventy-five per cent of the difference between the average per pupil expenditure of the magnet school for the prior fiscal year and the amount of any per pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of this section. If any such board of education fails to pay such tuition, the commissioner may withhold from such school district a sum payable under section 10-262h in an amount not to exceed the amount of the unpaid tuition to the magnet school and transfer such money to the fiscal agent for the interdistrict magnet school as a supplementary grant for the operation of the interdistrict magnet school program. For purposes of calculating grants pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, "participating district" includes districts whose students enroll directly in interdistrict magnet schools pursuant to this subsection.

      (k) (1) Each interdistrict magnet school operated by a regional educational service center shall annually file with the Commissioner of Education a financial audit in such form as prescribed by the commissioner.

      (2) Annually, the commissioner shall randomly select one interdistrict magnet school operated by a regional educational service center to be subject to a comprehensive financial audit conducted by an auditor selected by the commissioner. The regional educational service center shall be responsible for all costs associated with the audit conducted pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision.

      (P.A. 95-226, S. 17, 30; P.A. 97-290, S. 16, 29; P.A. 98-168, S. 22, 26; 98-252, S. 23, 80; 98-259, S. 4, 17; P.A. 99-289, S. 9, 11; P.A. 00-48, S. 9, 12; P.A. 01-173, S. 65, 67; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 106; P.A. 03-76, S. 36; P.A 04-213, S. 22; 04-257, S. 12; P.A. 05-2, S. 3; 05-245, S. 25, 36; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 77, 79; P.A. 06-135, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 40, 42; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 45.)

      History: P.A. 95-226 effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-290 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision restricting the number of students that may enroll in the program from a participating district to 80% of the total enrollment of the program and to make a technical change, and amended Subsec. (b) to require consideration of the percentage of the student enrollment in the program from each participating district, to add the prohibition against awarding a grant to a program if more than 80% of the total enrollment is from one school district with a one-year exception for good cause, and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-168 amended Subsec. (a) to delete provision for program to be established with funds appropriated for purposes of Sec. 10-74d and to substitute provision for program to be established within available appropriations, and added new Subsec. (e) re retention of up to 1% by the Department of Education, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 98-252 and 98-259 both made cooperative arrangements eligible for grants and P.A. 98-252 also made technical changes, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-289 amended Subsec. (a) to make the grants noncompetitive, amended Subsec. (c) to increase the percentage of the grant that programs operating less than full-time are eligible to receive from 50% to 65%, and added Subsec. (f) re transportation and Subsec. (g) re determination of level of enrollment, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-48 added Subsec. (h) re special education students, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 added Subsec. (i) re enrollment of nonpublic school students in programs operating less than full-time, effective July 1, 2001; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 amended Subsec. (a) by changing requirements for enrollment percentages for schools beginning operations on or after July 1, 2005, added Subsec. (b)(4) re proposed operating budgets and by adding language re enrollment restrictions for programs beginning operations on or after July 1, 2005, and amended Subsec. (c) by redesignating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), making technical changes therein, and adding new Subdiv. (2) re supplemental grants, effective August 15, 2002; P.A. 03-76 made a technical change in Subsec. (c)(1), effective June 3, 2003; P.A. 04-213 amended Subsec. (a) by allowing the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of Manchester Community College to be eligible for grants and by adding provision re operation in conformance with laws applicable to public schools, effective June 3, 2004; P.A. 04-257 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective June 14, 2004; P.A. 05-2 amended Subsec. (c)(2) to apply provisions to fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, and to delete reference to fiscal years ending June 30, 2003, and June 30, 2004, effective March 22, 2005; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (c)(2) by making proportional reduction in grants applicable to fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, and each fiscal year thereafter, effective June 30, 2005, and amended Subsec. (c) by adding exception in Subdiv. (1) for programs described in Subdiv. (3)(A) and by adding Subdiv. (3) re programs described by enrollment percentages from a single town, deleted former Subsec. (e) re retention of funds for program evaluation and administration and redesignated existing Subsecs. (f) to (i) as Subsecs. (e) to (h), effective July 1, 2005; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 amended Subsec. (c)(2) by including summer school programs and reinstated Subsec. (e) re amount retained for program evaluation and administration, reducing amount department may retain from 1% to one-half of 1%, and redesignated existing Subsecs. (e) to (h) as Subsecs. (f) to (i), effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (c)(2) by deleting reference to summer school programs and added Subdiv. (4) re grants to regional educational service centers that provide summer school educational programs, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (c) to make technical changes, to provide in Subdiv. (1) that host magnet school program with participating district that enrolls more than 55% of its students in the magnet school shall receive a grant that is $6,016 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, $6,730 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, $7,440 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, and $8,158 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, and for residents of the host town a per pupil grant of $3,000 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and thereafter, to provide in Subdiv. (3)(A) that magnet schools operated by regional educational service center that enroll less than 55% of its students from a single town shall receive a per pupil grant that is $7,060 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, $7,620 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, $8,180 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, and $8,741 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, to add new Subdiv. (3)(B) re per pupil grants for magnet schools operated by regional educational service center that enrolls at least 55% of its students from a single town, to redesignate existing Subdiv. (3)(B) as Subdiv.(3)(C) and add Subsecs. (j) and (k) re unused student capacity and re financial audits of interdistrict magnet schools operated by regional educational service centers, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (c) to remove restriction on formula for districts with enrollment greater than 55% in Subdiv. (1), to redesignate existing Subdiv. (4) as Subdiv. (5) and to add new Subdiv. (4) re proportional adjustment of grants, effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-264n. Collaborative planning for the establishment of additional interdistrict magnet schools in the Sheff region. The Commissioner of Education shall consult with any regional community-technical college, the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System, the boards of trustees for higher education institutions licensed and accredited by the Board of Higher Education or the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut and may consult with any not-for-profit corporation approved by the Commissioner of Education to initiate collaborative planning for establishing additional interdistrict magnet schools in the Sheff region, as defined in subsection (q) of section 10-266aa.

      (June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 72.)

      History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-265f. Early reading success grant program. (a) The Commissioner of Education shall establish, within available appropriations, an early reading success grant program to assist local and regional boards of education for priority school districts and school districts in which priority elementary schools are located in: (1) Establishing full-day kindergarten programs; (2) reducing class size in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, to not more than eighteen students; and (3) establishing intensive early intervention reading programs, including after-school and summer programs, for students identified as being at risk of failing to learn to read by the end of first grade and students in grades one to three, inclusive, who are reading below grade level. Eligibility for grants pursuant to this section shall be determined for a five-year period based on a school district's designation as a priority school district or as a school district in which a priority elementary school is located for the initial year of application. In order to receive a grant, an eligible board of education shall submit a plan for the expenditure of grant funds, in accordance with this section, to the Department of Education, at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. An eligible school district may receive a grant for one or more purposes pursuant to subdivisions (1) to (3), inclusive, of this subsection, provided at least fifty per cent of any grant funds received by such school district are used for programs pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection. If the commissioner determines the school district is addressing the issue of early reading intervention sufficiently, the commissioner may allow the school district to set aside a smaller percentage of the funds received pursuant to this section for such programs.

      (b) (1) In the case of proposals for full-day kindergarten programs, the plan shall include: (A) Information on the number of full-day kindergarten classes that will be offered initially and the number of children to be enrolled in such classes; (B) how the board anticipates expanding the number of full-day kindergarten programs in future school years; (C) the number of additional teachers needed and any additional equipment needed for purposes of such programs; (D) a description of any proposed school building project that is related to the need for additional space for full-day kindergarten programs, including an analysis of the different options available to meet such need, such as relocatable classrooms, the division of existing classrooms, an addition to a building or new construction; (E) information on the curriculum for the full-day kindergarten program pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection; (F) information on coordination between the full-day kindergarten program and school readiness programs for the purpose of providing (i) information concerning transition from preschool to kindergarten, including the child's preschool records, and (ii) before and after school child care for children attending the full-day kindergarten program; and (G) any additional information the commissioner deems relevant.

      (2) A full-day kindergarten program that receives funding pursuant to this subsection shall: (A) Include language development and appropriate reading readiness experiences; (B) provide for the assessment of a student's progress; (C) include a professional development component in the teaching of reading and reading readiness and assessment of reading competency for kindergarten teachers; (D) provide for parental involvement; and (E) refer eligible children who do not have health insurance to the HUSKY program.

      (c) (1) In the case of proposals for the reduction of class size in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, to not more than eighteen students the plan shall include: (A) A time frame for achieving such reduction in class size; (B) information on the class size in such grades at each school at the time of application for the grant and the number of classes to be reduced in size with grant funds; (C) the number of additional teachers needed and any additional equipment needed; (D) a description of any proposed school building project related to the need for additional space for smaller classes, including an analysis of the different options available to meet such need such as relocatable classrooms, the division of existing classrooms, an addition to a building or new construction; (E) an estimate of the costs associated with implementation of the plan; and (F) any additional information the commissioner deems relevant.

      (2) If a school district accepts funds pursuant to this subsection, such school district shall limit the class size of classes in which core curriculum is taught in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, in accordance with its plan to eighteen or less students, provided students who enroll after October first in any school year are not included for purposes of such count.

      (d) In the case of proposals for intensive early intervention reading programs including after-school and summer programs, the plan shall: (1) Incorporate the competencies required for early reading success, critical indicators for teacher intervention and the components of a high quality early reading success curriculum in accordance with the findings of the Early Reading Success Panel delineated in section 10-221l; (2) provide for a period of time each day of individualized or small group instruction for each student; (3) provide for monitoring of programs and students and follow-up in subsequent grades, documentation of continuous classroom observation of students' reading behaviors and establishment of performance indicators aligned with the state-wide mastery examinations under chapter 163c, measures of efficacy of programs developed by the department pursuant to subsection (i) of this section, the findings of the Early Reading Success Panel pursuant to section 10-221j and other methodologies for assessing reading competencies established by the department pursuant to section 10-221i; (4) include a professional development component for teachers in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, that emphasizes the teaching of reading and reading readiness and assessment of reading competency based on the findings of the Early Reading Success Panel pursuant to section 10-221j; (5) provide for on-site teacher training and coaching in the implementation of research-based reading instruction delineated in section 10-221l; (6) provide for parental involvement and ensure that parents have access to information on strategies that may be used at home to improve prereading or reading skills; (7) provide for data collection and program evaluation; and (8) include any additional information the commissioner deems relevant. Each school district that receives grant funds under this section shall annually report to the Department of Education on the district's progress toward reducing the achievement gap in reading, including data on student progress in reading and how such data have been used to guide professional development and the coaching process.

      (e) (1) The model programs established pursuant to section 10-265j shall be funded from the amount appropriated for purposes of this section. The department shall use ninety per cent of the remaining funds appropriated for purposes of this section for grants to priority school districts. Priority school districts shall receive grants based on their proportional share of the sum of the products obtained by multiplying the number of enrolled kindergarten students in each priority school district for the year prior to the year the grant is to be paid, by the ratio of the average percentage of free and reduced price meals for all severe need schools in such district to the minimum percentage requirement for severe need school eligibility. (2) The department shall use nine per cent of such remaining funds for competitive grants to school districts in which a priority elementary school is located. In awarding grants to school districts in which priority elementary schools are located, the department shall consider the town wealth, as defined in subdivision (26) of section 10-262f, of the town in which the school district is located, or in the case of regional school districts, the towns which comprise the regional school district. Grants received by school districts in which priority elementary schools are located shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars and shall be used for the appropriate purpose at the priority elementary school. (3) The department may retain up to one per cent of such remaining funds for coordination, program evaluation and administration.

      (f) No funds received pursuant to this section shall be used to supplant federal, state or local funding to the local or regional boards of education for programs for grades kindergarten to three, inclusive.

      (g) Expenditure reports shall be filed with the department as requested by the commissioner. School districts shall refund (1) any unexpended amounts at the close of the program for which the grant is awarded, and (2) any amounts not expended in accordance with the approved grant application.

      (h) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, the amount available for the competitive grant program pursuant to this section shall be one million eight hundred fifty thousand dollars and the maximum administrative amount shall not be more than three hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred forty-six dollars.

      (i) (1) The Department of Education shall develop measures of efficacy of the early reading intervention programs employed by grant recipients under this section and the department shall list programs that are efficacious and make such list available to grant recipients. Not later than January 1, 2008, the department shall report the measures of efficacy and the list of efficacious programs to the Governor and the General Assembly, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.

      (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and each fiscal year thereafter, using the measures developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, the Department of Education shall determine the efficacy of the early reading intervention program employed by each grant recipient pursuant to this section. If any grant recipient is determined to be employing a program that is not shown to be effective, the department shall require the grant recipient to employ a program listed as efficacious by the department pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection.

      (P.A. 98-243, S. 4, 25; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1, S. 21, 54; P.A. 03-76, S. 47; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 31; P.A. 05-245, S. 49; P.A. 06-135, S. 17, 28; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 43, 44, 47; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 51.)

      History: P.A. 98-243 effective July 1, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 in Subsec. (b) designated a portion of existing Subdiv. (1)(F) as Subpara. (F)(ii), adding Subpara. (F)(i) re transition information and in Subdiv. (2) added Subpara. (E) re HUSKY referral, and in Subsec. (d) renumbered existing Subdivs. (1) to (6) as Subdivs. (2) to (7), adding new Subdiv. (1) re incorporation of competencies and adding references to the findings of the Early Reading Success Panel in Subdivs. (3) and (4), effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 03-76 made a technical change in Subsec. (d), effective June 3, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 added Subsec. (h) re appropriations for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (h) by extending applicable amounts through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (d) by adding new Subdiv. (5) re on-site teacher training, by redesignating existing Subdivs. (5), (6) and (7) as Subdivs. (6), (7) and (8) and by adding language re annual reporting requirement, effective July 1, 2007, and amended Subsec. (h) by increasing maximum administrative amount from $203,646 to $353,646, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (d)(3) to add "programs" and language re measures of efficacy of programs, amended Subsec. (e) to change pilot programs to model programs and added Subsec. (i) re measures of efficacy of intervention programs, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (h) to increase amount of the competitive grant program to $1,850,000 for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-265j. Model early childhood learning programs. The Commissioner of Education shall establish two model early childhood learning programs associated with institutions of higher education. Each program may include a laboratory school and a model day care program that serves sixty children ages three to five. Eligibility shall be determined for a five-year period. Grant awards shall be made annually during the five-year eligibility period, contingent upon available funding and a satisfactory annual evaluation. The Department of Education shall issue a request for proposals for the programs. The commissioner shall provide grants in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars each for purposes of such programs. The grants shall be provided from the amount appropriated for purposes of section 10-265f.

      (P.A. 98-243, S. 22, 25; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 46.)

      History: P.A. 98-243 effective July 1, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 changed pilot programs to model programs, required programs to be associated with institutions of higher education rather than to be in priority school districts and provided that eligibility be for a five-year period with annual grants contingent upon available funding and evaluation, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-266m. Transportation grants. (a) A local or regional board of education providing transportation in accordance with the provisions of sections 10-54, 10-66ee, 10-97, 10-158a, 10-273a, 10-277 and 10-281 shall be reimbursed for a percentage of such transportation costs as follows:

      (1) The percentage of pupil transportation costs reimbursed to a local board of education shall be determined by (A) ranking each town in the state in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine according to such town's adjusted equalized net grand list per capita, as defined in section 10-261; (B) based upon such ranking, and notwithstanding the provisions of section 2-32a, (i) except as otherwise provided in this subparagraph, a percentage of zero shall be assigned to towns ranked from one to thirteen and a percentage of not less than zero nor more than sixty shall be determined for the towns ranked from fourteen to one hundred sixty-nine on a continuous scale, except that any such percentage shall be increased by twenty percentage points in accordance with section 10-97, where applicable and (ii) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, and for each fiscal year thereafter, a percentage of zero shall be assigned to towns ranked from one to seventeen and a percentage of not less than zero nor more than sixty shall be determined for the towns ranked from eighteen to one hundred sixty-nine on a continuous scale.

      (2) The percentage of pupil transportation costs reimbursed to a regional board of education shall be determined by its ranking. Such ranking shall be determined by (A) multiplying the total population, as defined in section 10-261, of each town in the district by such town's ranking, as determined in subdivision (1) of this section, (B) adding together the figures determined under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, and (C) dividing the total computed under subparagraph (B) of this subdivision by the total population of all towns in the district. The ranking of each regional board of education shall be rounded to the next higher whole number and each such board shall receive the same reimbursement percentage as would a town with the same rank, provided such percentage shall be increased in the case of a secondary regional school district by an additional five percentage points and, in the case of any other regional school district by an additional ten percentage points.

      (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, and for each fiscal year thereafter, no local or regional board of education shall receive a grant of less than one thousand dollars.

      (4) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, to June 30, 2009, inclusive, the amount of transportation grants payable to local or regional boards of education shall be reduced proportionately if the total of such grants in such year exceeds the amount appropriated for such grants for such year.

      (b) A cooperative arrangement established pursuant to section 10-158a which provides transportation in accordance with said section shall be reimbursed for a percentage of such transportation costs in accordance with its ranking pursuant to this subsection. The ranking shall be determined by (1) multiplying the total population, as defined in section 10-261, of each town in the cooperative arrangement by such town's ranking as determined pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, (2) adding such products, and (3) dividing such sum by the total population of all towns in the cooperative arrangement. The ranking of each cooperative arrangement shall be rounded to the next higher whole number and each cooperative arrangement shall receive the same reimbursement percentage as a town with the same rank.

      (P.A. 79-128, S. 23, 36; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-4, S. 6, 8; P.A. 85-476, S. 3, 6; P.A. 86-71, S. 2, 11; P.A. 89-355, S. 11, 20; P.A. 92-262, S. 29, 42; P.A. 93-133, S. 2, 3; P.A. 96-178, S. 4, 18; P.A. 97-247, S. 18, 27; 97-290, S. 27, 29; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 9; P.A. 05-245, S. 17; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 4.)

      History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-4 amended Subsec. (b) clarifying that total population figures, as defined in Sec. 10-261, are to be used to determine percentage of costs to be reimbursed; P.A. 85-476 amended section to specify that reimbursement percentage is determined by ranking, to provide that ranking is to be rounded to next higher whole number and to provide for reimbursement at same percentage as for a town with the same rank; P.A. 86-71 in Subsec. (a) provided for increasing the percentage in accordance with Sec. 10-97 and in Subsec. (b) substituted percentage points for per cent re increases for regional school districts; P.A. 89-355 in Subsec. (a) changed the reimbursement percentage sliding scale of 20% to 70% to 10% to 60%; P.A. 92-262 amended Subsec. (a) to add reference to Sec. 2-32a and to substitute zero for ten; P.A. 93-133 replaced alphabetic Subdiv. indicators with numerics and numeric Subpara. indicators with alphabetics, amended Subdiv. (1)(B) to add the two categories of towns based on their ranking and to assign a percentage of zero for the towns ranked from one to thirteen and to limit the existing percentage of not less than zero nor more than 60% to towns ranked from fourteen to one hundred sixty-nine and made technical changes in Subdivs. (1) and (2), effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 96-178 amended Subdiv. (1) to make the existing Subpara. (B) into (i), adding (ii) re assignment of percentage for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, and each fiscal year thereafter, and added Subdiv. (3) requiring minimum grant of $1,000 for each local or regional board of education, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 97-247 designated the existing section as Subsec. (a), adding reference to Sec. 10-158a and making a technical change, and added Subsec. (b) re cooperative arrangements, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 97-290 added reference to Sec. 10-66ee, effective July 1, 1997; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (a) by adding Subdiv. (4) re proportional reduction of grants for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to extend the proportional reduction of grants through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2005; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to extend proportional reduction of grants through fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-266p. Priority school district grant program. (a) The State Board of Education shall administer a priority school district grant program to assist certain school districts to improve student achievement and enhance educational opportunities. The grant program shall include the priority school district portions of the grant programs established pursuant to sections 10-16p, 10-265f, 10-265m and 10-266t. The grant program and its component parts shall be for school districts in (1) the eight towns in the state with the largest population, based on the most recent federal decennial census, (2) towns which rank for the first fiscal year of each biennium from one to eleven when all towns are ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine based on the number of children under the temporary family assistance program, as defined in subdivision (17) of section 10-262f, plus the mastery count of the town, as defined in subdivision (13) of section 10-262f, and (3) towns which rank for the first fiscal year of each biennium one to eleven when all towns are ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine based on the ratio of the number of children under the temporary family assistance program as so defined to the resident students of such town, as defined in subdivision (22) of section 10-262f, plus the grant mastery percentage of the town, as defined in subdivision (12) of section 10-262f. The State Board of Education shall utilize the categorical grant program established under this section and sections 10-266q and 10-266r and other educational resources of the state to work cooperatively with such school districts during any school year to improve their educational programs or to provide early childhood education or early reading intervention programs. The component parts of the grant shall be allocated according to the provisions of sections 10-16p, 10-265f, 10-265m and 10-266t. Subject to the provisions of subsection (c) of section 10-276a, the State Board of Education shall allocate one million dollars to each of the eight towns described in subdivision (1) of this subsection and five hundred thousand dollars to each of the towns described in subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection, except the towns described in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not receive any additional allocation if they are also described in subdivision (2) or (3) of this subsection.

      (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, any town which received a grant pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and which does not qualify for a grant pursuant to subsection (a) of this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, shall receive grants for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, June 30, 2001, and June 30, 2002, in amounts determined in accordance with this subsection. (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, in an amount equal to the difference between (A) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (B) an amount equal to twenty-five per cent of the difference between (i) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (ii) the amount of the grants received by transitional school districts pursuant to section 10-263c. (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, in an amount equal to the difference between (A) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (B) an amount equal to fifty per cent of the difference between (i) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (ii) the amount of the grants received by transitional school districts pursuant to section 10-263c. (3) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, in an amount equal to the difference between (A) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (B) an amount equal to seventy-five per cent of the difference between (i) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (ii) the amount of the grants received by transitional school districts pursuant to section 10-263c.

      (c) In addition to the amount allocated pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate (1) seven hundred fifty thousand dollars to each town which ranks from one to three, inclusive, in population pursuant to subdivision (1) of said subsection (a) and three hundred thirty-four thousand dollars to each town which ranks from four to eight, inclusive, in population pursuant to said subdivision and (2) one hundred eighty thousand dollars to each of the towns described in subdivisions (2) and (3) of said subsection (a), except that the towns described in subdivision (1) of said subsection (a) shall not receive any additional allocation pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection if they are also described in subdivision (2) or (3) of said subsection (a).

      (d) In addition to the amounts allocated pursuant to subsections (a) and (c) of this section, the State Board of Education shall allocate a share, in the same proportion as the total amount allocated pursuant to said subsections, of two million five hundred thousand dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, and three million dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and each fiscal year thereafter, to each of the towns receiving a grant pursuant to this section.

      (e) In addition to the amounts allocated pursuant to subsections (a), (c) and (d) of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate (1) one million five hundred thousand dollars to the town which ranks one in population pursuant to subdivision (1) of said subsection (a), (2) one million dollars to each town which ranks from two to four, inclusive, in population pursuant to said subdivision (1), (3) six hundred thousand dollars to the town which ranks five in population pursuant to said subdivision (1), (4) five hundred thousand dollars to each town which ranks from six to eight, inclusive, in population pursuant to said subdivision (1), and (5) two hundred fifty thousand dollars to each of the towns described in subdivisions (2) and (3) of said subsection (a), except that the towns described in subdivision (1) of said subsection (a) shall not receive any additional allocation pursuant to subdivision (5) of this subsection if they are also described in subdivision (2) or (3) of said subsection (a).

      (f) In addition to the amounts allocated in subsection (a), and subsections (c) to (e), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, the State Board of Education shall allocate two million thirty-nine thousand six hundred eighty-six dollars to the towns that rank one to three, inclusive, in population pursuant to subdivision (1) of said subsection (a), and for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2007, June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, the State Board of Education shall allocate two million six hundred ten thousand seven hundred ninety-eight dollars to the towns that rank one to three, inclusive, in population pursuant to subdivision (1) of said subsection (a).

      (g) In addition to the amounts allocated in subsection (a) and subsections (c) to (f), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate four million seven hundred fifty thousand nine hundred ninety dollars as follows: Each priority school district shall receive an allocation based on the ratio of the amount it is eligible to receive pursuant to subsection (a) and subsections (c) to (f), inclusive, of this section to the total amount all priority school districts are eligible to receive pursuant to said subsection (a) and said subsections (c) to (f), inclusive.

      (h) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and for each fiscal year thereafter, no town receiving a grant pursuant to this section shall receive a grant that is in an amount that is less than one hundred fifty dollars per pupil. For the purposes of this subsection, the amount of the grant on a per pupil basis shall be determined by dividing the total amount that a town receives for a grant under this section by the number of resident students, as defined in subdivision (22) of section 10-262f, of the local or regional school district for which the town receives a grant under this section.

      (i) In addition to the amounts allocated in subsection (a) and subsections (c) to (h), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate six hundred fifty thousand dollars to the town ranked sixth when all towns are ranked from highest to lowest in population, based on the most recent federal decennial census.

      (P.A. 84-265, S. 1, 4; P.A. 87-499, S. 18, 34; P.A. 92-262, S. 30, 42; P.A. 93-145, S. 4, 6; P.A. 93-263, S. 13, 14; P.A. 94-245, S. 3, 46; P.A. 95-226, S. 24, 29, 30; P.A. 96-178, S. 5, 18; P.A. 97-318, S. 6, 12; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 14, 165; P.A. 99-224, S. 1-3, 9; June Sp. Sess. P. A. 01-1, S. 33, 54; P.A. 03-76, S. 35; 03-278, S. 116; P.A. 04-254, S. 4; P.A. 05-245, S. 27; P.A. 06-135, S. 27; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 7; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 47.)

      History: P.A. 87-499 made the program permanent rather than a three-year pilot; P.A. 92-262 changed the eligibility criteria for the program, reduced the number of towns able to participate and changed the provisions pertaining to the allocation of funds; P.A. 93-145 amended Subdivs. (2) and (3) to include towns ranked to eleven instead of ten, changed the allocation for the towns described in Subdiv. (1) to grants of $1,000,000 each from 80% "of the amount appropriated for purposes of the program for grants in equal amounts" and for the towns described in Subdivs. (2) and (3) to grants of $500,000 each from 20% "of the amount so appropriated for grants in equal amounts" and made a technical change, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-263 repealed section, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 94-245 added Subsec. (b) re grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, effective June 2, 1994; P.A. 95-226 amended Subsec. (a) to require the rankings to be for the first fiscal year of each biennium, added Subsec. (b)(2) re grants for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, and repealed P.A. 93-263, S. 13 which had repealed the section, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-178 amended Subsec. (a) to allow the grants to be used to provide early childhood education or early reading intervention programs and added Subsec. (c) re further allocation for fiscal years commencing after July 1, 1996, and a requirement that an amount at least equal to 25% of the amount received pursuant to Subsec. (c) be used for early childhood education or reading intervention programs, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 97-318 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting requirement to use at least 25% of funds for early childhood education or reading intervention programs, and added subsec. (d) re additional funds, effective July 1, 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) to replace "aid to families with dependent children" with "temporary family assistance", effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-224 amended Subsec. (a) to stipulate that the allocation of the $1,000,000 to each of the eight towns described in Subdiv. (1) is subject to the provisions of Sec. 10-276a(c), amended Subsec. (b) to replace obsolete phase-out provisions for school districts that no longer qualify for grants pursuant to Subsec. (a) with a new phase-out formula for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, to June 30, 2002, inclusive, and amended Subsec. (d) to add provision for the allocation of shares in the $3,000,000 to continue for "each fiscal year thereafter", effective July 1, 1999; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 amended Subsec. (a) to specify that the grant program includes the priority school district portions of the grant programs established pursuant to Secs. 10-16p, 10-265f, 10-265m and 10-266t, to specify that the component parts of the grant be allocated in accordance with said Secs. and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 03-76, effective June 3, 2003, and P.A. 03-278, effective July 9, 2003, made technical changes in Subsec. (a); P.A. 04-254 added Subsec. (e) re additional grant allocations beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-245 added Subsec. (f) re allocations for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2006, and June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-135 added Subsec. (g) re allocations for fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, and each fiscal year thereafter, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 added Subsecs. (h) and (i) re minimum per pupil grant and re town ranked the sixth largest in population, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (f) to extend allocation of $2,610,798 through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, and amended Subsec. (g) to increase amount of allocation to $4,750,990, effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-266aa. State-wide interdistrict public school attendance program. (a) As used in this section:

      (1) "Receiving district" means any school district that accepts students under the program established pursuant to this section;

      (2) "Sending district" means any school district that sends students it would otherwise be legally responsible for educating to another school district under the program; and

      (3) "Minority students" means students who are "pupils of racial minorities", as defined in section 10-226a.

      (b) There is established, within available appropriations, an interdistrict public school attendance program. The purpose of the program shall be to: (1) Improve academic achievement; (2) reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation or preserve racial and ethnic balance; and (3) provide a choice of educational programs for students enrolled in the public schools. The Department of Education shall provide oversight for the program, including the setting of reasonable limits for the transportation of students participating in the program, and may provide for the incremental expansion of the program for the school year commencing in 2000 for each town required to participate in the program pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

      (c) The program shall be phased in as provided in this subsection. (1) For the school year commencing in 1998, and for each school year thereafter, the program shall be in operation in the Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport regions. The Hartford program shall operate as a continuation of the program described in section 10-266j. Students who reside in Hartford, New Haven or Bridgeport may attend school in another school district in the region and students who reside in such other school districts may attend school in Hartford, New Haven or Bridgeport, provided, beginning with the 2001-2002 school year, the proportion of students who are not minority students to the total number of students leaving Hartford, Bridgeport or New Haven to participate in the program shall not be greater than the proportion of students who were not minority students in the prior school year to the total number of students enrolled in Hartford, Bridgeport or New Haven in the prior school year. The regional educational service center operating the program shall make program participation decisions in accordance with the requirements of this subdivision. (2) For the school year commencing in 2000, and for each school year thereafter, the program shall be in operation in New London, provided beginning with the 2001-2002 school year, the proportion of students who are not minority students to the total number of students leaving New London to participate in the program shall not be greater than the proportion of students who were not minority students in the prior year to the total number of students enrolled in New London in the prior school year. The regional educational service center operating the program shall make program participation decisions in accordance with this subdivision. (3) The Department of Education may provide, within available appropriations, grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, to the remaining regional educational service centers to assist school districts in planning for a voluntary program of student enrollment in every priority school district, pursuant to section 10-266p, which is interested in participating in accordance with this subdivision. For the school year commencing in 2003, and for each school year thereafter, the voluntary enrollment program may be in operation in every priority school district in the state. Students from other school districts in the area of a priority school district, as determined by the regional educational service center pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, may attend school in the priority school district, provided such students bring racial, ethnic and economic diversity to the priority school district and do not increase the racial, ethnic and economic isolation in the priority school district.

      (d) School districts which received students from New London under the program during the 2000-2001 school year shall allow such students to attend school in the district until they graduate from high school. The attendance of such students in such program shall not be supported by grants pursuant to subsections (f) and (g) of this section but shall be supported, in the same amounts as provided for in said subsections, by interdistrict cooperative grants pursuant to section 10-74d to the regional educational service centers operating such programs.

      (e) Once the program is in operation in the region served by a regional educational service center pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the Department of Education shall provide an annual grant to such regional educational service center to assist school districts in its area in administering the program and to provide staff to assist students participating in the program to make the transition to a new school and to act as a liaison between the parents of such students and the new school district. Each regional educational service center shall determine which school districts in its area are located close enough to a priority school district to make participation in the program feasible in terms of student transportation pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, provided any student participating in the program prior to July 1, 1999, shall be allowed to continue to attend the same school such student attended prior to said date in the receiving district until the student completes the highest grade in such school. Each regional educational service center shall convene, annually, a meeting of representatives of such school districts in order for such school districts to report, by March thirty-first, the number of spaces available for the following school year for out-of-district students under the program. Annually, each regional educational service center shall provide a count of such spaces to the Department of Education by April fifteenth. If there are more students who seek to attend school in a receiving district than there are spaces available, the regional educational service center shall assist the school district in determining attendance by the use of a lottery or lotteries designed to preserve or increase racial, ethnic and economic diversity, except that the regional educational service center shall give preference to siblings and to students who would otherwise attend a school that has lost its accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges or has been identified as in need of improvement pursuant to the No Child Left Behind Act, P.L. 107-110. The admission policies shall be consistent with section 10-15c and this section. No receiving district shall recruit students under the program for athletic or extracurricular purposes. Each receiving district shall allow out-of-district students it accepts to attend school in the district until they graduate from high school.

      (f) The Department of Education shall provide grants to regional educational service centers or local or regional boards of education for the reasonable cost of transportation for students participating in the program. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, and each fiscal year thereafter, the department shall provide such grants within available appropriations, provided the state-wide average of such grants does not exceed an amount equal to three thousand two hundred fifty dollars for each student transported, except that the Commissioner of Education may grant to regional educational service centers additional sums from funds remaining in the appropriation for such transportation services if needed to offset transportation costs that exceed such maximum amount. The regional educational service centers shall provide reasonable transportation services to high school students who wish to participate in supervised extracurricular activities. For purposes of this section, the number of students transported shall be determined on September first of each fiscal year.

      (g) The Department of Education shall provide, within available appropriations, an annual grant to the local or regional board of education for each receiving district in an amount not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars for each out-of-district student who attends school in the receiving district under the program. Each town which receives funds pursuant to this subsection shall make such funds available to its local or regional board of education in supplement to any other local appropriation, other state or federal grant or other revenue to which the local or regional board of education is entitled.

      (h) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, each sending district and each receiving district shall divide the number of children participating in the program who reside in such district or attend school in such district by two for purposes of the counts for subdivision (22) of section 10-262f and subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 10-261.

      (i) In the case of an out-of-district student who requires special education and related services, the sending district shall pay the receiving district an amount equal to the difference between the reasonable cost of providing such special education and related services to such student and the amount received by the receiving district pursuant to subsection (g) of this section and in the case of students participating pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the per pupil amount received pursuant to section 10-74d. The sending district shall be eligible for reimbursement pursuant to section 10-76g.

      (j) Nothing in this section shall prohibit school districts from charging tuition to other school districts that do not have a high school pursuant to section 10-33.

      (k) On or before October fifteenth of each year, the Commissioner of Education shall determine if the enrollment in the program pursuant to subsection (c) of this section for the fiscal year is below the number of students for which funds were appropriated. If the commissioner determines that the enrollment is below such number, the additional funds shall not lapse but shall be used by the commissioner in accordance with this subsection. (1) Any amount up to five hundred thousand dollars of such nonlapsing funds shall be used for supplemental grants to receiving districts on a pro rata basis for each out-of-district student in the program pursuant to subsection (c) of this section who attends the same school in the receiving district as at least nine other such out-of-district students, not to exceed one thousand dollars per student. (2) Any remaining nonlapsing funds shall be used for interdistrict cooperative grants pursuant to section 10-74d.

      (l) For purposes of the state-wide mastery examinations under section 10-14n, students participating in the program established pursuant to this section shall be considered residents of the school district in which they attend school.

      (m) Within available appropriations, the commissioner may make grants to regional education service centers which provide summer school educational programs approved by the commissioner to students participating in the program.

      (n) The Commissioner of Education may provide grants for children in the Hartford program described in this section to participate in an all day kindergarten program. In addition to the subsidy provided to the receiving district for educational services, such grants may be used for the provision of before and after-school care and remedial services for the kindergarten students participating in the program.

      (o) Within available appropriations, the commissioner may make grants for kindergarten and preschool programs in the Sheff region which are approved by the commissioner for students participating in the program pursuant to this section.

      (p) Within available appropriations, the commissioner may make grants for academic student support for programs pursuant to this section in the Sheff region approved by the Commissioner of Education.

      (q) For purposes of this section, "Sheff region" means the school districts for the towns of Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Manchester, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, South Windsor, Suffield, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor and Windsor Locks.

      (P.A. 97-290, S. 3, 29; P.A. 98-168, S. 23, 26; 98-252, S. 34, 80; P.A. 99-5, S. 1, 2; 99-289, S. 1, 11; P.A. 00-187, S. 15-17, 75; 00-220, S. 19, 43; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1, S. 29, 54; P.A. 03-76, S. 48; 03-168, S. 2; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 18; P.A. 04-26, S. 6; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 78; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 9, 10; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 49, 71.)

      History: P.A. 97-290 effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-168 amended Subsec. (b)(3) to specify that the program is for students enrolled in the public schools, and provided for oversight by the Department of Education, amended Subsec. (c) to require the Hartford program to operate as a continuation of the program described in Sec. 10-266j, amended Subsec. (d) to allow school districts to transfer students in the program to a different school if the district is changing school attendance areas on a district-wide basis, amended Subsec. (e) to increase grant amount from $1,000 to $1,200 and to limit requirement for after-school transportation to high school students participating in supervised extracurricular activities, and amended Subsec. (g) to delete provision re not counting children for purposes of any other count under Secs. 10-262f and 10-261, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 98-252 amended Subsec. (f) to specify that the grant is provided to the board of education and to add provision re funds to be made available to the board of education in supplement to other funds to which the board is entitled, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-5 amended Subsec. (e) to delete provision that transportation grants be within available appropriations and to add provision that for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and each fiscal year thereafter, such grants shall be within available appropriations, effective April 9, 1999; P.A. 99-289 amended Subsec. (b) to include the setting of reasonable transportation limits, amended Subsec. (c) to extend the time for planning grants to include the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and to make the provision of such grants permissive, to renumber Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (4) and to add new Subdiv. (3) re program operation in New Britain, New London, Waterbury and Windham, to change the date in Subdiv. (4) from the school year commencing in 1999 to school year commencing in 2000, and to substitute program operation in every priority school district for operation in every school district, amended Subsec. (d) to increase the amount of the grant from $100,000 to $175,000, to provide for staff to assist participating students and act as a liaison, to require the regional educational service centers to determine feasible distances for student transportation provided students participating in the program prior to July 1, 1999, are allowed to continue to attend the same school until they complete the highest grade in the school, to make the meetings with school districts annual, to require the reports on spaces to be made by March thirty-first and to require the regional educational service centers to provide a count to the department by April fifteenth, and to substitute provision allowing students to attend school in the district until they graduate from high school for provision allowing them to complete the highest grade in the school they are attending under the program, relettered Subsec. (e) as Subsec. (f), added new Subsec. (e) re records, amended Subsec. (f) to add "state-wide average" and to increase the amount from $1,200 to $2,000, relettered Subsecs. (f), (g), (h) and (i) as Subsecs. (g), (h), (i) and (j) and added Subsec. (k) re determination on level of enrollment, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-187 amended Subsec. (b) to give the department authority for the incremental expansion of the program, amended former Subsec. (f), redesignated as Subsec. (e) pursuant to P.A. 00-220, to increase the limit for the state-wide average from $2,000 to $2,100 and added Subsec. (l), redesignated as Subsec. (k) pursuant to P.A. 00-220, re state-wide mastery examinations, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 00-220 deleted former Subsec. (e) re transfer of records and relettered Subsecs. (f) to (k) as (e) to (j), in new Subsec. (e) added provision concerning the determination of the number of students transported on September first of each fiscal year, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 in Subsec. (a) defined "minority students", in Subsec. (b) removed "state-wide" from description of the program, in Subsec. (c) deleted existing Subdiv. (1) to remove obsolete language, renumbered part of existing Subdiv. (2) as Subdiv. (1) and part as Subdiv. (3), added requirement in Subdiv. (1) re the proportion of students who are not minority students, added new Subdiv. (2) re New London program, made existing Subdiv. (4) part of Subdiv. (3), in Subdiv. (3) changed the applicable fiscal year to the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, made the program in other priority school districts voluntary and based participation in the voluntary program on bringing racial, ethnic and economic diversity to the priority school district, redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) to (k) as Subsecs. (e) to (l), added new Subsec. (d) re school districts receiving students from New London, in Subsec. (e) deleted reference to $175,000 annual grant to a regional educational service center and specified that admission policies shall be consistent with provisions of section, in Subsec. (i) added limitation for amount in case of students participating pursuant to Subsec. (d) and in Subsec. (k) specified that determination of enrollment is the program pursuant to Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 03-76 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective June 3, 2003; P.A. 03-168 amended Subsec. (e) by making a technical change and adding provision re the No Child Left Behind Act, effective July 1, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (f) by changing "June 30, 2000," to "June 30, 2003," and adding provision giving commissioner discretion to grant additional money to offset transportation costs, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-26 made technical changes in Subsec. (e), effective April 28, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 added Subsec. (m) re summer school educational programs, effective July 1, 2005; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (f) to increase maximum grant from $2,100 to $3,250 per pupil, amended Subsec. (g) to increase per pupil grant from $2,000 to $2,500 and amended Subsec. (k) to increase maximum amount that may be used for supplemental grants from $350,000 to $500,000, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Sec. 41 of June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-6, added editorially by the Revisors as Subsec. (n), to make permanent the grant supporting all day kindergarten for the Hartford program, and added Subsecs. (o) re grants for kindergarten and preschool programs, (p) re grants for academic student support and (q) defining "Sheff region", effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-281. Transportation for pupils in nonprofit private schools within school district. (a) Any municipality or school district shall provide, for its children enrolled in any grade, from kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, attending nonpublic nonprofit schools therein, the same kind of transportation services provided for its children in such grades attending public schools when a majority of the children attending such a nonpublic school are residents of the state of Connecticut. Such determination shall be based on the ratio of pupils who are residents to all pupils enrolled in each such school on October first or the full school day immediately preceding such date, during the school year next preceding that in which the transportation services are to be provided. For purposes of this section, residency means continuous and permanent physical presence within the state, except that temporary absences for short periods of time shall not affect the establishment of residency. In no case shall a municipality or school district be required to expend for transportation to any nonpublic school, in any one school year, a per pupil transportation expenditure greater than an amount double the local per pupil expenditure for public school transportation during the last completed school year. In the event that such per pupil expenditure for transportation to a nonprofit nonpublic school may exceed double the local per pupil expenditure, the municipality or school district may allocate its share of said transportation on a per pupil, per school basis and may pay, at its option, its share of said transportation directly to the provider of the transportation services on a monthly basis over the period such service is provided or provide such service for a period of time which constitutes less than the entire school year. Any such municipality or school district providing transportation services under this section may suspend such services in accordance with the provisions of section 10-233c. Any such municipality or school district providing transportation under this section shall be reimbursed only for the cost of such transportation as is required by this section upon the same basis and in the same manner as such municipality or school district is reimbursed for transporting children attending its public schools. The parent or guardian of any student who is denied the kind of transportation services required to be provided by this section may seek a remedy in the same manner as is provided for parents of public school children in section 10-186 and section 10-187.

      (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, to June 30, 2009, inclusive, the amount of the grants payable to local or regional boards of education in accordance with this section shall be reduced proportionately if the total of such grants in such year exceeds the amount appropriated for purposes of this section.

      (1957, P.A. 547, S. 1, 2; 1971, P.A. 653, S. 1, 2; 871, S. 80; P.A. 74-257, S. 1, 3; P.A. 75-479, S. 9, 25; P.A. 76-85; P.A. 78-218, S. 192; P.A. 83-119, S. 7, 8; 83-252, S. 1, 2; P.A. 85-249, S. 2, 3; P.A. 93-353, S. 27, 52; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 203; P.A. 04-26, S. 7; P.A. 05-245, S. 15; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 2.)

      History: 1971 acts made town's provision of transportation to nonprofit private schools mandatory when majority of students come from that town, rather than optional, allowed reimbursement for cost, deleted obsolete reference to decision to be rendered under Subsec. (b) and deleted Subsec. (b) itself; P.A. 74-257 required provision of transportation to nonprofit private schools when majority of students come from Connecticut rather than from the municipality; P.A. 75-479 limited amount required to be spent for private school transportation to double the amount spent per pupil locally; P.A. 76-85 added provision for redress of grievance re denial of transportation; P.A. 78-218 substituted "municipality" for "town, city or borough"; P.A. 83-119 allowed board to suspend transportation services in accordance with Sec. 10-233c; P.A. 83-252 established procedure for determining when a majority of students attending nonpublic schools are from the state and allowed costs in excess of the maximum expenditure required to be allocated on a per pupil, per school basis and payment of such excess costs to be made directly to the provider of transportation services or to be made for less than the entire school year; P.A. 85-249 amended section to specify that transportation services are to be provided for private nonprofit school children in grades kindergarten to twelve and to add definition of residency; P.A. 93-353 changed the method for determining whether the majority of the students attending a school are residents of the state and removed the requirement to base such determination on enrollment on May first as well as October first, effective July 1, 1993; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 designated existing provision as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) re proportional reductions in grants for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-26 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective April 28, 2004; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (b) to extend the proportional reduction of grants through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2005; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (b) to extend proportional reduction of grants through fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, effective July 1, 2007.