La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § CXXXIX-2301

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section CXXXIX-2301 - State Funding

A. Unless otherwise provided by law, the per pupil amount provided to a type 1, 2, 3, 3B, or 4 charter school shall be computed at least annually and shall be equal to the per pupil amount provided through the Minimum Foundation Program formula, determined by the allocation weights in the formula based upon student characteristics or needs, received by the school district in which the student resides, as determined by the weighted differentiated funding formula based upon individual student characteristics or needs that is provided through the Minimum Foundation Program, except as provided in Subsection E of this Section.

1. The state-funded per pupil allocation shall be based upon the weighted student membership count received by the district pursuant to the most recent legislatively approved Minimum Foundation Program formula, and include all levels and allocation weights based upon student characteristics or needs as provided in the formula except any supplementary allocations for specific purposes. Supplementary allocations for specific purposes shall be provided to charter schools based solely on the funds generated by the charter school within each specific allocation.

B. Initial allocation of the per pupil amount each year shall be based on estimates provided by the Louisiana Department of Education using the most recent local revenue data and projected pupil counts available. Allocations may be adjusted during the year to reflect actual pupil counts.

C. For the purposes of funding, and unless otherwise permitted by law, each type 1, type 3, and type 4 charter school shall be considered an approved public school of the local school board entering into the charter agreement.

D. Type 5 charter schools shall receive a per pupil amount each year pursuant to formulas developed by the RSD which may include differentiated funding for certain students, including students identified as being eligible for special education services, and based on the October 1 membership count of the charter school and any other membership count authorized pursuant to the Minimum Foundation Program formula adopted each year.

E. Pursuant to R.S. 17:10.1, for a school system from which one or more schools have been transferred to the recovery school district pursuant to R.S. 17:10.7, the local school board shall adopt a policy that establishes a process to determine the district-level funding allocation based upon student characteristics or needs, as determined by the local school board, to distribute the total amount of minimum foundation program formula funds allocated to the local school board and to Type 1, 1B, 3, 3B, 4, and 5 charter schools that are located within the geographic boundaries of the local school system.

F. Type 2 charter schools approved prior to July 1, 2008 shall receive a per pupil amount from the Louisiana Department of Education each year based on the October 1 membership count of the charter school and using state funds specifically provided for this purpose. In order to provide for adjustments in allocations made to type 2 charter schools as a result of changes in enrollment, BESE may provide annually for a February pupil membership count to reflect any changes in pupil enrollment that may occur after October 1 of each year Type 2 charter schools authorized by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education after July 1, 2008, shall receive a per pupil amount each year as provided in the Minimum Foundation Program approved formula.

1. Any allocation adjustment made pursuant to this Paragraph shall not be retroactive and shall be applicable for the period from March 1 through the end of the school year. The provisions of this Paragraph relative to an allocation adjustment shall not be applicable to any type 2 charter school that has had an increase or decrease in student enrollment of 5 percent or less in any school year for which the February membership count occurs.

G. A charter authority may annually charge each charter school it authorizes a fee in an amount equal to two percent of the per pupil allocation that is received by a charter school for administrative overhead costs incurred by the chartering authority for considering the charter application and any amendment thereto, providing monitoring and oversight of the school, collecting and analyzing data of the school, and for reporting on school performance. Such fee amount shall be withheld from the per pupil amount in monthly increments and shall not be applicable to any federal money or grants received by the school. Administrative overhead costs shall not include any cost incurred by the charter authority to provide purchased services to the charter school.

1. At least 30 days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, each charter school shall be provided by its chartering authority with a projected budget detailing anticipated administrative overhead costs and planned uses for fees charged for such costs.

2. By no later than 90 days following the end of each fiscal year, each charter school shall be provided by its chartering authority or the Recovery School District, if applicable, an itemized accounting of the actual cost of each purchased service provided to the charter school.

3. The department may withhold and retain from state funds otherwise allocated to a local public school system through the Minimum Foundation Program an amount equal to 1 quarter of 1 percent of the fee amount charged to a type 3B charter school for administrative costs incurred by the department for providing financial oversight and monitoring of a type 3B charter school acting as its own LEA.

4. The department may withhold and retain from state funds otherwise allocated to a local public school system through the Minimum Foundation Program an amount equal to 1 quarter of 1 percent of the fee amount charged to a type 1, 3, 3B, or 4 charter school considered its own LEA pursuant to §2303 of this Bulletin for administrative costs incurred by the department for providing financial oversight and monitoring.

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § CXXXIX-2301

Promulgated by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in LR 34:1371 (July 2008), amended LR 37:874 (March 2011), LR 39:3250 (December 2013), LR 40:1324 (July 2014), Amended LR 42549 (4/1/2016), Amended LR 421019 (7/1/2016), Amended LR 43308 (2/1/2017), Amended LR 43636 (4/1/2017), Amended LR 44241 (2/1/2018).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:6(A)(10), R.S. 17:3981, and R.S. 17:3995.