S 24 SCHOOL REPORTING ON USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS

Sen Crystal Diamond

Actions: SPREF [1] SEC/SFC-SEC [5] DNP-CS/w/o rec-SFC [9] DP [10] PASSED/S (36-2) [12] HEC/HAFC-HEC

Scheduled: Not Scheduled

 Senate Bill 24  (SB 24) Adds to the Public School Finance Act to create reporting requirements for school districts and state-chartered schools related to the use of federal funds from the Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief Fund. SB 24 Prescribes duties for the Public Education Department.
 

 Senate Bill 24 (SB 24) adds a new section of the Public School Finance Act to specify  financial transparency and provide reporting requirements relating to the use of federal funds allocated to that school district or state-charted school from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (Fund). SB 24 also specifies duties.
 
No later than July 1, 2023, a school district or state-chartered charter school shall submit a report to the department, on a form provided by the department, detailing the use of federal funds allocated to that school district or state-chartered charter school from the Fund. 

The department shall develop and make available a report template.

The report shall include the the information specified in Subsection C regarding the use of federal funds received through May 31, 2023.

If funds remains unspent by a school district or state-chartered charter school after May 31, 2023, additional reports shall be submitted by the school district or state-chartered charter school to the department detailing the same contents as the first report required by Subsection C on the dates specified.

The department shall publish all submitted reports from school districts and state-chartered charter schools on its website within 30 days of receiving the reports. 

For the purposes of this section, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funding refers to the Fund as provided in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. 

 Senate Bill 24 (SB 24) is substituted by the Senate Education Committee. SB 24, which relates to the Public School Finance Act, has added Subsection D to require reporting the impact of the use of federal funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. 
Subsection D reads as follows:
D. If the funds did not accomplish the desired student outcomes, the school district or state-chartered charter school shall provide an explanation of how the school district or state-chartered charter school plans to revise the programmatic uses to improve student outcomes.