Committee lays over compensatory revenue fix; debate over forms, site hold‑harmless and mandate relief

The Senate Education Finance Committee on March 4 took up Senate File 2002, a multi‑part bill aimed at stabilizing compensatory revenue calculations for fiscal year 2026 and restoring paper meal‑form counts to identify students who generate compensatory funding.

Senator Ann Clark (sponsor) said the bill accomplishes three primary goals: hold districts harmless at the site level for FY26 by using the greater of pupil unit counts from FY2024 or FY2026; increase a district’s flexibility to reallocate up to 40% (from 20%) of compensatory revenue between buildings; and restore paper meal‑application forms in perpetuity to supplement direct certification so that students who need compensatory services are counted. “By identifying through both direct certification and paper forms, we can close the on average 12 to 14% gap that exists now,” Clark said.

Supporters and fiscal context: Matt Shaver, senior policy director at Ed Allies, told the committee compensatory revenue is…