Committee reviews Act 73 overhaul: $15,033 base, class‑size minimums, new supplemental tax and multi‑year transitions

The legislature’s Education Committee spent its session reviewing Act 73, the comprehensive 2025 education overhaul that remakes funding, class‑size rules and school construction aid. Presenters from the Legislative Council and fiscal office described a foundation funding model centered on a base payment — $15,033 per pupil — plus a system of additive weights and targeted support grants, and outlined multi‑year transition timelines and rulemaking responsibilities.

St. James of the Office of Legislative Council told the committee he prepared slide summaries and hyperlinks to statutory text and reports and urged members to consult the act directly for exact language. John Grayhouse (Legislative Council) explained the formula mechanics: the base of $15,033 is multiplied by districts’ long‑term weighted average daily membership (LTWADM) to produce Educational Opportunity Payments (EOPs); a set of seven additive weights (special education tiers, economic‑disadvantage, English‑learner, pre‑K and others) adjusts funding for student needs.

The bill shifts several current supports into targeted grants: small‑school and sparsity support move from weights to grants (a small‑school grant is available to schools with a two‑year average enrollment under 100 pupils; a sparse‑school grant applies to schools located in towns with fewer than 55 persons per…