Committee advances school‑funding rewrite that sets $6,100 base block grant, creates supplemental special‑needs aid
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The committee reported House Bill 54 53 to the full Senate after debate over fiscal impact and an unsuccessful amendment to accelerate supplemental special‑needs funding; the bill sets a $6,100 per‑pupil base, provides $8,600 for charter funding in later years, and creates a supplemental school aid fund for tier 2/3 special‑needs students.
The committee voted to report House Bill 54 53, which would preserve the current school funding formula for several years while setting new block‑grant amounts and creating a supplemental school aid fund for higher‑needs students.
Counsel described the bill as keeping the current formula in place for the next three school years, requiring county boards to be funded by a $6,100 per‑student block grant (with a 1,200‑pupil minimum for base funding), and setting charter school funding at $8,600 per student for the 2029‑30 school year and thereafter. The bill would also create a supplemental school aid fund to be appropriated by the Legislature and distributed by the Department of Education for tier 2 and tier 3 special‑needs students, with per‑pupil allotments of $3,050 for tier 2 and $6,100 for tier 3; districts may request additional funds for specified purposes and the Department would review distributions annually.
Senators sought fiscal detail. Counsel and staff said exact breakout numbers were not present at the table; Drew McClanahan said the introduced bill had an approximately $214,000,000 fiscal note but that departmental staff (Uriah) would provide specific numbers later. In committee debate, Senator from Marion urged moving the effective date for supplemental funding earlier to 2026‑27 to provide more immediate relief for districts facing consolidation and budget strain, saying, "I've got 6 schools in Marion County that are on the chopping block here next fall." The committee called a division on that amendment; the tally was 5 yeas and 6 nays and the amendment was rejected.
The committee adopted counsel's amendment as explained and reported HB 54 53 to the full Senate with the recommendation that it pass and with a double committee reference first to the Committee on Finance. The committee record shows continued concern about whether the enrolled budget can absorb additional appropriations; counsel noted that supplemental appropriations remain an option.
The bill will proceed to the Committee on Finance under the Senate's double reference rules and may require further fiscal work before final floor consideration.