The following is really the real language of the actual bill brought by the Chairs of the Legislature's two very real Education Committees, Representative Bob Nonini and Senator John Goedde. The bill really does eliminate actual state funding for actual educational field trips statewide, and cuts actual funding for transporting actual kids almost only in the Boise School District. Really.
(7) The state department of education shall calculate the amount of state funds lost in
41 fiscal year 2010 by each school district as a result of the decrease in the state reimbursement
42 from eightyfive percent (85%) to fifty percent (50%) of certain eligible costs, including the
43 reduction calculated for districts that contract for pupil transportation services, and excluding
44 any reductions made due to the limitation on reimbursable expenses, all pursuant to subsection
45 (5) of this section. The amount so calculated shall be distributed to each school district in fiscal
year 2010. For each fiscal year thereafter, the amount distributed pursuant 1 to this subsection (7)
2 for each school district shall be determined as follows:
3 (a) Divide the amount distributed to the district pursuant to this subsection (7) in fiscal
4 year 2010 by the district’s support units for fiscal year 2010;
5 (b) Multiply the result of the calculation found in subsection (7)(a) of this section by the
6 number of support units in the current fiscal year;
7 (c) Determine the percentage change in statewide transportation reimbursements as
8 provided for in subsection (5) of this section since fiscal year 2010;
9 (d) Determine the percentage change in statewide student enrollment since fiscal year
10 2010;
11 (e) Subtract the result of the calculation found in subsection (7)(d) of this section from
12 the result of the calculation found in subsection (7)(c) of this section;
13 (f) Adjust the result of the calculation found in subsection (7)(b) of this section by the
14 percentage result from subsection (7)(e) of this section….
I'm sure it wasn't easy coming up with a formula that hurts only one district.
We spent more than an hour debating and fighting through various amendments to this bill yesterday and will again work on amendments today or tomorrow since those quite inadequate changes that we did pass yesterday "have problems." Democrats will again try to amend the bill so it does not retroactively cut all field trip funding or gut transportation funding for Boise schools. Fun procedures Senator Kelly and the rest of us may use include deleting the enacting clause, which renders the bill null and void.