2005 Arizona Revised Statutes - Revised Statutes §15-1466  State aid; eligibility; limitations

A. Subject to legislative appropriation, the legislature shall determine and appropriate the amount of state aid each fiscal year to each district possessing the qualifications as prescribed in this chapter.

B. The state shall determine the amount of state aid, as prescribed in subsection F of this section, appropriated to each district for the fiscal year prior to the fiscal year for which the state aid is being calculated.

C. The state shall adjust the amount of state aid appropriated to each district as determined in subsection B of this section by the growth rate referenced by section 15-901, subsection B, paragraph 2. This amount shall be appropriated to the district except as provided in subsection D of this section.

D. In addition to the state aid appropriated in subsection C of this section, each district qualified under this chapter shall have its state aid adjusted in an amount that reflects the growth in the full-time equivalent student count of the district calculated as follows:

1. Calculate the growth in the actual, audited full-time equivalent student count between the second and third most recent fiscal years prior to the fiscal year for which the state aid is being calculated for each district.

2. Calculate the average appropriation per full-time equivalent student for all districts by dividing the amount determined in subsection B of this section by the actual, audited full-time equivalent student count for all districts in the most recent fiscal year.

3. Multiply the amount calculated in paragraph 1 of this subsection by the average appropriation calculated in paragraph 2 of this subsection. This amount shall be appropriated to the district for growth.

E. State aid appropriated to each district shall be allocated and paid in accordance with subsection C of this section before any funding is allocated and paid in accordance with subsection D of this section.

F. The total amount appropriated to each district each fiscal year in accordance with subsections C and D of this section shall serve as the amount of state aid to be adjusted in the next fiscal year. A district is not eligible for growth funding pursuant to this section unless the most recent audited full-time student equivalent count exceeds the highest audited full-time student equivalent count recorded from and after fiscal year 2003-2004.

G. To be eligible for state aid, a district shall:

1. Be equipped with suitable buildings, equipment and campus.

2. Have at least three hundred twenty full-time equivalent students attending in the district.

3. Have complied with all of the requirements of the district board including budgets and curriculum.

H. Notwithstanding subsection E of this section, the legislature may allocate funding for growth in the full-time equivalent student count prior to or in combination with funding of the growth rate.

I. The total amount of state monies that may be spent in any fiscal year by a district for operating state aid shall not exceed the amount appropriated or authorized by section 35-173 for that purpose. Notwithstanding section 15-1444, this section shall not be construed to impose a duty on an officer, agent or employee of this state to discharge a responsibility or to create any right in a person or group if the discharge or right would require an expenditure of state monies in excess of the expenditure authorized by legislative appropriation for that specific purpose, including any duties prescribed in an employment contract entered into pursuant to section 15-1444, subsection A, paragraph 6.

J. In addition to the formula to determine the state aid appropriations prescribed in this section, the state may pay additional amounts for state aid to a district based on requests included in the district's budget request.

K. This section does not entitle a community college operated by a qualified Indian tribe to state aid for community colleges pursuant to this chapter.