§ 6-20-601 - Qualifications for receiving isolated funding. - Arkansas Statutes

6-20-601. Qualifications for receiving isolated funding.

(a) As used in this section, "isolated school district" means a school district that meets any four (4) of the following five (5) criteria:

(1) There is a distance of twelve (12) miles or more by hard-surfaced highway from the high school of the district to the nearest adjacent high school in an adjoining district;

(2) The density ratio of transported students is less than three (3) students per square mile of area;

(3) The total area of the district is ninety-five square miles (95 sq. mi.) or greater;

(4) Less than fifty percent (50%) of bus route miles is on hard-surfaced roads; and

(5) There are geographic barriers such as lakes, rivers, and mountain ranges that would impede travel to schools that otherwise would be appropriate for consolidation, cooperative programs, and shared services.

(b) An isolated school district shall be eligible to receive isolated funding if:

(1) The school district's budget is prepared by the local district with Department of Education approval;

(2) The district has an average daily membership of less than three hundred fifty (350); and

(3) The district meets the minimum standards for accreditation of public schools prescribed by law and regulation.

(c) Any school district designated as an isolated school district for the 1996-1997 fiscal year that used geographic barriers as one (1) of the four (4) criteria necessary to receive isolated funding shall be allowed to continue to use geographic barriers as a criterion for future allocations of isolated funding.

(d) (1) State financial aid in the form of isolated funding shall be provided to local school districts qualifying under this section and shall be calculated as follows:

(350-Previous year's average daily membership) divided by eight hundred fifty (850) times the previous year's average daily membership times the base local revenue per student.

(2) There shall be two (2) categories of isolated funding:

(A) Category I isolated funding shall be provided to all school districts that qualify under this section; and

(B) Category II isolated funding shall be further provided to those school districts that qualify under this section and have an average daily membership density ratio of less than one and two-tenths (1.2) students per square mile and shall be calculated at fifty percent (50%) of Category I funding.

(3) Those school districts that qualify under this section and whose local revenue per student exceeds the base local revenue per student shall receive isolated funding calculated as follows: (Category I plus Category II) minus (base local revenue per student minus local revenue per student) times the previous year's average daily membership.

(4) In the event that the statewide amount for isolated funding calculated pursuant to this section is less than the amount appropriated for isolated funding, the State Board of Education may include a funding factor in the calculation in 6-20-303(14)(A) [repealed] in order to expend up to the appropriated amount.

(e) No school district that may qualify under other law to receive additional state aid because its average daily membership is less than three hundred fifty (350) shall be eligible to receive funding under this section except that a district qualifying under other law for such aid and qualifying for funds under this section may elect to receive funds under this section in lieu of aid under the other.