§ 2961 - Standard mainstream block grants - Vermont Statutes

§ 2961. Standard mainstream block grants

(a) Each town school district, city school district, union school district, unified union school district, incorporated school district, and the member school districts of an interstate school district shall be eligible to receive a standard mainstream block grant each school year. The mainstream block grant shall be equal to the school district's mainstream salary standard multiplied by 60 percent.

(b) The district shall expend all such assistance for special education services or for remedial or compensatory services in accordance with its service plan as required under 16 V.S.A. § 2964. It shall likewise expend, from local funds, an amount not less than 40 percent of its mainstream salary standard for special education.

(c) As used in this section:

(1) "Mainstream salary standard" means:

(A) the district's full-time equivalent staffing for special education for the preceding year multiplied by the average special education teacher salary in the state for the preceding year; plus

(B) its share, prorated according to average daily membership among the member districts of the supervisory union, of an amount equal to the average special education administrator salary in the state for the preceding year, plus, for any supervisory union or supervisory district with more than 1,500 average daily membership, the school district's prorated share of a fraction of an additional full-time equivalent salary for a special education administrator, the numerator of which is the average daily membership in the supervisory union or supervisory district minus 1,500, and the denominator of which is the average daily membership in the largest supervisory union or supervisory district in the state minus 1,500.

(2) "Full-time equivalent staffing" means 9.75 special education teaching positions per 1,000 average daily membership.

(d) If in any fiscal year, a district which maintains a school does not expend an amount equal to its mainstream salary standard on special education expenditures, the district may expend the balance, including the matching funds, to provide support and remedial services pursuant to section 2902 or 2903 of this title. A district choosing to expend funds in this way shall submit a report describing the services provided and their costs with the final financial report submitted under section 2968 of this title. (Added 1987, No. 235 (Adj. Sess.), § 7; amended 1989, No. 230 (Adj. Sess.), § 15, eff. July 1, 1991; 1995, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 1997, No. 60, §§ 30, 30a, eff. July 1, 1998; 2003, No. 130 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.)