§ 4028 - Fund payments to school districts - Vermont Statutes

§ 4028. Fund payments to school districts

(a) On or before September 10, December 10, and April 30 of each school year, one-third of the adjusted education payment under section 4011 of this title shall become due to school districts; except that districts which have not adopted a budget by 30 days before the date of payment under this subsection shall receive one-quarter of the base education amount, and upon adoption of a budget shall receive additional amounts due under this subsection.

(b) Payments made for special education under chapter 101 of this title, for technical education under chapter 37 of this title and for other aid and categorical grants paid for support of education shall also be from the education fund.

(c)(1) Any district that has adopted a school budget which includes high spending, as defined in 32 V.S.A. § 5401(12), shall, upon timely notice, be authorized to use a portion of its high spending penalty to reduce future education spending as follows:

(A) By entering into a contract with an operational efficiency consultant or a financial systems consultant to examine issues such as transportation arrangements, administrative costs, staffing patterns, and the potential for collaboration with other districts.

(B) By entering into a contract with an energy or facilities management consultant.

(C) By engaging in discussions with other school districts about reorganization or consolidation for better service delivery at a lower cost.

(2) To the extent approved by the commissioner, the department shall pay the district from the property tax revenue to be generated by the high spending increase to the district's spending adjustment as estimated by the commissioner, up to a maximum of $5,000.00. For the purposes of this subsection, "timely notice" means written notice from the district to the commissioner by September 30 of the budget year. If the district enters into a contract with a consultant pursuant to this subsection, the consultant shall not be an employee of the district or of the department of education. A copy of the consultant's final recommendations or a copy of the district's recommendations regarding reorganization, as appropriate, shall be submitted to the commissioner, and each affected town shall include in its next town report an executive summary of the consultant's or district's final recommendations and notice of where a complete copy is available. No district is authorized to obtain funds under this section more than one time in every five years. (Added 1997, No. 60, § 18, eff. July 1, 1998; amended 1997, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), § 70, eff. July 1, 1999, § 118, eff. March 11, 1998; No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 159(b); 1999, No. 152 (Adj. Sess.), § 166b; 2003, No. 68, § 20, eff. June 18, 2003; 2005, No. 38, § 10, eff. June 2, 2005; 2007, No. 66, § 10; 2009, No. 44, § 19, eff. May 21, 2009.)