AB700

Assembly Bill No. 700–Committee on Ways and Means

CHAPTER........

AN ACT relating to education; renaming the fund for class-size reduction as the fund for

school improvement; making appropriations to the state distributive school account

for purposes relating to class-size reduction; making supplemental appropriations to

the fund for class-size reduction to cover certain shortfalls in revenue; requiring the

transfer of money from the fund for school improvement to provide scholarships for

students pursuing degrees in teaching; and providing other matters properly relating

thereto.

Whereas, The intended goal of the legislature is to achieve a pupil

-teacher ratio of not more than 15 pupils per teacher or 30 pupils per two

teachers in kindergarten and grades 1, 2 and 3 where core curriculum is

taught; and

Whereas, Available money is estimated to provide a sufficient number

of teachers to achieve in each school district pupil-teacher ratios of 16

pupils per teacher in selected kindergarten classrooms in which pupils are

most at risk of failure and in grades 1 and 2 in fiscal years 1999-2000 and

2000-2001, and to achieve a pupil-teacher ratio in grade 3 of 19 pupils per

teacher in fiscal years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001; and

Whereas, Certain school districts do not have a sufficient number of

classrooms available to permit an average class size of 19 pupils per

teacher in grade 3; and

Whereas, It is unreasonable to assign two teachers to classrooms of 38

pupils to attain a district-wide pupil-teacher ratio of 19 pupils per teacher in

grade 3; and

Whereas, School districts may, instead, attain the desired pupil-teacher

ratio in classes where core curriculum is taught by utilizing alternative

methods of reducing the ratio, such as employing teachers to provide

remedial instruction; and

Whereas, School districts may wish to use money for class-size

reduction to carry out programs that have been found to be effective in

improving academic achievement; and

Whereas, The legislature has specifically designed the laws relating to

class-size reduction to allow the local school districts the necessary

discretion to effectuate the reduction in the manner appropriate in their

respective districts; and

Whereas, School districts are encouraged, to the extent possible, to

reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in each classroom in the district in the grades

for which additional funding is provided; and

Whereas, With this act, the legislature intends to continue the reduced

pupil-teacher ratio for selected kindergarten classrooms in which pupils are

most at risk of failure and for grades 1 and 2 throughout the state and to

continue reducing the pupil-teacher ratio in grade 3; and

Whereas, Thereafter, the intended goal of the legislature is to reduce

the pupil-teacher ratio per class in grade 3 to not more than 15 pupils per

class, thereafter to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio per class in grades 4, 5

and 6 to not more than 22 pupils per class and thereafter to reduce the

pupil-teacher ratio per class in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to not more than

25 pupils per class; now, therefore,

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. NRS 375A.700 is hereby amended to read as follows:

375A.700 1. The department shall deposit all payments received

pursuant to NRS 375A.100 in the state treasury:

(a) For credit to the estate tax account in the state general fund, an

amount determined by the department as necessary to pay the costs of

administration of this chapter and to refund any overpayments of tax.

(b) For credit to the estate tax account in the endowment fund of the

University and Community College System of Nevada, 50 percent of the

remainder after deducting the amount pursuant to paragraph (a).

created pursuant to NRS 388.730, 50 percent of the remainder after

deducting the amount pursuant to paragraph (a).

2. The interest earned on the money in the estate tax account must be

credited to the account.

Sec. 2. NRS 388.730 is hereby amended to read as follows:

388.730 1. There is hereby created as a special revenue fund, the

fund for [~~class-size reduction]~~ school improvement to be administered by

the superintendent of public instruction. The superintendent may accept

gifts and grants from any source for deposit in the fund. All legislative

appropriations, gifts and grants made to the fund become a part of the

principal of the fund which may only be reduced pursuant to subsection 3

or by specific legislative action.

2. The interest and income earned from the money in the fund must be

used by the superintendent to carry out [~~the purposes of the plans adopted~~

~~to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio per class in kindergarten and grades 1, 2~~

~~and 3 before it is used for any other purpose.]~~ programs of school

improvement identified by the legislature. No such expenditure may be

made unless authorized by the legislature or by the interim finance

committee if the legislature is not in session.

3. The state board of examiners may, upon making a determination that

any portion of the principal of the money in the fund is necessary to meet

existing or future obligations of the state, recommend to the interim finance

committee, or the senate committee on finance and the assembly committee

on ways and means when the legislature is in session, that the amount so

needed be transferred from the fund to the state general fund. Upon

approval of the appropriate committee or committees, the money may be so

transferred.

Sec. 3. 1. There is hereby appropriated from the state general fund to

the state distributive school account the sum of $82,900,087 for distribution

by the superintendent of public instruction to the county school districts for

fiscal year 1999-2000 which must, except as otherwise provided in sections

6 and 9 of this act, be used to employ teachers in order to comply with the

required ratio of pupils to teachers, as set forth in NRS 388.700, in grades 1

and 2 and in selected kindergartens with pupils who are considered at risk

of failure by the superintendent of public instruction and to maintain the

current ratio of pupils per teacher in grade 3. Expenditures for the class-

size reduction program must be accounted for in a separate category of

expenditure in the state distributive school account. Any remaining balance

of the sum appropriated by this subsection must not be committed for

expenditure after June 30, 2000, and must be transferred and added to the

money appropriated to the state distributive school account pursuant to

section 4 of this act for the 2000-2001 fiscal year, and may be expended as

that money is expended.

2. Except as otherwise provided in sections 6 and 9 of this act, the

money appropriated by subsection 1 must be used to pay the salaries and

benefits of not less than 1,786 teachers employed by school districts to

meet the required pupil-teacher ratios in the 1999-2000 school year.

Sec. 4. 1. There is hereby appropriated from the state general fund to

the state distributive school account the sum of $86,880,711 for distribution

by the superintendent of public instruction to the county school districts for

fiscal year 2000-2001 which must, except as otherwise provided in sections