§ 222.161 How is State aid treated under section 7009 of the Act?

(a) General rules.

(1) A State may take into consideration payments under sections 8002 and 8003(b) of the Act (including hold harmless payments calculated under section 8003(e)) in allocating State aid if that State has a State aid program that qualifies under § 222.162, except as follows:

(i) Those payments may be taken into consideration for each affected local educational agency (LEA) only in the proportion described in § 222.163.

(ii) A State may not take into consideration—

(A) That portion of an LEA's payment that is generated by the portion of a weight in excess of one under section 8003(a)(2)(B) of the Act (children residing on Indian lands);

(B) Payments under section 8003(d) of the Act (children with disabilities); or

(C) The amount that an LEA receives under section 8003(b)(2) that exceeds the amount the LEA would receive if eligible under section 8003(b)(1) and not section 8003(b)(2) (heavily impacted LEAs).

(2) No State aid program may qualify under this subpart if a court of that State has determined by final order, not under appeal, that the program fails to equalize expenditures for free public education among LEAs within the State or otherwise violates law, and if the court's order provides that the program is no longer in effect.

(3) No State, whether or not it has an equalization program that qualifies under § 222.162, may, in allocating State aid, take into consideration an LEA's eligibility for payments under the Act if that LEA does not apply for and receive those payments.

(4) Any State that takes into consideration payments under the Act in accordance with the provisions of section 8009 in allocating State aid to LEAs must reimburse any LEA for any amounts taken into consideration for any fiscal year to the extent that the LEA did not in fact receive payments in those amounts during that fiscal year.

(5) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(6), a State may not take into consideration payments under the Act in making estimated or final State aid payments before its State aid program has been certified by the Secretary.

(6)

(i) If the Secretary has not made a determination under section 7009 of the Act for a fiscal year, the State may request permission from the Secretary to make estimated or preliminary State aid payments for that fiscal year, that consider a portion of Impact Aid payments as local resources in accordance with this section.

(ii) The State must include with its request an assurance that if the Secretary determines that the State does not meet the requirements of section 222.162 for that State fiscal year, the State must pay to each affected LEA, within 60 days of the Secretary's determination, the amount by which the State reduced State aid to the LEA.

(iii) In determining whether to grant permission, the Secretary may consider factors including whether—

(A) The Secretary certified the State under § 222.162 in the prior State fiscal year; and

(B) Substantially the same State aid program is in effect since the date of the last certification.

(b) Data for determinations.

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, determinations under this subpart requiring the submission of financial or school population data must be made on the basis of final data for the second fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is made if substantially the same program was then in effect.

(2)

(i) If the Secretary determines that the State has substantially revised its State aid program, the Secretary may certify that program for any fiscal year only if—

(A) The Secretary determines, on the basis of projected data, that the State's program will meet the disparity standard described in § 222.162 for the fiscal year for which the determination is made; and

(B) The State provides an assurance to the Secretary that, if final data do not demonstrate that the State's program met that standard for the fiscal year for which the determination is made, the State will pay to each affected LEA the amount by which the State reduced State aid to the LEA.

(ii) Data projections submitted by a State must set forth the assumptions upon which the data projections are founded, be accompanied by an assurance as to their accuracy, and be adjusted by actual data for the fiscal year of determination that must be submitted to the Secretary as soon as these data are available.

(3) For a State that has not previously been certified by the Secretary under § 222.162, or if the last certification was more than two years prior, the State submits projected data showing whether it meets the disparity standard in § 222.162. The projected data must show the resulting amounts of State aid as if the State were certified to consider Impact Aid in making State aid payments.

(c) Definitions. The following definitions apply to this subpart:

Current expenditures is defined in section 7013(4) of the Act. Additionally, for the purposes of this section it does not include expenditures of funds received by the agency under sections 7002 and 7003(b) (including hold harmless payments calculated under section 7003(e)) that are not taken into consideration under the State aid program and exceed the proportion of those funds that the State would be allowed to take into consideration under § 222.162.

Equalize expenditures means to meet the standard set forth in § 222.162.

Local tax revenues means compulsory charges levied by an LEA or by an intermediate school district or other local governmental entity on behalf of an LEA for current expenditures for educational services. “Local tax revenues” include the proceeds of ad valorem taxes, sales and use taxes, income taxes and other taxes. Where a State funding formula requires a local contribution equivalent to a specified mill tax levy on taxable real or personal property or both, “local tax revenues” include any revenues recognized by the State as satisfying that local contribution requirement.

Local tax revenues covered under a State equalization program means “local tax revenues” as defined in paragraph (c) of this section contributed to or taken into consideration in a State aid program subject to a determination under this subpart, but excluding all revenues from State and Federal sources.

Revenue means an addition to assets that does not increase any liability, does not represent the recovery of an expenditure, does not represent the cancellation of certain liabilities without a corresponding increase in other liabilities or a decrease in assets, and does not represent a contribution of fund capital in food service or pupil activity funds. Furthermore, the term “revenue” includes only revenue for current expenditures.

State aid means any contribution, no repayment for which is expected, made by a State to or on behalf of LEAs within the State for current expenditures for the provision of free public education.

Total local tax revenues means all “local tax revenues” as defined in paragraph (c) of this section, including tax revenues for education programs for children needing special services, vocational education, transportation, and the like during the period in question but excluding all revenues from State and Federal sources.

[60 FR 50778, Sept. 29, 1995, as amended at 62 FR 35419, July 1, 1997; 80 FR 33170, June 11, 2015; 81 FR 64744, Sept. 20, 2016; 83 FR 47070, Sept. 18, 2018]