Iowa Code
Chapter 282 - SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND TUITION
Section 282.31 - Funding for special programs.

282.31 Funding for special programs.
1. a. A child who lives in a facility pursuant to section 282.30, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, and who is not enrolled in the educational program of the district of residence of the child, shall receive appropriate educational services. The area education agency shall submit a proposed program and budget to the department of education by January 1 for the next succeeding school year. The department of education shall review and approve or modify the program and proposed budget and shall notify the department of administrative services and the area education agency of its action by February 1. The department of administrative services shall pay the approved budget amount for an area education agency in monthly installments beginning September 15 and ending June 15 of the next succeeding school year. The installments shall be as nearly equal as possible as determined by the department of management, taking into consideration the relative budget and cash position of the state’s resources. The department of administrative services shall transfer the approved budget amount for an area education agency from the moneys appropriated under section 257.16 and make the payment to the area education agency. The area education agency shall submit an accounting for the actual cost of the program to the department of education by August 1 of the following school year. The department shall review and approve or modify all expenditures incurred in compliance with the guidelines pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 10, and shall notify the department of administrative services of the approved accounting amount. The approved accounting amount shall be compared with any amounts paid by the department of administrative services to the area education agency and any differences added to or subtracted from the October payment made under this paragraph for the next school year. Any amount paid by the department of administrative services shall be deducted monthly from the state foundation aid paid under section 257.16 to all school districts in the state during the subsequent fiscal year. The portion of the total amount of the approved budget that shall be deducted from the state aid of a school district shall be the same as the ratio that the budget enrollment for the budget year of the school district bears to the total budget enrollment in the state for that budget year in which the deduction is made.
b. (1) A child who lives in a facility or other placement pursuant to section 282.19, and who does not require special education and who is enrolled in the educational program of the district of residence at the time the child is placed, shall be included in the basic enrollment of the school district in which the child is enrolled. A child who lives in a facility or other placement pursuant to section 282.19, and who does not require special education and who is not enrolled in the educational program of the district of residence of the child, shall be included in the basic enrollment of the school district in which the facility or other placement is located.
(2) However, on June 30 of a school year, if the board of directors of a school district determines that the number of days for which a school district generated funding for children under this paragraph “b” who were counted in the basic enrollment of the school district in that school year in accordance with section 257.6, subsection 1, is less than the sum of the number of days enrolled for all children enrolled in the school district under this paragraph “b” during the school year, the secretary of the school district may submit a claim to the department of education by August 1 following the school year for an amount equal to the district cost per pupil of the district for the previous school year multiplied by the quotient of the excess number of enrolled days for children under this paragraph “b” divided by the number of days in the district’s board-approved calendar for the previous year. The amount of the claim shall be paid by the department of administrative services to the school district by October 1. The department of administrative services shall transfer the total amount of the approved claim of a school district from the moneys appropriated under section 257.16 and the amount paid shall be deducted monthly from the state foundation aid paid to all school districts in the state during the remainder of the subsequent fiscal year in the manner provided in paragraph “a”.
2. a. The actual special education instructional costs incurred for a child who lives in a facility or other placement pursuant to section 282.19 or for a child who is placed in a facility or home pursuant to section 282.29, who requires special education and who is not enrolled in the educational program of the district of residence of the child but who receives an educational program from the district in which the facility, home, or other placement is located, shall be paid by the district of residence of the child to the district in which the facility, home, or other placement is located, and the costs shall include the cost of transportation.
b. A child shall not be denied special education programs and services because of a dispute over the determination of district of residence of the child. The director of the department of education shall determine the district of residence when a dispute arises regarding the determination of the district of residence for a child who requires special education pursuant to this subsection.
3. The actual special education instructional costs, including transportation, for a child who requires special education shall be paid by the department of administrative services to the school district in which the facility or home is located, only when a district of residence cannot be determined, and the child was not included in the weighted enrollment of any district pursuant to section 256B.9, and the payment pursuant to subsection 2, paragraph “a”, was not made by any district. The district shall submit a proposed program and budget to the department of education by January 1 for the next succeeding school year. The department of education shall review and approve or modify the program and proposed budget and shall notify the district by February 1. The district shall submit a claim by August 1 following the school year for the actual cost of the program. The department shall review and approve or modify the claim and shall notify the department of administrative services of the approved claim amount by September 1. The total amount of the approved claim shall be paid by the department of administrative services to the school district by October 1. The total amount paid by the department of administrative services shall be deducted monthly from the state foundation aid paid under section 257.16 to all school districts in the state during the subsequent fiscal year. The portion of the total amount of the approved claims that shall be deducted from the state aid of a school district shall be the same as the ratio that the budget enrollment for the budget year of the school district bears to the total budget enrollment in the state for the budget year in which the deduction is made. The department of administrative services shall transfer the total amount of the approved claims from moneys appropriated under section 257.16 for payment to the school district.
4. For purposes of this section, “district of residence” means the school district in which the parent or legal guardian of the child resides or the district in which the district court is located if the district court is the guardian of the child.
5. Programs may be provided during the summer and funded under this section if the school district or area education agency determines a valid educational reason to do so.
87 Acts, ch 233, §484; 88 Acts, ch 1284, §48; 90 Acts, ch 1272, §72; 92 Acts, ch 1163, §66; 95 Acts, ch 214, §6, 7; 2003 Acts, ch 145, §286; 2006 Acts, ch 1152, §44; 2007 Acts, ch 22, §66; 2009 Acts, ch 120, §9, 10; 2021 Acts, ch 60, §1, 2
Referred to in §256.7, 282.19, 282.27, 282.29, 282.32
2021 amendment to subsection 1, paragraph b, subparagraph (2) applies to school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2021; 2021 Acts, ch 60, §2
Subsection 1, paragraph b, subparagraph (2) amended

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