Montana Code Annotated
Part 3. Funding of Basic System of Quality Public Schools
20-9-346. Duties of superintendent of public instruction for state and county equalization aid distribution

20-9-346. Duties of superintendent of public instruction for state and county equalization aid distribution. The superintendent of public instruction shall administer the distribution of the state and county equalization aid by:
(1) establishing the annual entitlement of each district and county to state and county equalization aid, based on the data reported in the retirement, general fund, and debt service fund budgets for each district that have been adopted for the current school fiscal year and verified by the superintendent of public instruction;
(2) for the purposes of state advances and reimbursements for school facilities, limiting the distribution to no more than the amount appropriated for the school fiscal year to the districts that are eligible under the provisions of 20-9-366 through 20-9-371 by:
(a) determining the debt service payment obligation in each district for debt service on bonds that were sold as provided in 20-9-370(3) that qualify for a state advance or reimbursement for school facilities under the provisions of 20-9-366 through 20-9-369 and 20-9-370;
(b) based on the limitation of state equalization aid appropriated for debt service purposes, determining the state advance for school facilities and the proportionate share of state reimbursement for school facilities that each eligible district must receive for the school fiscal year; and
(c) distributing that amount by May 31 of each school fiscal year to each eligible district for reducing the property tax for the debt service fund for the ensuing school fiscal year;
(3) distributing by electronic transfer the BASE aid and state advances for county equalization, for each district or county entitled to the aid, to the county treasurer of the respective county for county equalization or to the county treasurer of the county where the district is located or to the investment account identified by the applicable district for BASE aid, in accordance with the distribution ordered by the board of public education;
(4) keeping a record of the full and complete data concerning money available for state equalization aid, state advances for county equalization, and the entitlements for BASE aid of the districts of the state;
(5) reporting to the board of public education the estimated amount that will be available for state equalization aid; and
(6) reporting to the office of budget and program planning, as provided in 17-7-111:
(a) the figures and data available concerning distributions of state and county equalization aid during the preceding 2 school fiscal years;
(b) the amount of state equalization aid then available;
(c) the apportionment made of the available money but not yet distributed;
(d) the latest estimate of accruals of money available for state equalization aid; and
(e) the amount of state advances and repayment for county equalization.
History: En. 75-6918 by Sec. 268, Ch. 5, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 166, L. 1973; R.C.M. 1947, 75-6918; amd. Sec. 39, Ch. 11, Sp. L. June 1989; amd. Sec. 26, Ch. 112, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 9, Ch. 6, Sp. L. July 1992; amd. Sec. 26, Ch. 349, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 26, Ch. 633, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 37, Ch. 509, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 586, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 205, L. 2001.

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