COMMISSION FOR ARKANSAS PUBLIC SCHOOL ACADEMIC FACILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION RULES GOVERNING THE ACADEMIC FACILITIES PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
Effective: December 30, 2019
1.00 AUTHORITY
The Commission for Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation (CAPSAFT) authority for promulgating these Rules is pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. §§ 6-21-114, 6-20-2507, 6-20-2512, 25-15-201et seq., and Act 1080 of 2019.
2.00 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
2.01 The purpose of these Rules is to
establish a process whereby the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic
Facilities and Transportation shall provide state financial participation based
upon a school district's academic facilities wealth index in the form of cash
payments to a school district for eligible new construction projects.
2.02 CAPSAFT Rules Governing the Academic
Facilities Partnership Program that were in effect July 25, 2016, apply to
2019-2021 project funding cycle.
3.00 DEFINITIONS - For the purpose of these Rules, the following terms mean;
3.01
"Academic Facility" - A building or space, including related areas such as the
physical plant and grounds, where public school students receive instruction
that is an integral part of an adequate education as described in Ark. Code
Ann. § 6-20-2302.3.01.1 A public school
building or space, including related areas such as the physical plant and
grounds, used for an extracurricular activity or an organized physical activity
course as defined in Ark. Code Ann. § 6-16-137 shall not be considered an
academic facility for the purposes of funding in these Rules to the extent that
the building, space, or related area is used for extracurricular activities or
organized physical activities courses, except for physical educational training
and instruction under Ark. Code Ann. §
6-16-132;
3.01.2 The Division of Public School Academic
Facilities and Transportation may determine the extent to which a building
space, or related area is used for extracurricular activities or organized
physical activities courses based on information supplied by the school
district and, if necessary, on-site inspection;
3.01.3 Buildings or spaces, including related
areas such as the physical plant and grounds, used for pre-kindergarten
education shall not be considered academic facilities for purposes of funding
in these Rules;
3.01.4 District
administration buildings and spaces, including related areas such as the
physical plant and grounds, shall not be considered academic facilities for the
purpose of these Rules; and
3.01.5
Facilities owned, operated, or both, by education service cooperatives, as well
as leased facilities (other than facilities which are part of a lease purchase
agreement), portable buildings, modular buildings and facilities owned by
others but occupied by school districts are not considered academic school
facilities for purposes of these Rules.
3.02 "Academic Facilities Partnership
Program" ~ The process under which the Arkansas Division of Public School
Academic Facilities and Transportation shall provide state financial
participation based upon a school district's academic facilities wealth index
in the form of cash payments to a school district for eligible new construction
projects.
3.03 "Academic Facilities
Wealth Index" - A percentage derived from the following computations
3.03.1 To calculate the academic facilities
wealth index for the 2023-2025 project funding cycle and funding cycles
thereafter: (1) Determine the value of one
mill per student in each school district as follows
(a) Multiply the value of one mill by the
total assessed valuation of taxable real, personal, and utility property in the
school district as shown by the applicable county assessment for the most
recent year; and
(b) Divide the
product from 3.03.1(l)(a) by the largest average daily membership of the school
district over the previous decade;
(2) Calculate each school district's relative
median income by dividing the household median income for the area served by
each school district by the household median income of the school district with
the highest household median income, using the household median income as
estimated by the United States Bureau of the Census's American Community
Survey;
(3) Calculate the median
income per mill value by multiplying each school district's value of one mill
per student as calculated under 3.03.1(1) by the school district's relative
median income as calculated under 3.03.1(2); and
(4) Identify the school district at the
ninety-fifth percentile according to the value calculated under 3.03.1(3) by
(a) Determining student millage rankings by
listing the median income per mill value under 3.03.1(3) for each school
district from districts with the lowest median income per mill value to school
districts with the highest median income per mill value;
(b) Allocating the student millage rankings
into percentiles with the first percentile containing the one percent (1%) of
students based on the prior year average daily membership with the lowest value
per mill and the one-hundredth percentile containing the one percent (1%) of
students with the highest value per mill;
(c) Dividing the median income per mill value
as computed under 3.03.1(4)(a) of this section by the amount corresponding to
the ninety-fifth percentile of the student millage rankings under 3.03.1(4)(b)
and
(d) Every school district with
a wealth index of one (1.00) or greater will be funded at the same level as the
first school district with a wealth index below one (1.00), except that funding
under this section shall not exceed the amount of funding provided to a school
district with a wealth index of nine hundred and ninety-five one thousandths
(0.995).
(5) The
percentage derived from the above computation is the academic facilities wealth
index for a school district, which shall be computed annually and used to
determine the amount of the school district's share of financial participation
in a local academic facilities project eligible for state financial
participation under priorities established by the Division.
(6) The state's share of financial
participation in a local academic facilities project eligible for state
financial participation under priorities established by the Division is the
percentage derived from subtracting the school district's percentage share of
financial participation determined under the above calculation from one hundred
percent (100%).
(7) A school
district identified as a high-growth school district as defined in Ark. Code
Ann. § 6-20-2511 shall receive the lesser of the wealth index as
calculated under 3.03.1 or 3.03.2 until the school district fails to meet the
definition of a high-growth school district as defined in § 6-20-2511 for
two consecutive years.
3.03.2 To calculate the academic facilities
wealth index for the 2021-2023 project funding cycle only
(1) Determine the value of one mill per
student in each school district as follows:
(a) Multiply the value of one mill by the
total assessed valuation of taxable real, personal, and utility property in the
school district as shown by the applicable county assessment for the most
recent year; and
(b) Divide the
product from 3.03.2(l)(a) by the prior year average daily membership of the
school district or the prior three-year average of the school district's
average daily membership, whichever is greater;
(2) Determine the student millage rankings by
listing the computation under 3.03.2(1) for each school district from school
districts with the lowest value per mill to school districts with the highest
value per mill;
(3) Allocate the
student millage rankings into percentiles with the first percentile containing
the one percent (1%) of students with the lowest value per mill and the
one-hundredth percentile containing the one percent (1%) of students with the
highest value per mill;
(4) Divide
the value of one mill per student in each school district as computed under
3.03.2(1) by the amount corresponding to the ninety-fifth percentile of student
millage rankings under 3.03.2(3).
(5) Every school district with a wealth index
of one (1.00) or greater will be funded at the same level as the first school
district with a wealth index below one (1.00), except that funding under this
section shall not exceed the amount of funding provided to a school district
with a wealth index of nine hundred and ninety-five one-thousandths
(0.995).
(6) Subtract the academic
facilities wealth index as determined under 3.03.2(4) and 3.03.2(5) from the
academic facilities wealth index as determined under 3.03.1(4);
(7) Divide the result from 3.03.2(6) by two;
and
(8) Add the value from
3.03.2(4) with the number calculated in 3.03.2(7).
(9) The percentage derived from the above
computation is the academic facilities wealth index for a school district,
which shall be computed annually and used to determine the amount of the school
district's share of financial participation in a local academic facilities
project eligible for state financial participation under priorities established
by the Division.
(10) The state's
share of financial participation in a local academic facilities project
eligible for state financial participation under priorities established by the
Division is the percentage derived from subtracting the school district's
percentage share of financial participation determined under the above
calculation from one hundred percent (100%).
(11) A school district identified as a...
