A. A school district is eligible to receive payment from state school monies for excess tuition if the following conditions are met:

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 15-825.01

  • Base: means the revenue level per student count specified by the legislature. See Arizona Laws 15-901
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Parent: means the natural or adoptive parent of a child or a person who has custody of a child. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • Revenue control limit: means the base revenue control limit plus the transportation revenue control limit. See Arizona Laws 15-901
  • School district: means a political subdivision of this state with geographic boundaries organized for the purpose of the administration, support and maintenance of the public schools or an accommodation school. See Arizona Laws 15-101

1. The county school superintendent issues a certificate of educational convenience pursuant to section 15-825, subsection A for one or more pupils who reside in the district to attend a school in an adjacent state that is proximate to the school district when the pupils are precluded by distance, lack of adequate transportation facilities or a parent‘s or guardian‘s employment from attending a school in the school district or county of the pupils’ residence.

2. The superintendent of public instruction determines that the development of an interstate compact with another state or an intergovernmental agreement between the sending and receiving school districts, which provides for tuition-free attendance in the receiving district, is impracticable or not in the best interests of this state.

3. The total amount of tuition charged by the receiving district is greater than the equalization base amount as determined by section 15-971, subsection A for all of the pupils for whom tuition is being paid pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection.

B. The excess tuition payment shall be calculated as follows:

1. Determine the amount of tuition being charged by the receiving district for pupils attending the district pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section.

2. Determine the lesser of the amount determined in paragraph 1 of this subsection or the guaranteed tuition level. The guaranteed tuition level for the receiving district shall be determined for the tuitioned pupils by the department of education based on the receiving state’s school finance formula or the actual costs of educating pupils in the receiving district, whichever is appropriate.

3. Subtract the equalization base amount as provided in subsection A, paragraph 3 of this section, from the amount determined in paragraph 2 of this subsection.

C. The excess tuition payment is exempt from the revenue control limit as provided in section 15-947.