53F-2-311.  Weighted pupil units for career and technical education programs — Funding of approved programs — Performance measures — Qualifying criteria.

(1) 

Terms Used In Utah Code 53F-2-311

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(a)  Money appropriated to the state board for approved career and technical education programs and the comprehensive guidance program:

(i)  shall be allocated to eligible recipients as provided in Subsections (2), (3), and (4); and

(ii)  may not be used to fund programs below grade 9.

(b)  Subsection (1)(a)(ii) does not apply to the following programs:

(i)  comprehensive guidance;

(ii)  Technology-Life-Careers; and

(iii)  work-based learning programs.

(2) 

(a)  Weighted pupil units are computed for pupils in approved programs.

(b) 

(i)  The state board shall fund approved programs based upon hours of membership of grades 9 through 12 students.

(ii)  Subsection (2)(b)(i) does not apply to the following programs:

(A)  comprehensive guidance;

(B)  Technology-Life-Careers; and

(C)  work-based learning programs.

(c)  The state board shall use an amount not to exceed 20% of the total appropriation under this section to fund approved programs based on performance measures such as placement and competency attainment defined in standards set by the state board.

(d)  Leadership organization funds shall constitute an amount not to exceed 1% of the total appropriation under this section, and shall be distributed to each school district or each charter school sponsoring career and technical education student leadership organizations based on the agency’s share of the state’s total membership in those organizations.

(e)  The state board shall make the necessary calculations for distribution of the appropriation to a school district and charter school and may revise and recommend changes necessary for achieving equity and ease of administration.

(3) 

(a)  Twenty weighted pupil units shall be computed for career and technical education administrative costs for each school district, except 25 weighted pupil units may be computed for each school district that consolidates career and technical education administrative services with one or more other school districts.

(b)  Between 10 and 25 weighted pupil units shall be computed for each high school conducting approved career and technical education programs in a school district according to standards established by the state board.

(c)  Forty weighted pupil units shall be computed for each school district that operates an approved career and technical education center.

(d)  Between five and seven weighted pupil units shall be computed for each summer career and technical education agriculture program according to standards established by the state board.

(e)  The state board shall, by rule, establish qualifying criteria for a school district or charter school to receive weighted pupil units under this Subsection (3).

(4) 

(a)  Money remaining after the allocations made under Subsections (2) and (3) shall be allocated using average daily membership in approved programs for the previous year.

(b)  A school district or charter school that has experienced student growth in grades 9 through 12 for the previous year shall have the growth factor applied to the previous year’s weighted pupil units when calculating the allocation of money under this Subsection (4).

(5) 

(a)  The state board shall establish rules for upgrading high school career and technical education programs.

(b)  The rules shall reflect career and technical training and actual marketable job skills in society.

(c)  The rules shall include procedures to assist school districts and charter schools to convert existing programs that are not preparing students for the job market into programs that will accomplish that purpose.

(6)  Programs that do not meet state board standards may not be funded under this section.

Amended by Chapter 186, 2019 General Session