SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2002 SESSION

025743903
HOUSE BILL NO. 358
Offered January 9, 2002
Prefiled January 8, 2002
A BILL to amend and reenact § 22.1-92 of the Code of Virginia, relating to local school board budgets.
----------
Patron-- Reese
----------
Referred to Committee on Education
----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 22.1-92 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 22.1-92. Estimate of moneys needed for public schools; notice of costs to be distributed.

A. It shall be the duty of each division superintendent to prepare, with the approval of for the school board, and submit to the governing body or bodies appropriating funds for the school division, by the date specified in § 15.2-2503, the an estimate of the amount of money deemed to be needed during the next fiscal year for the support of the public schools of the school division. The estimate shall set up be provided to the school board no later than sixty days before the proposed adoption date for the estimate and shall be provided in a format consistent with Board of Education guidelines.

The Board of Education shall develop budget format guidelines that shall, at a minimum, require the estimate to include (i) the amount of money deemed to be needed for each major classification prescribed by the Board of Education and such other headings or items as may be necessary; (ii) an identification of all programs in the school division; (iii) written goals and objectives for each program; (iv) written indices of success for each program; (v) a program evaluation cycle and access to past program evaluations; (vi) the amount estimated for the current fiscal year and amounts actually spent in the past three fiscal years for each such program; and (vii) the number of employees, both full- and part-time, supporting each program.

The budget format guidelines shall be designed to promote ease of access to the required budget estimate information and uniformity in reporting to facilitate accurate comparison of data among school divisions.

Upon preparing the estimate of the amount of money deemed to be needed during the next fiscal year for the support of the public schools of the school division consistent with the format prescribed by the Board guidelines, each division superintendent shall also prepare and distribute, within a reasonable time as prescribed by the Board of Education, notification of the estimated average per pupil cost for public education in the school division for the coming school year to each parent, guardian, or other person having control or charge of a child enrolled in the relevant school division, in accordance with the budget estimates provided to the local governing body or bodies. Such notification shall also include actual per pupil state and local education expenditures for the previous school year. The notice may also include federal funds expended for public education in the school division.

The notice shall be printed on a form prescribed by the Board of Education and shall be distributed separately or with any other materials being currently transmitted to the parents, guardians or other persons having control or charge of students. To promote uniformity and allow for comparisons, the Board of Education shall develop a one-page form for this notice and distribute such form to the school superintendents for duplication and distribution.

B. Before any school board gives final approval to its budget estimate for submission to the governing body, the school board shall hold at least one public hearing to receive the views of citizens within the school division. A school board shall cause public notice to be given at least ten days prior to any hearing by publication in a newspaper having a general circulation within the school division.

Upon approval of the estimate by the school board, the school board and the superintendent shall submit to the governing body or bodies appropriating funds for the school division, by the date specified in § 15.2-2503, the estimate of the amount deemed to be needed during the next fiscal year for the support of the public schools in the division.

The passage of the budget by the local government shall be conclusive evidence of compliance with the requirements of this section.