SB 0819 Summary

• Amends Michigan's state school aid law to add definitions and provisions for "community districts," a new type of school governance structure organized under part 5b of the revised school code.

• Establishes that community district pupils are counted in membership and receive per-pupil allocations based on the foundation allowance of the qualifying school district located within the same geographic area.

• Sets the 2015-2016 basic foundation allowance at $8,169.00 and minimum foundation allowance at $7,391.00, with provisions for calculating district foundation allowances based on prior year amounts and adjustments.

• Allocates $389.7 million for at-risk pupil programs including reading proficiency by grade 3 and college/career readiness initiatives, with specific requirements for multi-tiered support systems and reporting on fund usage.

• Requires sealed competitive bidding for contracts exceeding $15,000 in first class and community districts, and makes the bill contingent on enactment of companion legislation (SB 710).