R277-479-3. Charter School Special Education Add-On Funding

  (1) For existing charter schools, the Superintendent shall calculate the foundation based on the average ADM of students with disabilities for the previous five years.

  (2)(a) For new charter schools, the Superintendent shall calculate the foundation based on the average special education ADM for the number of years the new charter school has been in operation beyond the first year.

  (b) In its first operational year, a new charter school shall receive special education funding based on estimated enrollment.

  (c) Unless a new charter school identifies a purpose and target population in its application focusing on students with disabilities, the estimate of students with disabilities for a new charter school shall be 10 percent of the estimated enrollment.

  (3) The foundation is the minimum amount a charter school may receive for special education-add on funding.

  (4)(a) The Superintendent shall apply a positive growth adjustment to a charter school's foundation for weighted growth.

  (b) Weighted growth is determined by comparing special education ADM and total ADM from the third and second prior fiscal years.

  (c) The rate of growth in special education ADM may not exceed the rate of growth in total ADM.

  (d) The Superintendent shall multiply positive weighted growth by a factor of 1.53 and add the result to a charter school's foundation.

  (e) The Superintendent may not impose a funding cap based on the charter prevalence rate because a charter school is designed and authorized specifically to serve students with disabilities.

  (f) When there is no growth, either because a charter school is new or because the same number of students are enrolled, the Superintendent may not apply a positive growth adjustment.

  (5)(a) The Superintendent shall apply a negative growth adjustment to a charter school's base for decline in special education ADM.

  (b) The negative growth adjustment is the base multiplied by the percentage of enrollment decline.

  (c) The Superintendent shall subtract the result calculated under Subsection (5)(b) from the base to determine WPU.

  (d) When there is no decline in a charter school's enrollment of students with disabilities, either because the charter school is new or because the same number of students are enrolled, the Superintendent may not apply a negative growth adjustment to the charter school's allotment.

  (e) If a negative growth adjustment brings the WPU below the foundation, the charter school shall receive the foundation WPU.

  (6)(a) If an authorizer approves a significant expansion for a charter school, during the first and second years of expansion, the Superintendent shall apply an additional funding adjustment after the entire add-on WPU formula is calculated.

  (b) After the first and second years of a charter school's expansion, the special education formula provided in this R277-479-3 shall account for the expansion.

  (c) The Superintendent shall calculate a significant expansion adjustment by estimating the number of students with disabilities who will enroll as part of the expansion, and providing funding for these anticipated students.

  (d)(i) The Superintendent shall base the estimate under Subsection (6)(c) on a projected expansion adjustment calculated by the Superintendent accounting for expansion information provided by a charter school's authorizer.

  (ii) The Superintendent shall multiply the projection by the prevalence rate of students with disabilities for the charter school for the most recent year calculated in the add-on formula.

  (iii) The Superintendent shall allocate the resulting significant expansion adjustment WPU as an expansion supplement to the charter school's add-on WPU.