HB 709 (2019)

Increases the base per-pupil state funding to $3,709. The bill further increases per-pupil aid for students eligible for free or reduced lunch, ranging from $1,854 to $5,563, with more for schools with a higher percentage of low income students. The bill then creates "fiscal disparity aid" for districts with low local property tax revenue. To help pay for state aid to less wealthy districts, this bill requires some districts to pay "excess education property tax payments" to the state. The bill states no municipality will ever see a decrease in state education funding, and repeals the stabilization grant system currently used to limit funding decreases. Lastly, the bill revises the transportation requirement for pupils, for example to require mandatory transportation for kindergarten through grade 8, rather than grades 1 through 8, for students who live more than two miles from school. The House amended the bill to remove the overall increase in base per-pupil funding, the requirement to pay "excess education property tax payments" to the state, and the revised transportation requirements.