15-365

15-365. Service programs operated through the
office of a county school superintendent; reports;
definitions

A. The county school superintendent may establish service programs which shall be
available to any local school district governing board officially requesting such
programs.

B. Both central administrative costs and general service costs shall be shared on a
user basis and budgeted and paid as contract costs by the districts using such programs,
except as provided in subsections E, F and H of this section.

C. Agreements or contracts entered into pursuant to this section shall not be
subject to title 11, chapter 7, article 3 relating to intergovernmental agreements and
contracts.

D. Each county school superintendent shall submit to the school districts involved
and to the board of supervisors no later than May 31 of each year a program progress
report and a fiscal report including actual expenditures through March 31 and estimates
for the remainder of the fiscal year on each service program in operation in such county.

E. County school superintendents may establish special small district service
programs designed to meet the special needs of school districts with a total student
count of fewer than six hundred in such areas as administrative assistance and
specialized services as follows:

1. For counties with seven or more school districts with a student count of fewer
than six hundred, the small district service program may serve a single county or two or
more counties.

2. Except as provided in subsection I of this section, for counties with fewer than
seven school districts with a student count of fewer than six hundred, the small district
service program shall serve two or more counties as determined by the superintendent of
public instruction.

F. The costs of the small district service program are payable in part from the
small district service program fund. Costs in excess of the amount available in the
small district service program fund shall be shared on a user basis and budgeted and paid
as contract costs by the district using such programs. The small district service
program fund for each program shall consist of a base amount plus a per district amount
for each school district in the county or counties served which has a student count of
fewer than six hundred. For fiscal year 1989-1990, the base amount is fifty-six thousand
four hundred ninety-four dollars and the per district amount is five thousand eighty-four
dollars. Beginning with fiscal year 1990-1991, the base amount and per district amount
are the amounts for the prior year adjusted by the growth rate prescribed by law, subject
to appropriation. The base amount and per district amount for each county or counties
served shall be funded with state general fund monies, subject to appropriation. The
county school superintendent must submit claims for payments to the state superintendent
of public instruction. The county school superintendent shall deposit the payments into
the small district service program fund.

G. School districts which provide only financing for pupils who are instructed by
another district shall be included in determining the number of districts counted for the
small district service program fund.

H. For each small district service program which serves two or more counties, a
county of jurisdiction shall be selected by the superintendent of public
instruction. Payment shall be made into the small district service program fund in the
county of jurisdiction from monies that are received from the superintendent of public
instruction pursuant to this section for all counties served by the county of
jurisdiction.

I. If a small district service program is established before fiscal year 1987-1988,
the program may continue to operate as a single county program if the county contains
fewer than seven, but at least four, school districts with a student count of fewer than
six hundred.

J. A school district with a student count of six hundred or more in the current
year which participated in a small district service program and which had a student count
of fewer than six hundred in the prior year may continue to participate in the program
for the current year and one additional year. The amount in the small district service
program fund shall be determined as if the district had a student count of fewer than six
hundred.

K. In this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Central administrative costs" means only those costs which are incurred by the
county school superintendent in administering any service program which benefits all the
school districts in the program and which are shared on a user basis and budgeted and
paid as contract costs by districts, except as provided in subsections E, F and H of this
section.

2. "General service costs" means those costs which are directly related to each of
the service programs, which are shared on a user basis and which are budgeted and paid as
contract costs by districts, except as provided in subsections E, F and H of this
section.

3. "Service programs" means those programs which can be accomplished more
efficiently and economically as multidistrict or multicounty operations.

4. "Student count" means the student count as defined in section 15-901, subsection
A, except that it shall not include pupils enrolled in grades nine through twelve to whom
the district does not provide instruction if the district is a common school district
which is not within a high school district.