Excludes certain local revenues for the purposes of computing per pupil funding amounts for certain charter schools (OR NO IMPACT See Note)

House Bill 303 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 17:3995 to modify how per pupil funding amounts are calculated for certain charter schools by excluding an additional category of local revenues from the computation. Specifically, the bill adds a new provision that removes from the local revenue base any state-granted amounts designated for transportation costs of nonpublic school students under R.S. 17:158. This exclusion applies to Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, Type 3B, and Type 4 charter schools when computing their annual per pupil amounts. The mechanism operates by narrowing the denominator used in the charter school funding formula, ensuring that state transportation grants for nonpublic students do not inflate the per pupil funding calculations that determine charter school appropriations.

Charter schools and their authorizing school boards are directly affected by this legislative change. Specifically, charter schools will receive per pupil funding amounts calculated on a narrower local revenue base, potentially increasing the amount of state funding allocated to them on a per-student basis. School districts that currently receive state transportation grants for nonpublic school students will see those grant amounts excluded from the revenue pool used to compute charter school per pupil funding. This exclusion benefits charter schools by preventing the transportation grants from being used to reduce their state funding allocations, while school districts lose the benefit of having these revenues count toward charter school computations, which may affect their overall funding equations.

The bill operates within the existing charter school funding framework established in R.S. 17:3995, which establishes different funding mechanisms based on charter school type. The provision fits into subsection (b) of the formula, which already identifies certain local revenues to exclude from the per pupil computation for charter schools. The amendment adds transportation grants for nonpublic school students to the existing exclusion list. Louisiana's charter school system, created under the Louisiana Scholarship Program and related legislation, divides charter schools into different types based on their governance structures and relationships to local education agencies. This bill affects the financial calculations that balance state and local resources in funding these schools while maintaining separate funding streams for transportation assistance to students attending nonpublic institutions.