Pub. 9 2019-2020 Issue 2

8 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 As LEAs implement the fee structures coming out of the 2019 General Session, the Legislature and other policymakers want a fuller picture of what kinds of fees (curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular) LEAs charge, who is paying them, how much they are paying, how many people are receiving fee waivers, etc. Thus, HB 80 directs LEAs to gather this information and share it with the State Board, who will then share it with the Legislature. We provide the most personalized business services and financial analysis to charter schools who value autonomy. Monty Hardy 801.394.4140 433 N 1500 W Ogden, UT 84404 www.redapplefinance.com Pantone 195 Pantone 186 Black Pantone 389 Pantone 377 managers and accountants will have to learn the nuances of recognizing revenue under GASB, and schools will have to write a management discussion and analysis as part of their annual audit. In addition, HB 242 clarifies that all LEAs must use program accounting. This requirement exists in board rule already (see R277-113-6); however, the Legislature wanted to make sure all LEAs appreciated this important requirement. SB 202 — Public education financial reporting amendments (Sen. Bramble) Because some LEAs had faced resistance when amending their financial statements, budgets, etc., Sen. Bramble ran legislation noting that public education accounting, like all accounting, includes amendments to financial statements, both within and at the close of a fiscal year. Importantly, the bill reiterates that LEAs must still follow the restrictions on the use of funds established by the Legislature, federal government, etc. HB 80 School fees data collection (Rep. Robertson) As LEAs implement the fee structures coming out of the 2019 General Session, the Legislature and other policymak- ers want a fuller picture of what kinds of fees (curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular) LEAs charge, who is paying them, how much they are paying, how many people are receiving fee waivers, etc. Thus, HB 80 directs LEAs to gather this information and share it with the State Board, who will then share it with the Legislature. In addition to these financial infrastructure bills, the Legislature also expanded the available tools for LEAs to meet the needs of Utah students. SB 73 Reading assessment expansion amendments (Sen. Stevenson) With this bill, the Legislature will pay for LEAs to use the Accadience (formerly Dibels) reading assessment in grades 4 through 6. HB 107 Effective teachers in high poverty schools incentive program amendments (Rep. Winder) Last year the Legislature provided stipends for highly effec- tive teachers in high poverty schools. Because the definition of a highly effective teacher relied on RISE tests, this stipend wasn’t available to all students. HB 107 expands the program to permit K-3 teachers to qualify for this stipend. SB 119 School accountability amendments (Sen. Henderson) Given the challenges with administering statewide assess- ments last year, this bill relieves the State Board of the obliga- tion to assign a letter grade to each school for the 2018-2019 school year. Beyond that, the Legislature amended a few other sections of code, but they are not significant.