A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to increase the caps on funding for children with disabilities and for academically gifted children.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of twenty‑one million two hundred two thousand seven hundred seventy‑seven dollars ($21,202,777) for the 2005‑2006 fiscal year and the sum of twenty-one million five hundred forty‑two thousand twenty‑one dollars ($21,542,021) for the 2006‑2007 school year for children with disabilities.  The State Board of Education shall allocate these funds to local school administrative units on a per child basis.  Each local school administrative unit shall receive funds for the lesser of (i) all children who are identified as children with disabilities, or (ii) thirteen and five‑tenths percent (13.5%) of the allocated average daily membership for the school year in the local school administrative unit.
The dollar amounts allocated under this section for children with disabilities shall also adjust in accordance with legislative salary increments, retirement rate adjustments, and health benefit adjustments for personnel who serve children with disabilities.
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of twelve million eight hundred seventy‑nine thousand three hundred twenty‑nine dollars ($12,879,329) for the 2005‑2006 fiscal year and the sum of thirteen million one hundred twenty‑four thousand thirty‑six dollars ($13,124,036) for the 2006‑2007 school year for academically or intellectually gifted children.  The State Board of Education shall allocate these funds to local school administrative units on a per child basis.  Each local school administrative unit shall receive funds for a maximum of five percent (5%) of the allocated average daily membership for the school year, regardless of the number of children identified as academically or intellectually gifted in the unit.
 The dollar amounts allocated under this section for academically or intellectually gifted children shall also adjust in accordance with legislative salary increments, retirement rate adjustments, and health benefit adjustments for personnel who serve academically or intellectually gifted children.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2005.