[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: I Had No Idea - Part 2

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
I Had No Idea - Part 2
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1196952124.shtml


   In [1]Part 1, I began the process of calculating State aid for public
   school (K-12) districts. I calculated 3 different "Pupil Units"
   indexes, ADM (attendance), WADM (weighted ADM), and AMCPU (adjusted
   WADM). Basic Revenue is WADM times $5,074 for 2007-08. We've only just
   begun.
   Next is Extended Time Revenue, which "allows students to count up to
   an additional 0.2 [...] ADM , which is then used to generate an
   [incremental] AMCPU based on the student's grade level." This AMCPU
   times $4,601 is the Extended Time Revenue for 2007-08.
   Gifted and Talented Revenue is another $12 per AMCPU, made a separate
   calculation because it must be spent for this purpose. This is the
   last easy calculation.
   Now let's calculate the Basic Skills Revenue, which has two
   components: Compensatory and Limited English Proficiency (LEP), the
   latter concerning students "whose primary language is not English,
   whose English language skills do not allow full classroom
   participation, whose prior year score on an emerging academic English
   test is below the cutoff score, and who is enrolled in an LEP
   education program but has not been enrolled in Minnesota public
   schools for five or more years." It shouldn't take more than 3-4 weeks
   to identify and count them.
   Compensatory revenue uses free and reduced price lunch demographics to
   allocate additional money "to meet the educational needs of pupils
   whose educational progress related to state or local content or
   performance standards is below the level that is appropriate for
   pupils at that age level." Here's the calculation:
    1. Add 0.5 times the number of reduced price lunch students to the
       number of free lunch students.
    2. Divide by the total number of students.
    3. Multiply by 1.25, but limit the result to maximum of 1.
    4. Now calculate 0.6 times the number of free lunch students plus 0.5
       times the number of reduced price lunch students.
    5. Multiply this by the factor from step 4 above, giving Compensation
       Pupil Units, not to be confused with a similar LEP calculation
       below.
    6. Multiply these units by $4,659, which is the General Education
       Formula Allowance used to calculate Basic Revenue ($5,074) less
       $415.

   I might add that my algorithm is much easier to understand that the
   method presented in the official document (see part 1). Moving on,
   Limited English Proficiency revenue is further divided into two
   components, LEP Regular and LEP Concentration. These only apply if the
   district has at least one LEP student.
   The LEP Regular revenue is $700 times the number of LEP students or
   $14,000, whichever is greater. LEP Concentration revenue is more
   complex:
    1. Divide the number of LEP students by the total number of students
       (ADM).
    2. Divide this by 0.115, but do not allow the quotient to exceed 1.
    3. Multiply by the number of LEP students.
    4. Multiply by $250.

   Adding the Compensatory, LEP Regular, and LEP Concentration amounts
   gives the total Basic Skills Revenue.
   There's much more, as I'll continue to post. I'm only up to page 15 of
   57. But already, do you see what the local districts are up against?

References

   1. http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1196921233.shtml