| Summary |
Joint Budget Committee. Current law allows approved facility
schools (approved schools) to include day treatment centers, residential
child care facilities, facilities licensed by the department of human
services, or hospitals licensed by the department of public health and
environment. The bill creates the specialized day school as a type of
approved school. The facility schools board (board) shall promulgate
rules for a facility to become authorized to operate as a specialized day
school.
Current law requires the board to adopt accountability measures.
The bill requires the board to adopt accountability and accreditation
measures for approved schools. Beginning December 1, 2026, the state
board of education shall begin accrediting approved schools based on
recommendations of the board. The bill requires the board to create an
accreditation outcome report for each approved school. The office of
facility schools (office) must publish the reports annually.
The bill requires the department of education, department of
human services, the department of health care policy and financing, and
the department of public health and environment to collaborate and create
an interagency resource guide to provide assistance to facilities that are
pursuing licensing or authorization to operate as an approved school. The
bill requires the state agencies to identify and recommend legislation and
changes to each department's respective rules and administrative
processes to facilitate licensing, authorization, and approval processes for
facilities seeking to operate as approved schools.
The bill creates the shared operational services grant program
(grant program) to award grants to eligible applicants to contract for 2
years with an organization that coordinates shared operational services.
An approved school in conjunction with one or more schools may apply
to the grant program for a grant to procure shared operational services
that support schools, such as food services, janitorial services, shared
office spaces, billing, technical assistance on medicaid services,
technology, security, transportation, or purchasing. An organization that
provides or coordinates services for approved schools or an agency that
oversees approved schools may also apply to the grant program.
The bill creates the technical assistance center (center) in the office
to provide technical assistance support to school districts and related
administrative units, with a priority to serve rural and remote school
districts and related administrative units. Beginning in the 2023-24 budget
year, the center is required to assess the needs of school districts and
related administrative units. Beginning in the 2024-25 budget year, the
center shall provide technical assistance support to school districts and
related administrative units and prioritize service to rural and remote
school districts.
The bill creates additional responsibilities for the facility school
work group (work group). The work group shall monitor the
implementation of changes to the facility school system and educational
services for students with exceptionally severe or specialized needs. The
bill expands work group participation to include parents, guardians, and
legal custodians of students with exceptionally severe or specialized
needs and therapeutic facilities for students with exceptionally severe or
specialized needs that are not approved schools.
The bill requires the office to contract with a qualified third-party
evaluator (evaluator) to evaluate and report whether the work group
recommendations resulted in more effective services and better access to
those services for students with exceptionally severe and specialized
needs.
The bill requires the department of health care policy and
financing to recommend a plan to provide guidance to approved schools
on the eligibility standards required to request and receive medicaid
reimbursement funding for therapeutic services to the maximum extent
feasible.
The bill creates a new baseline funding model for approved
schools. The bill requires reporting on the new baseline funding model
for approved schools.
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