Section 20-2-167. Funding for direct instructional, media center, and staff development costs; computerized uniform budget and accounting system; submission of local budget to state board; provision of certain information by local boards; waiver of expenditure controls

   (a) (1) The State Board of Education shall annually compute, based upon the initial allotment of funds to each local school system, the total funds needed for direct instructional costs for each program identified in Code Section 20-2-161, specifying the number of positions earned and salaries and operational costs portions. "Direct instructional costs" is defined as those components of the program weights which are specified in subsections (a) through (g) of Code Section 20-2-182. In computing the total funds needed for direct instructional costs for each program, the state board shall apply the percentage that these costs represent of the total costs used in developing the program weights. The direct instructional costs for the five instructional programs for disabled students shall be summed into one amount for special education. Following the midterm adjustment, the state board shall issue allotment sheets for each local school system and each school reflecting the total amount of earnings, initial earnings, and midterm adjustment, if any, for each program authorized by Code Section 20-2-161. For each such program, each local school system shall spend a minimum of 90 percent of funds designated for direct instructional costs on the direct instructional costs of such program at the school site in which the funds were earned, except that funds earned for special education programs shall be summed for the purposes of this expenditure control. For the purposes of this expenditure control, funds earned for counselors and technology specialists shall each be summed to the school level. Only the state salary amounts resulting from the amount earned on the state-wide salary schedule as approved by the State Board of Education pursuant to Code Section 20-2-212 plus associated benefits funded by the state and the salaries and any state earned benefits or comparable state earned benefits of technology specialists and classroom aides may be applied to the salary cost components for the purpose of meeting this expenditure control. Except as otherwise provided by law or rule and regulation of the state board, local school systems may decide whether direct instructional funds shall be used for teacher salaries, aide salaries, instructional material or equipment, or any other appropriate direct instructional expense; provided, however, that 100 percent of funds earned for direct instructional salaries shall be expended for salaries of direct instructional personnel and classroom aides. The total number of positions earned for direct instruction as specified in Code Section 20-2-182, adjusted for maximum class size, shall be employed for the delivery of services for which the funds were earned. This position control shall be for the kindergarten program, the kindergarten early intervention program, the primary grades program, and the primary grades early intervention program combined and the combined total for all other programs; provided, however, that positions earned for art, music, foreign language, and physical education, technology specialists, and counselors shall be totaled for all programs. Fractional amounts may be combined and used for any direct instructional position. Funds earned for any fractional amounts may be used for any direct instructional expense. Quality Basic Education Formula funds in excess of the amount required by this paragraph to be expended by a local school system for the direct instructional costs of an instructional program specified by Code Section 20-2-161 which are not expended for direct instructional costs must be returned to the state treasury.

   (2) The state board shall annually compute, based upon the initial allotment of funds to each local school system, the total funds needed system wide for media center costs, specifying the salaries and materials cost portions. In computing the total funds needed for media center costs, the state board shall apply the percentage that these costs represent of the total costs used in developing program weights. Following the midterm adjustment, the state board shall issue allotment sheets for each local school system and each school reflecting the total amount of earnings, initial earnings, and midterm adjustment, if any, for each program authorized by Code Section 20-2-161. Each local school system shall spend 100 percent of the funds designated for media center costs for such costs, and a minimum of 90 percent of such funds shall be spent at the school site in which such funds were earned.

   (3) The state board shall annually compute, based upon the initial allotment of funds to each local school system, the total funds needed system wide for staff development costs. In computing the total funds needed for these categories, the state board shall apply the percentage that these costs represent of the total costs used in developing the program weights. Following the midterm adjustment, the state board shall issue allotment sheets for each local school system and each school reflecting the total amount, initial earnings, and midterm adjustment, if any, of earnings for each program specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 20-2-161. Each local school system shall spend 100 percent of the funds designated for staff and professional development costs, as allowed by State Board of Education policy, for such costs. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Professional Standards Commission, shall establish category-level expenditure controls to ensure that the staff development funds allotted pursuant to this paragraph are utilized in such a manner as to help align professional learning with results in improved student achievement. Such category-level expenditure controls shall be established no later than July 1, 2015, and shall reflect the revised certification renewal rules established by the Professional Standards Commission pursuant to paragraph (4.1) of subsection (b) of Code Section 20-2-200 regarding the impact of professional learning on student achievement. For each local school system which is granted an additional allotment for the midterm adjustment pursuant to Code Section 20-2-162, these amounts shall be increased by the portion of the midterm adjustment allotment which is applied to staff development. In the event a local school system does not actually enroll the full-time equivalent count that was anticipated by its initial allocation and it elects to return a portion of its allocation for staff development and professional development costs to the state, the 100 percent amount for staff development shall be reduced by that returned amount. Quality Basic Education Formula funds in excess of the amount required by this paragraph to be expended by a local school system for staff development and professional development of certificated and instructional personnel which are not expended for this purpose may be expended only for staff development of noncertificated personnel employed by the local school system and the members of the local school board, for meeting certification requirements of personnel, and for administration and operation of the staff development and professional development programs authorized pursuant to subsection (h) of Code Section 20-2-182.

   (4) All funds earned pursuant to this article may be expended only for the operation of educational programs and services explicitly authorized under this article.

   (5) The budget of each local school system shall reflect all anticipated revenues from each source. The budget of each local school system shall designate all of such anticipated revenues among the several funds or accounts of the system and shall not leave any anticipated revenues undesignated. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, all amounts allocated to each fund or account and any existing balance in each fund or account shall be intended for expenditure within the budget year for the purposes of that fund or account. There shall be no fund or account in the nature of a "surplus" or "unobligated surplus" fund or account. Each local school system may, however, establish a single reserve fund or reserve account intended to cover unanticipated deficiencies in revenue or unanticipated expenditures, provided that the budget for any year shall not allocate to such reserve fund or reserve account any amounts which, when combined with the existing balance in such fund or account, exceed 15 percent of that year's total budget. A local school system may also establish one or more capital accumulation funds or accounts, and amounts may be allocated to such capital accumulation funds or accounts for expenditure in future budget years only if the purpose for which such amounts will be expended and the anticipated date of expenditure of such amounts are clearly and specifically identified. The purpose of this paragraph is to prohibit local school systems from accumulating surplus funds through taxation without accounting to the taxpayers for how such funds will be expended, and this paragraph shall be liberally construed to accomplish this purpose.

(b) (1) The State Board of Education shall establish a computerized uniform budget and accounting system as a component of the state-wide comprehensive educational information system established pursuant to Code Section 20-2-320 and shall establish uniform regulations to be implemented by local units of administration. The computerized uniform budget and accounting system shall conform to generally accepted governmental accounting principles which shall include, but not be limited to, the following costing information:

      (A) Instructional program involved;

      (B) Whether basic education or enrichment in purpose;

      (C) Fund source or sources; and

      (D) Major program components such as instructional personnel, instructional operations, facility maintenance and operation, media center operation, school administration, system administration, staff development, or professional development.

   (2) The state board shall prescribe information that must be submitted to the state board and the time it must be submitted. In determining the information needed and the time for submission, the state board shall take into consideration the information and times identified by the Office of Student Achievement as necessary to the implementation of the accountability program provided for in Part 3 of Article 2 of Chapter 14 of this title. The state board is authorized to establish a financial review section for the limited purpose of reviewing financial records and accounting of local governing boards and assisting local units of administration in training personnel in financial and budgetary accounting.

(c) The State Board of Education is authorized to prescribe a date by which each local unit of administration must submit a budget to the state board. The regulations developed by the state board must make adequate provision for local review and modification prior to local approval and submittal to the State School Superintendent. The State School Superintendent shall provide for the examination and preparation of a written report on the budget of each local unit and submit a copy to the state board and to the respective local unit of administration. The state board shall either accept or reject the budget of a local unit.

(d) The standards set forth in this article shall be construed as setting out a basic plan for the direction of the State Board of Education in planning a program and presenting proposals to the Governor and to the General Assembly. Nothing in this article shall be construed as amending or modifying in any way Part 1 of Article 4 of Chapter 12 of Title 45, known as the "Budget Act." The state board shall, in all of its programs involving allocation or expenditure of funds, be governed and controlled by Part 1 of Article 4 of Chapter 12 of Title 45 and all other laws of general application pertaining to the handling and expenditure of state funds, none of which is amended, modified, or repealed by this article unless specifically so provided in this article.

(e) No later than October 1, 2005, the State Board of Education shall develop rules and regulations requiring that each local board of education provide information as specified by the state board and which is not specifically made confidential by law, including school site budget and expenditure information and site average class size by grade, to members of the school council and the general public.
   (f) (Repealed effective July 1, 2015.) (1) For school years 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 only, the expenditure controls contained in subsection (a) of this Code section relating to direct instructional costs, media center costs, and staff and professional development costs shall be waived and shall not apply to nor be enforceable against a local school system.

   (2) Each local school system shall report to the Department of Education its budgets and expenditures of the funds received pursuant to this Code section as a part of its report in October for the FTE count and on March 15.

   (3) No penalty shall be applied to a local school system for failure to comply with expenditure controls set out in subsection (a) of this Code section, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, so long as such local school system complies with this subsection.

   (4) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to repeal any other provision of this Code section or this chapter.

   (5) This subsection shall be automatically repealed on July 1, 2015.

Code 1981, § 20-2-167, enacted by Ga. L. 1985, p. 1657, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 1169, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 1412, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 690, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 847, § 2; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1972, § 3; Ga. L. 1991, p. 1531, § 4; Ga. L. 1991, Ex. Sess., p. 86, § 2; Ga. L. 1992, p. 6, § 20; Ga. L. 1994, p. 1315, § 2; Ga. L. 1995, p. 1302, § 14; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1520, § 3; Ga. L. 2000, p. 618, § 25; Ga. L. 2001, p. 4, § 20; Ga. L. 2001, p. 148, § 7; Ga. L. 2005, p. 60, § 20/HB 95; Ga. L. 2005, p. 798, § 2/SB 35; Ga. L. 2009, p. 8, § 20/SB 46; Ga. L. 2010, p. 158, § 1/HB 908; Ga. L. 2011, p. 647, § 3/HB 192; Ga. L. 2011, p. 752, § 20/HB 142; Ga. L. 2012, p. 355, § 1/SB 404.