281—98.1(256,257) Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
“Budgetary allocation” means the portion of the funding that is specifically earmarked for a particular purpose or designated program and that, in the case of the general fund, has been rolled into, or added to, the school district cost per pupil or school district regular program cost. Budgetary allocations may include both state aid and property tax. Budgetary allocations increase budget authority on the first day of the fiscal year for which the allocation has been certified or on the date that the school budget review committee approves the modified supplemental amount for a specific purpose or program; the budget authority remains even if the full amount of revenue is not received or if the local board does not levy a cash reserve. There is no assumption that a school district or area education agency will receive the same amount of revenue as it has received in budget authority due to delinquent property taxes, cuts in state aid, or legislative decisions to fund other instructional programs off the top of state aid. The school district or area education agency must expend the full amount of budget authority for the specific purposes for which it was earmarked. When the school district or state cost per pupil is transferred from one school district to another school district in the form of tuition as required by the Iowa Code, any budgetary allocation that is included in the school district or state cost per pupil will be considered transferred to the receiving school district and will be expended for the specific purpose for which it was earmarked.
“Categorical funding” means financial support from state and federal governments that is targeted for particular categories of students, special programs, or special purposes. This support is in addition to school district or area education agency general purpose revenue, is beyond the basic educational program, and most often has restrictions on its use. Where categorical funding requires a local match, that local match also is considered to be categorical funding. Categorical funding includes both grants in aid and budgetary allocations. Although grants in aid and budgetary allocations are both categorical funding, they are defined separately to distinguish unique characteristics of each type of categorical funding.
“Community education” means a life-long education process concerning itself with every facet that affects the well-being of all citizens within a given community. It extends the role of the school from one of teaching children through an elementary and secondary program to one of providing for citizen participation in identifying the wants, needs, and concerns of the neighborhood community and coordinating all educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities within the community with community education being the catalyst for providing for citizen participation in the development and implementation of programs toward the goal of improving the entire community.
“Grants in aid” means financial support, usually from state or federal appropriations, that is either allocated to the school district or area education agency or for which a school district or area education agency applies. This support is paid separately from state foundation aid. In the general fund, grants in aid become miscellaneous income and increase budget authority when the support is received as revenue.
“Supplement, not supplant” means, when a funding stream contains this provision, that the categorical funding is in addition to general purpose revenues; that categorical funding will not be used to provide services required by federal or state law, administrative rule, or local policy; and that general purpose revenues will not be diverted for other purposes because of the availability of categorical funding. Supplanting is presumed to have occurred if the school district or area education agency uses categorical funding to provide services that it was required to make available under other categorical funding or law, or uses categorical funding to provide services that it provided in prior years from general purpose revenues, or uses categorical funding to provide services to a particular group of children or programs for which it uses general purpose revenues to provide the same or similar services to other groups of children or programs. These presumptions are rebuttable if the school district or area education agency can demonstrate that it would not have provided the services in question with general purpose revenues if the categorical funding had not been available.
“Technology” means hardware, noninstructional software and software required to provide functionality to the hardware, wireless presenters, networking and connectivity systems, computing storage, website development services, hardware carrying equipment, licensing, and technical assistance for installation of hardware, software, or software updates. Technology does not include such items as instructional software or textbook substitutes as defined in Iowa Code chapter 301, professional development, staff providing support to teachers or students, general supplies, district personnel or individuals/companies hired or contracted in lieu of district personnel, travel, printing costs or media services not listed in this definition, insurance, most purchased services, or similar district functions. Maintenance contracts do not meet the definition of “technology” unless they are actually a license renewal fee; Internet subscriptions, licenses, or fees; cable or satellite services; or very similar services.
[ARC 7802C, IAB 4/17/24, effective 5/22/24]