72-6414. At-risk pupil weighting; use of moneys derived from weighting; required expenditures for mastery of basic reading skills, exemption. (a) The at-risk pupil weighting of each district shall be determined by the state board by multiplying the number of at-risk pupils included in enrollment of the district by .278 for school year 2006-2007, by .378 for school year 2007-2008 and by .456 for school year 2008-2009 and each school year thereafter. The product is the at-risk pupil weighting of the district.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (d), of the amount a district receives from the at-risk pupil weighting, an amount produced by a pupil weighting of .01 shall be used by the district for achieving mastery of basic reading skills by completion of the third grade in accordance with standards and outcomes of mastery identified by the state board under K.S.A. 72-7534, and amendments thereto.

(c) A district shall include such information in its at-risk pupil assistance plan as the state board may require regarding the district's remediation strategies and the results thereof in achieving the third grade reading standards and outcomes of mastery identified by the state board. The reporting requirements shall include information documenting remediation strategies and improvement made by pupils who performed below the expected standard on the second grade diagnostic reading test prescribed by the state board.

(d) A district whose pupils substantially achieve the state board standards and outcomes of mastery of reading skills upon completion of third grade may be released, upon request, by the state board from the requirements of subsection (b).

(e) (1) A district may expend amounts received from the at-risk pupil weighting to pay for the cost of providing full-day kindergarten to any pupil enrolled in the district and attending full-day kindergarten whether or not such pupil is an at-risk pupil.

(2) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as requiring school districts to provide full-day kindergarten nor as requiring any pupil to attend full-day kindergarten.

(3) As used in this subsection (e):

(A) "District" means any school district which offers both full-day and half-day kindergarten.

(B) "Cost" means that portion of the cost of providing full-day kindergarten which is not paid by the state.

(f) A school district may expend amounts received from the at-risk weighting to pay the cost of providing preschool-aged at-risk, bilingual and vocational education programs and services.

History: L. 1992, ch. 280, § 10; L. 1997, ch. 41, § 4; L. 1998, ch. 118, § 4; L. 1999, ch. 165, § 4; L. 2001, ch. 215, § 6; L. 2005, ch. 152, § 17; L. 2005, ch. 2, § 20 (Special Session); L. 2006, ch. 197, § 14; July 1.