Contents
Introduction
Administration
The multitrack year-round education (MTYRE) operational grant program is administered by the California Department of Education (CDE) and provides financial assistance to school districts that are operating multitrack year-round educational programs.
Qualifications
Districts seeking to initiate or continue MTYRE Operational Grants must self-certify that:
- There is substantial district-level overcrowding (five percent over facility capacity); and
- The district is eligible to construct new facilities under chapter 12.5 of the California Education Code (Commencing with Section 17070.10 of Part 10), absent the use of MTRYE programs.
Consequences to Districts Participating in the School Facilities Program (SFP)
Districts receiving Operational Grants have their new construction eligibility in the School Facilities Program reduced based on the number of pupils for whom they have received a claim (Education Code Section 42267(b)). If a district elects to participate in this grant program, the district's eligibility under the School Facilities Program will be reduced by the current number (see Education Code sections 17075.35 and 17071.75(e)) of excess capacity students reported by the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the State Allocation Board. Following the filing of the final certification (Form OP-11), a report is submitted to the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) with the current lost eligibility of each district that has applied for an operational grant. The State Allocation Board (SAB) determines policies on how new construction eligibility is reduced. For definitive reference for the MTYRE School Grant Program, refer to Education Code sections 42260-42268. For determining effects of Operational Grant funding on district or school site capacity, refer to sections 1859.32 and 1859.51 of the California Code of Regulations relating to the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 and contact OPSC.
Application Date
MTYRE Grant applications are due to the Department of Education, School Facilities Planning Division, by September 3, 2007. For assistance, please call or e-mail Shannon Farrell-Hart, Education Fiscal Services Assistant, at 916-323-3923 or sfarrell@cde.ca.gov.
Disclaimer
The guidance in this MTYRE informational packet is not binding on local educational agencies. Except for statutes, regulations, and court decisions, that may be referenced herein, the MTYRE informational packet is exemplary, and compliance is not mandatory.
Operational Grants
Education Code sections 42261 and 42263-68 create formula-driven annual Operational Grants for each eligible school site for which the district applies. Under this program, districts may receive an allocation for each certified actual excess capacity student enrolled on a MTYRE schedule. The School Site Funding Table specifies the funding per excess student amount for 2007-08. If a district elects to participate in this grant program, the district's eligibility for new school construction projects under the School Facilities Program will be reduced by the current number of excess capacity students reported by the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the State Allocation Board (see Education Code Section 17071.75(e) and Section 42268).
Eligibility Criteria
A school district may receive MTRYE Operational Grants pursuant to Education Code Section 42261 if the school district demonstrates all of the following:
District Level
- There is substantial district level overcrowding (five percent over school district capacity) in the school district or its high school attendance areas, as demonstrated by current enrollment, capacity of facilities, and growth projections;
- The school district would be eligible to construct new facilities under Chapter 12.5 of the California Education Code (commencing with Section 17070.10 of Part 10), absent the use of MTYRE programs.
School Site Level
- There is substantial school site overcrowding (five percent over school site capacity) as demonstrated by current enrollment, capacity of facilities, and growth projections;
- Education Code Section 42267 requires school districts participating in the School Facilities Program to report the number of pupils enrolled for whom they claim operational grant payments. Districts must certify that the number of pupils enrolled at a school site will be housed in excess of traditional or single-track capacity as a result of MTYRE programs.
- Education Code Section 42263(b) states, "Excess capacity shall reflect only the additional capacity that has been generated as a result of using a multitrack year-round calendar and shall not reflect increased capacity generated by any other means." In practice, this means that when determining excess capacity, rented, leased, or lease-purchased portable classrooms shall be loaded at SAB or court-mandated pupil loading standards. However, special calculation factors may apply: classrooms of less than 700 square feet may be excluded; kindergarten classrooms, regardless of whether used for single or double session, will be loaded at 25; and portables which exceed 25 percent of the school site's existing permanent capacity may be excluded (SAB 50-02 Option B). Education Code Section 42263.5 allows districts to exclude one classroom for the first 800 pupils at a MTYRE school site, or two classrooms for MTYRE school sites with over 800 pupils, from the definition of "teaching station" for purposes of determining existing school building capacity if the number of district students on MTYRE is greater than 30 percent of the school district's total enrollment in kindergarten and grades 1 to 6 inclusive. The classroom or classrooms must be used during the intersession for the academic remediation of pupils who are in the multitrack year-round program. Portables purchased or acquired through special funding processes (e.g. child care (Education Code Section 17071.25(4)(b)), latchkey, and migrant education), and used for those purposes, are not to be loaded;
- The minimum reduction specified at the school site level increases progressively from five percent in the first year to ten percent in the second year and to 15 percent in the third year and each subsequent year of participation in the Operational Grant program. School sites can exceed these minimums at any time in applying for grant funding. For school districts participating in the School Facilities Program, these percentages will be used to reduce new construction eligibility whether they are achieved or not. For school districts not participating in the school Facilities Program, the immediate practical effect of the progressive reduction of new construction eligibility under the School Facilities Program is inconsequential, although it may affect future participation.
- School sites may certify fewer students than the actual number determined to be in excess of the school facility capacity, but may not fall below a five percent school site excess capacity minimum. Conversely, school sites may certify all students in excess of capacity, resulting in a greater reduction in building eligibility.
Funding
Based on the percentage of pupils certified in excess of facility capacity and pursuant to Education Code Section 42263(c), the district would receive funding contingent upon state statute that appropriates funding according to the following table. The table is subject to SAB calculation (Education Code Section 42263(d)), annual state legislative action, and state budget language.
| Percent of pupils housed in excess of school facility capacity based on loading standards | Percent of payment based on a cost avoided figure of $1,649 per pupil | Portion of $2,212 funding per excess pupil |
|---|---|---|
0 to 4 |
0 |
$0.00 |
5 to 9 |
50 |
$1,106.00 |
10 to 14 |
67 |
$1,482.04 |
15 to 19 |
75 |
$1,659.00 |
20 to 24 |
85 |
$1,880.20 |
25+ |
90 |
$1,990.80 |
If the funding appropriated in the Budget Act of 2006 is insufficient to meet the demand for the 2006-07 fiscal year, grants will be proportionately reduced. For the past six years, the percentage of allocations has been as follows:
| 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86% | 65% | 35% | 26% | 44% | 24% | 44% | 64% | 61%* |
*Payment prior to final certification.
Timeline for Operational Grants for Schools Operating MTYRE Programs
| June 2007 | Forms posted to the California Department of Education's Web site |
| September 3, 2007 | Deadline to submit operational grant applications to California Department of Education as established by State Budget Control Language |
| December 2007 | California Department of Education begins notification of award level based upon available funding, and processes grant awards (via State Controller) to school districts (via County Office of Education) |
| May 2008 | California Department of Education mails out 2007-08 Final School Site Certification Excess Capacity Enrollment forms to school districts receiving operational grants. |
| June 30, 2008 | School district reports and makes adjustments, if any, to the number of pupils claimed based on enrollment data. Report is mailed to California Department of Education by June 30, 2008. |
Application Process
By September 3, 2007, school districts applying for operational grants must complete and submit the following forms:
- 2007-08 School District Enrollment Calculation (OP-04) (DOC; 34.0KB, 2pp.)
- 2007-08 Operational Grant Certification (OP-08) (DOC; 21.5KB; 1p.)
- 2007-08 Multitrack Year-Round School Projected Enrollment Calculation (OP-09) (DOC; 40.5KB; 2pp.)
Send application forms for operational grants to:
California Department of Education
School Facilities Planning Division
1430 N Street, Suite 1201
Sacramento, CA 95814
Attention: Year-Round Education
If you have any questions, contact Shannon Farrell-Hart, Education Fiscal Services Assistant, at 916-323-3923 or sfarrell@cde.ca.gov.
For Audit Purposes
The following school district documents may be useful in assisting the district to complete the operational grant forms submitted to California Department of Education. Please do not submit the forms below, but retain them for audit purposes.
- SAB Forms 50-01 and 50-02, Enrollment Certification/Projection Forms (may be accessed at the Office of Public School Construction Web site at http://www.opsc.dgs.ca.gov/default.htm)
- School District Facilities Master Plan
- 1A Site Plans or equivalent acceptable document, such as a fire evacuation plan, which includes teaching stations and grade levels
Glossary of Terms
- Cost Avoided Per Pupil - The term is used in Education Code Section 42263(d) to reflect the average cost-per-pupil savings when a district operates a multitrack year-round school. The current cost avoided figure is $2,212 per pupil.
- Excess Capacity - The number of students enrolled over and above school site facility capacity. (See 5 below).
- Multitrack Year-Round School - A school in which the students are divided into three or more groups or tracks. Throughout the year, the groups rotate in and out of school, with one group always on vacation while the remaining groups are attending school. A multitrack year-round education program is designed to increase the enrollment capacity of the school. (Education Code sections 17017.7(d)(1)(2) and 42260(d)(1)(2)).
- School District Capacity - School district capacity includes all teaching stations included in the area of adequate school construction, as per Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) or court mandated pupil loading standards. In practice, this means that when determining excess capacity, rented, leased, or lease purchased portable classrooms shall be excluded. School district capacity is calculated by completing SAB 50-02, Option A.
- School Site Capacity - School site capacity includes all teaching stations including those created through class size reduction, minus portable exclusions allowed by sections 1859.32 and 1859.51 of the State Allocation Board Regulations relating to the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998, approved and filed with the Secretary of State on December 3, 1998 and updated by the State Allocation board on January 26, 2000. Excess capacity reflects only the additional capacity that has been generated as a result of using a multitrack year-round calendar and shall not reflect increased capacity generated as a result of using a multitrack year-round calendar and shall not reflect increased capacity generated by any other means (Education Code Section 42263(b)). Portables purchased or acquired through special funding processes, e.g. child care (Education Code Section 17071.25(4)(b)), latchkey, and migrant education, and used for those purposes, would not be loaded.
