1. (a) The department of local government finance, in consultation with the department of education (established by IC 20-19-3-1 ), shall conduct a study of the disparities in per student operational funding amounts in school corporations (as defined in IC 20-18-2-16 (a)).

2. (b) The study required under subsection (a) must include the following:

   1. (1) A comparison of per student operational funding levels for school corporations within each county.
   2. (2) An identification of the median per student operational funding level for schools within each county.
   3. (3) An analysis of the extent to which local property tax gross assessed values contribute to funding disparities among schools within a county.
   4. (4) An estimate of the amount of additional funding that would be required to bring schools with per student operational funding below a median level up to the median level.
3. (c) The department of local government finance must use the most recent data available from the department of education (established by IC 20-19-3-1 ) and the state department of revenue in carrying out the requirements of subsection (b).
4. (d) Not later than December 1, 2026, the department of local government finance shall submit the report required under subsection (a), in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6 , to the legislative council and the state budget committee.
5. (e) This section expires July 1, 2027.

As added by P.L.55-2026, SEC.1.