As used in this section, "school district," unless otherwise specified, means any city, local, exempted village, joint vocational, or cooperative education school district and any educational service center. This chapter shall be administered by the department of education and workforce. The department of education and workforce shall calculate the amounts payable to each school district and shall certify the amounts payable to each eligible district to the treasurer of the district as provided by this chapter. Certification of moneys pursuant to this section shall include the amounts payable to each school building, at a frequency determined by the department, for each subgroup of students, as defined in section 3317.40 of the Revised Code, receiving services, provided for by state funding, from the district or school. No moneys shall be distributed pursuant to this chapter without the approval of the controlling board. The department shall, in accordance with appropriations made by the general assembly, meet the financial obligations of this chapter. Moneys distributed to school districts pursuant to this chapter shall be calculated based on the annual enrollment calculated from the three reports required under sections 3317.03 and 3317.036 of the Revised Code and paid on a fiscal year basis, beginning with the first day of July and extending through the thirtieth day of June. In any given fiscal year, prior to school districts submitting the first report required under section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, enrollment for the districts shall be calculated based on the third report submitted by the districts for the previous fiscal year. The moneys appropriated for each fiscal year shall be distributed periodically to each school district unless otherwise provided for. The department, in June of each year, shall submit to the controlling board the department's year-end distributions pursuant to this chapter. Except as otherwise provided, payments under this chapter shall be made only to those school districts in which:

1. (A) The school district, except for any educational service center and any joint vocational or cooperative education school district, levies for current operating expenses at least twenty mills. Levies for joint vocational or cooperative education school districts or county school financing districts, limited to or to the extent apportioned to current expenses, shall be included in this qualification requirement. School district income tax levies under Chapter 5748. of the Revised Code, limited to or to the extent apportioned to current operating expenses, shall be included in this qualification requirement to the extent determined by the tax commissioner under division (C) of section 3317.021 of the Revised Code.
2. (B) The school year next preceding the fiscal year for which such payments are authorized meets the requirement of section 3313.48 of the Revised Code, with regard to the minimum number of hours school must be open for instruction with pupils in attendance, for individualized parent-teacher conference and reporting periods, and for professional meetings of teachers. A school district shall not be considered to have failed to comply with this division because schools were open for instruction but either twelfth grade students were excused from attendance for up to the equivalent of three school days or only a portion of the kindergarten students were in attendance for up to the equivalent of three school days in order to allow for the gradual orientation to school of such students. A board of education or governing board of an educational service center which has not conformed with other law and the rules pursuant thereto, shall not participate in the distribution of funds authorized by this chapter, except for good and sufficient reason established to the satisfaction of the department and the state controlling board. All funds allocated to school districts under this chapter, except those specifically allocated for other purposes, shall be used to pay current operating expenses only.

Last updated August 1, 2023 at 4:47 PM