§6321. Fiscal requirements

(a) Maintenance of effort

A local educational agency may receive funds under this part for any fiscal year only if the State educational agency involved finds that the local educational agency has maintained the agency's fiscal effort in accordance with section 7901 of this title.

(b) Federal funds to supplement, not supplant, non-Federal funds

(1) In general

A State educational agency or local educational agency shall use Federal funds received under this part only to supplement the funds that would, in the absence of such Federal funds, be made available from State and local sources for the education of students participating in programs assisted under this part, and not to supplant such funds.

(2) Compliance

To demonstrate compliance with paragraph (1), a local educational agency shall demonstrate that the methodology used to allocate State and local funds to each school receiving assistance under this part ensures that such school receives all of the State and local funds it would otherwise receive if it were not receiving assistance under this part.

(3) Special rule

No local educational agency shall be required to-

(A) identify that an individual cost or service supported under this part is supplemental; or

(B) provide services under this part through a particular instructional method or in a particular instructional setting in order to demonstrate such agency's compliance with paragraph (1).

(4) Prohibition

Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize or permit the Secretary to prescribe the specific methodology a local educational agency uses to allocate State and local funds to each school receiving assistance under this part.

(5) Timeline

A local educational agency-

(A) shall meet the compliance requirement under paragraph (2) not later than 2 years after December 10, 2015; and

(B) may demonstrate compliance with the requirement under paragraph (1) before the end of such 2-year period using the method such local educational agency used on the day before December 10, 2015.

(c) Comparability of services

(1) In general

(A) Comparable services

Except as provided in paragraphs (4) and (5), a local educational agency may receive funds under this part only if State and local funds will be used in schools served under this part to provide services that, taken as a whole, are at least comparable to services in schools that are not receiving funds under this part.

(B) Substantially comparable services

If the local educational agency is serving all of such agency's schools under this part, such agency may receive funds under this part only if such agency will use State and local funds to provide services that, taken as a whole, are substantially comparable in each school.

(C) Basis

A local educational agency may meet the requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B) on a grade-span by grade-span basis or a school-by-school basis.

(2) Written assurance

(A) Equivalence

A local educational agency shall be considered to have met the requirements of paragraph (1) if such agency has filed with the State educational agency a written assurance that such agency has established and implemented-

(i) a local educational agency-wide salary schedule;

(ii) a policy to ensure equivalence among schools in teachers, administrators, and other staff; and

(iii) a policy to ensure equivalence among schools in the provision of curriculum materials and instructional supplies.

(B) Determinations

For the purpose of this subsection, in the determination of expenditures per pupil from State and local funds, or instructional salaries per pupil from State and local funds, staff salary differentials for years of employment shall not be included in such determinations.

(C) Exclusions

A local educational agency need not include unpredictable changes in student enrollment or personnel assignments that occur after the beginning of a school year in determining comparability of services under this subsection.

(3) Procedures and records

Each local educational agency assisted under this part shall-

(A) develop procedures for compliance with this subsection; and

(B) maintain records that are updated biennially documenting such agency's compliance with this subsection.

(4) Inapplicability

This subsection shall not apply to a local educational agency that does not have more than one building for each grade span.

(5) Compliance

For the purpose of determining compliance with paragraph (1), a local educational agency may exclude State and local funds expended for-

(A) language instruction educational programs; and

(B) the excess costs of providing services to children with disabilities as determined by the local educational agency.

(d) Exclusion of funds

For the purpose of complying with subsections (b) and (c), a State educational agency or local educational agency may exclude supplemental State or local funds expended in any school attendance area or school for programs that meet the intent and purposes of this part.

(Pub. L. 89–10, title I, §1118, formerly §1120A, as added Pub. L. 107–110, title I, §101, Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 1511 ; renumbered §1118 and amended Pub. L. 114–95, title I, §§1000(4), 1012, Dec. 10, 2015, 129 Stat. 1814 , 1874.)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 6321, Pub. L. 89–10, title I, §1120, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, §101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3557 , related to participation of children enrolled in private schools, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107–110.

A prior section 1118 of Pub. L. 89–10 was renumbered section 1116 and is classified to section 6318 of this title.

Another prior section 1118 of Pub. L. 89–10 was classified to section 6319 of this title, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107–110.

Amendments

2015-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–95, §1012(1), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7901 of this title.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–95, §1012(2), added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b) which consisted of pars. (1) and (2) relating to general use of funds only to supplement and not to supplant non-Federal funds and special rule that no local educational agency be required to provide services through a particular instructional method or in a particular instructional setting.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2015 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.