Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(1) Standards.
(A) Standard 1. Initiative to establish a
district must come from the area to be served. Local initiative to establish a
community college district is demonstrated by submitting a petition to the
coordinating board in accordance with the provisions of section 178.800.1.,
RSMo. The petition and the response to Standard 1 should include the official
name of the proposed district. The official name of the district must adhere to
the following format: "The Junior College District of __________________ ,
Missouri."
(B) Standard 2. Need
must be clearly established in terms of the total area to be served, including
educational interest of citizens, manpower needs of local industry, business,
government and other consumers, and compatibility with the statewide policy
goals established by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. Clear and
convincing evidence of need for the proposed district shall be demonstrated by
providing information which will be generated by a survey, the form and method
for administration of the survey to be determined by the Coordinating Board for
Higher Education. The cost of the administration of the survey shall be borne
by the organizing body for the proposed district. The information provided by
the survey will include, but not be limited to, the specific educational
services needed by employers, high school students and representatives of the
general public which can be provided by a community college. So that the
respondents to the survey can make an informed judgment relating to the
establishment of a community college, information will be provided to each
respondent regarding the probable tax levy for the first five (5) years of
operation of the community college, probable capital expenditures required
during the first ten (10) years of operation and probable location of the
initial site.
1. Supplemental to the results
of the survey, additional demographic information will be provided to the
coordinating board to further substantiate the need for a community college.
The format and method for providing this information will be determined by the
coordinating board.
2. If the board
determines a bona fide need exists after examining the information regarding
the establishment of a community college, the board will conduct a review to
ascertain if alternative agencies can provide the identified
services.
(C) Standard
3. Proposed districts must be composed of one (1) or more public school
districts. In the case of a proposal encompassing two (2) or more public school
districts, those districts must be contiguous. Variations in traffic arteries,
population density, tax base valuations and public school district boundaries
require flexibility in geographic size. As a general guideline, student
commuting time should not exceed forty-five (45) minutes each way. The proposed
district should be described in terms of the public school districts it will
encompass. A map detailing boundaries of the proposed district, the population
centers and the boundaries of the public school districts shall be
provided.
(D) Standard 4. There
shall be substantive evidence to project an enrollment of at least one thousand
(1,000) full-time-equivalent (FTE) students within five (5) years of the
initial operation of the new district. Enrollment may be projected for an FTE
greater than one thousand (1,000). The basis for projecting enrollment is as
follows:
1. 2.5% of the proposed district
population.
A. The proposed district base
population shall be the populations of the component public school districts as
determined from the School District Population Summary Tables prepared after
the most recently completed decennial census;
B. The school district base populations will
be incremented by the estimated growth rates for the counties in which the
districts are headquartered through the most recent year for which county
population estimates are available from the State Census Data Center;
and
C. The district populations
derived in subparagraph (1)(D)1.B. will be projected for future years using the
average annual growth between the latest decennial census and the latest county
population estimates for the counties in which the districts are
headquartered;
2.
Projections of FTE enrollment based on local demeand for-
A. Literacy and adult basic education
programs;
B. Customized and
contract training for area employees;
C. Other noncredit or nondegree types of
instructional services; and
3. Projections of FTE enrollment based on
documented demand for educational services to be offered by the proposed
institution from areas within the proposed district's service area that are not
currently within an existing community college district.
(E) Standard 5. The financial viability of
the proposed district is dependent on several interrelated factors involving
the estimation of both revenue and operating costs. The basis for computing
operating costs is given in this subsection. The relevant revenue factors are
assessed valuation of the proposed district, local tax levy and local tax
income generated from the assessed valuation; student fee level and student fee
income; state aid income; and other income. The local portion of revenue
consists of the income generated by the tax levy on the assessed valuation of
taxable, tangible property in the proposed district. The assessed valuation of
the proposed district is a critical factor. The assessed valuation of the
proposed district shall provide adequate financial support to the proposed
district as determined by the coordinating board. The revenue derived from
student fees is dependent upon the FTE enrollment and the fee amount charged to
each student. Methods for computing these factors as well as state aid income
and other income are given as follows:
1.
Operating costs. Estimations of operating costs are for education and general,
and do not include capital expenditures or costs for auxiliary purposes. The
estimated operating costs shall be based upon a student faculty ratio of twenty
to one (20:1) and faculty compensation which is sufficient to attract and
retain qualified and competent faculty;
2. Student fee income. This factor is
determined by computing the average percent of total income, less auxiliary and
restricted, provided by student fees at existing community college districts,
established under the provisions of sections 178.770-178.890, RSMo for the most
recent fiscal year for which data are available preceding the new district
proposal. If the proposed district has a population of two hundred thousand
(200,000) or fewer, the average for existing districts with populations of two
hundred thousand (200,000) or fewer shall be used. If the proposed district has
a population of over two hundred thousand (200,000), the average for all
existing districts shall be used. This factor shall be computed by the
coordinating board staff;
3. State
aid income. This factor is determined by applying the current method of
determining state aid to the five (5)-year projected size and program diversity
of the proposed community college. This factor shall be computed by the
coordinating board staff;
4. Other
income. An amount equal to two percent (2%) of the estimated cost of operations
shall be allowed as estimation of other income for districts with populations
of two hundred thousand (200,000) or less and an allowance of one-half percent
(.5%) for proposed districts of over two hundred thousand (200,000) population.
If the proposed new district feasibility study categorically demonstrates, in
the judgment of the coordinating board, other reliable sources of income, the
actual dollars so demonstrated may be added to the two percent (2%) or one-half
percent (.5%) allowance;
5. Local
tax levy. The tax levy per one hundred dollars ($100) assessed valuation, for
purposes of computing the adequacy of the assessed valuation to support the
proposed district, shall be the maximum levy allowed, without voter approval,
by section
178.870,
RSMo, as follows:
LEVY
|
ASSESSED VALUATION
|
$.10 |
$1.5 Billion plus |
.20 |
$750 Million but less than $1.5 Billion |
.30 |
$500 Million but less than $750 Million |
.40 |
Less than $500 Million; and |
6.
Local tax income generated from assessed valuation. The purpose of establishing
an assessed valuation requirement for a proposed new district is to assure that
the valuation is sufficient to generate adequate funds to provide a viable
college fiscal operation and education of acceptable quality. That adequacy is
assessed by formulae which produce either an assessed valuation from a known
amount of needed revenue or the amount of revenue generated from a known
assessed valuation. The steps and formulae of the computation are-
A. Estimated operating costs less estimated
student fee income, less estimated state aid, less estimation of other income
produces a balance which is the estimated operating cost to be provided through
local tax revenue;
B. The amount of
assessed valuation required to generate the needed tax revenue is computed with
the following formula: (a)(x/100) = y
in which: a=the amount of the tax levy per $100 of assessed
valuation;
x = the assessed valuation required to generate needed tax
revenue; and
y = the tax revenue to be generated. In this formula, x is
the unknown. If the computation reveals the value of x to be equal to or less
than the actual assessed valuation of proposed district, then the assessed
valuation shall be judged to be adequate; and
C. The amount of tax revenue which would be
generated by the assessed valuation of the proposed district is computed as
follows: (a)(x/100) = y
in which: a = the amount of the tax levy per $100 of
assessed valuation;
x = the actual assessed valuation of the proposed district;
and
y = the tax revenue generated.
In this formulay is the unknown. If the computation reveals
the value of y to be as great or greater than the balance of income to be
provided through local tax revenue, then the assessed valuation of the proposed
district shall be judged to be adequate.
(F) Standard 6. A study of the
feasibility of a proposed district shall be prepared and submitted to the
coordinating board. In addition to comprehensively addressing all other
standards and requirements specified in this rule, the feasibility study shall
include detailed plans both for meeting the initial physical facility needs of
the proposed new district and for meeting the additional start-up instructional
and support costs of operation until revenue from local taxes, state aid and
student fees become available, above and beyond state appropriations for
existing districts.
(2)
Election. If the coordinating board determines that the proposed district meets
the standards set forth in section (1) of this rule, the board shall order an
election in accordance with the provisions of sections
178.800
and
178.820,
RSMo.
(3) Instructional Programs.
In the event the proposal to organize the district receives a majority of the
votes cast, programs of instruction shall be submitted for the approval of the
coordinating board.
*Original authority: see the Missouri Revised
Statutes.