SARC costs ruled non-reimbursable
Published: March 1, 2006
The costs of preparing and producing School Accountability Report Cards are no longer reimbursable, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2005, according to a recent decision by the Commission on State Mandates.
The commission had previously determined that many of these costs were reimbursable state mandates.
However, legislation in 2004 directed the commission to reconsider the required reimbursement of certain of those costs and the commission took that opportunity to overturn its prior determination.
Omitted from reconsideration due to a lack of jurisdiction was legislation from 1997 (Chapter 912) requiring each school to report a variety of test scores, school characteristics, student outcomes and other factors.
At its Jan. 26 meeting, the commission wrote its final chapter on SARC, ending reimbursement for SARC claims.
This decision has significant cost implications for California school districts. CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance is reviewing the commission’s decisions in both reconsideration actions for probable legal action, with the aim of reinstating of SARC costs as reimbursable state mandates.
Richard Hamilton, Director of the Alliance, recommends that districts continue to track SARC costs for purposes of filing claims in the future.
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