(a) Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this section, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
  (1) Home district--District of residence of a transferring student.
  (2) Receiving district--District to which a student is transferring for the purpose of obtaining an education.
  (3) Tuition--Amount charged to the home district by the receiving district to educate the transfer student.
(b) Tuition charge for transfer students. For the purposes of calculating the tuition allotment of the home district as authorized by the Texas Education Code (TEC), §48.154, the amount of tuition that may be attributed to a home district for a transfer student in payment for that student's education may not exceed an amount per enrollee calculated for each receiving district. The calculated limit applies only to tuition paid to a receiving district for the education of a student at a grade level not offered in the home district. Tuition may be set at a rate higher than the calculated limit if both districts enter a written agreement, but the calculated tuition limit will be used in the calculation of the tuition allotment for the home district. The calculation will use the most currently available data in an ongoing school year to determine the limit that applies to the subsequent school year. For purposes of this section, the number of students enrolled in a district will be appropriately adjusted to account for students ineligible for the Foundation School Program funding and those eligible for half-day attendance.
  (1) Calculated tuition limit. Beginning with the limit for the 2012-2013 school year, the calculated tuition limit is the sum of the excess maintenance and operations (M&O) revenue per enrollee and the excess debt revenue per enrollee, as calculated in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, respectively.
  (2) Excess M&O revenue per enrollee. A district's excess M&O revenue per enrollee is defined as the sum of state aid in accordance with the TEC, Chapter 48, Subchapters B, C, D, and E. These state aid amounts are added to M&O tax collections, and the sum is divided by enrollment to determine the amount of total state and local revenue per enrolled student. The amount of state aid gained by the addition of one transfer student is subtracted from the total amount of state and local revenue per student to determine the revenue shortfall created by the addition of one student. M&O taxes exclude the local share of any lease purchases funded in the Instructional Facilities Allotment (IFA) as referenced in the TEC, Chapter 46, Subchapter A, and taxes paid to a tax increment fund authorized by the Texas Tax Code, Chapter 311.
    (A) The data for this calculation are derived from the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) fall data submission (budgeted M&O tax collections and student enrollment) and the legislative payment estimate (LPE) data (Foundation School Program student counts and property value).
    (B) The state aid gained by the receiving district from the addition of one transfer student is computed by the commissioner of education. The calculation assumes that the transfer student participates in the special programs at the average rate of other students in the receiving district.
  (3) Excess debt revenue per enrollee. A district's excess debt revenue per enrollee is defined as interest and sinking fund taxes budgeted to be collected that surpass the taxes equalized by the IFA pursuant to the TEC, Chapter 46, Subchapter A, and the Existing Debt Allotment (EDA) pursuant to the TEC, Chapter 46, Subchapter B, divided by enrollment.
    (A) The local share of the IFA for bonds is subtracted from debt taxes budgeted to be collected as reported through the PEIMS. The local share of the EDA is subtracted from debt taxes budgeted to be collected as reported through the PEIMS only if the district receives a payment for the state share of the EDA.
    (B) The estimate of enrollment includes transfer students.
  (4) Notification and appeal process. In the spring of each school year, the commissioner will provide each district with its calculated tuition limit and a worksheet with a description of the derivation process. A district may appeal to the commissioner if it can provide evidence that the use of projected student counts from the LPE in making the calculation is so inaccurate as to result in an inappropriately low authorized tuition charge and undue financial hardship. A district that used significant nontax sources to make any of its debt service payments during the base year for the computation may appeal to the commissioner to use projections of its tax collections for the year for which the tuition limit will apply. The commissioner's decision regarding an appeal is final.

Source Note: The provisions of this §61.1012 adopted to be effective September 7, 2000, 25 TexReg 8640; amended to be effective March 28, 2004, 29 TexReg 2881; amended to be effective May 4, 2008, 33 TexReg 3410; amended to be effective April 22, 2012, 37 TexReg 2627; amended to be effective December 30, 2020, 45 TexReg 9510