Prototypical School Model.  The state's public school funding model allocates funding to school districts based on assumed levels of staff and other resources necessary to support a prototypical school serving an assumed number of students at defined elementary, middle, and high schools levels.  The use of prototypical schools is intended to illustrate the level of resources needed to operate a school of a particular size using commonly understood terms such as class size, hours of instruction, and specified staff positions.

The structure of the formula, which appears in statute, provides allocations for classroom teachers at an assumed class size, plus other building-level staff such as principals, teacher-librarians, counselors, and office support.  Based on these staffing ratios, the state uses salary assumptions for each of the different staff types to generate state funding allocations.  The funding provided to school districts through the prototypical school formulas is for allocation purposes only, and districts have discretion over how the money is spent, subject to some limits.
 
The prototypical school model currently provides allocations for school nurses, social workers, psychologists, and guidance counselors using the following staff unit amounts:

Staff Allocations.  A new staff group called "physical, social, and emotional support staff" is created in the prototypical school model, to include the following staff types: school nurses, social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, classified staff providing student and staff safety, and parent involvement coordinators.  School districts may use allocations provided for physical, social, and emotional support staff only for salaries and benefits for staff employed as physical, social, and emotional support staff.
 
Beginning September 1, 2022, the minimum allocations for school nurses, social workers, psychologists, and guidance counselors are increased to the following amounts:

In addition to the minimum allocations specified above, the following additional staffing units are provided for school nurses in the 2023-24 school year:

Beginning September 1, 2024, the minimum allocations for school nurses are increased again to the following amounts:

Skill Center Class Size.  The average skill center class size within the prototypical school model is reduced from 20 students per teacher to 19 students per teacher to align with base allocations currently provided in the operating budget.