79-1024.

Budget statement; submitted to department; Auditor of Public Accounts; duties; failure to submit; effect.

(1) The department may require each district to submit to the department a duplicate copy of such portions of the district's budget statement as the Commissioner of Education directs. The department may verify any data used to meet the requirements of the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act. The Auditor of Public Accounts shall review each district's budget statement for statutory compliance, make necessary changes in the budget documents for districts to effectuate the budget limitations imposed pursuant to sections 79-1023 to 79-1030, and notify the Commissioner of Education of any district failing to submit to the auditor the budget documents required pursuant to this subsection by the date established in subsection (1) of section 13-508 or failing to make any corrections of errors in the documents pursuant to section 13-504 or 13-511.

(2) If a school district fails to submit to the department or the auditor the budget documents required pursuant to subsection (1) of this section by the date established in subsection (1) of section 13-508 or fails to make any corrections of errors in the documents pursuant to section 13-504 or 13-511, the commissioner, upon notification from the auditor or upon his or her own knowledge that the required budget documents and any required corrections of errors from any school district have not been properly filed in accordance with the Nebraska Budget Act and after notice to the district and an opportunity to be heard, shall direct that any state aid granted pursuant to the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act be withheld until such time as the required budget documents or corrections of errors are received by the auditor and the department. In addition, the commissioner shall direct the county treasurer to withhold all school money belonging to the school district until such time as the commissioner notifies the county treasurer of receipt of the required budget documents or corrections of errors. The county treasurer shall withhold such money. For school districts that are members of learning communities, a determination of school money belonging to the district shall be based on the proportionate share of property tax receipts allocated to the school district by the learning community coordinating council for school fiscal years prior to school fiscal year 2017-18, and the county treasurer shall withhold any such school money in the possession of the county treasurer from the school district. If the school district does not comply with this section prior to the end of the state's biennium following the biennium which included the fiscal year for which state aid was calculated, the state aid funds shall revert to the General Fund. The amount of any reverted funds shall be included in data provided to the Governor in accordance with section 79-1031. The board of any district failing to submit to the department or the auditor the budget documents required pursuant to this section by the date established in subsection (1) of section 13-508 or failing to make any corrections of errors in the documents pursuant to section 13-504 or 13-511 shall be liable to the school district for all school money which such district may lose by such failing.