SB 1466 Summary

• Establishes a three-year smart school technology pilot program through the Department of Education to deploy whole-school technology in public schools.

• Creates an independent evaluating committee consisting of three state board of education members, the chief information officer for information technology, two Arizona commerce authority appointees, and the governor or designee to review proposals and select participating schools.

• Selected education technology provider must develop a one-to-one mobile initiative plan for each participating district/charter school including mobile devices for students/teachers, networking equipment, professional development, internet filtering, operating software, third-party evaluation, and technical support.

• Superintendent of Public Instruction shall issue temporary waivers from school finance laws allowing participating schools increased budgetary flexibility for education technology and allowing them to retain and spend any cost savings from the program.

• Appropriates $5,000,000 from the state general fund in fiscal year 2014-2015 for technology grants to selected school districts and charter schools, with program expiring September 30, 2018.