CT SB01018

The State Board of Education shall authorize priority school district grants on or before September 15th of each fiscal year, requiring proposals from local school boards based on three-year project plans with goals, objectives, evaluation strategies, and budgets.

Grant funds must be expended for specified uses including dropout prevention, academic enrichment, extended-day kindergarten, scientifically-based reading instruction (minimum 20% of grant), technology enhancement, parent involvement, accreditation support, numeracy instruction, or chronic absenteeism reduction.

Grants are allocated to eight largest towns in Connecticut ($1 million each) and towns ranking in top eleven by poverty and poverty-to-student ratios ($500,000 each), with eligibility determined by temporary family assistance program enrollment and mastery counts.

For school years 2022-2024, districts with improved accountability indexes submit their own expenditure proposals, while districts without improvement have the Commissioner develop a three-year plan focused solely on reading instruction, numeracy, and chronic absenteeism support.

The Technical Education and Career System board shall identify critical construction trades by October 1, 2019, and develop a plan by July 1, 2020, to create or expand related programs within available appropriations.