HB 5101 Summary

• Renames "supplemental academic instruction categorical fund" to "supplemental academic instruction allocation" and requires school districts with low-performing schools (grades D or F) to use these funds for intervention strategies and salary incentives for instructional personnel.

• Modifies reading instruction requirements by changing the 300 lowest-performing elementary schools designation to be based on a 3-year average of state reading assessment data instead of prior year data alone, and requires summer reading camps to be staffed by reading-certified or reading-endorsed personnel.

• Renames "Principal Autonomy Pilot Program" to "Principal Autonomy Program," expands eligibility to allow any school district to apply (previously limited to seven counties), and provides schools with exemptions from state laws as long as they maintain a grade of "B" or higher.

• Allows Schools of Hope Program funds not disbursed by June 30 to be carried forward for up to 5 years after the original appropriation, and requires school districts to report charter school capital outlay funding information annually with Auditor General verification.

• Requires school districts to certify by July 1 that core reading materials and reading intervention materials in kindergarten through grade 5 meet evidence-based reading instruction requirements beginning July 1, 2021.