AN ACT CONCERNING EXPENDITURES FOR THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

AN ACT CONCERNING EXPENDITURES FOR THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

SUMMARY

This bill make makes various changes in state education grants to implement the FY 06-07 budget. Among other things, it (1) allocates Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grants to towns for FY 06 and FY 07; (2) increases per-pupil grants to charter schools; (3) imposes a penalty on towns that violate the prohibition against using increases in ECS funding to supplant local funding for education; (4) sets a separate per-student operating grant for interdistrict magnet schools run by regional educations service centers (RESCs); and (5) establishes a task force to study magnet school operations and funding.

The bill makes many changes in the school readiness program including (1) increasing per-child cost limit on the cost of the State Department of Education’s (SDE) part of the program; (2) requiring SDE to develop a statewide assessment of kindergarten readiness by October 1, 2009; (3) establishing an Early Childhood Cabinet to, among other things, develop early childhood program budget requests and promote consistent quality and comprehensiveness for early childhood programs; and (4) raising minimum school readiness staff qualifications as of July 1, 2015.

The bill establishes the FY 06 and FY 07 distribution of priority school district grants among various other education grant programs and allocates additional money for FY 06 and FY 07 to the three largest priority school districts: Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport. For FYs 06 and 07, it requires proportional reductions in various education grants to towns and RESCs when total appropriations for the grants are not sufficient to fully fund them.

1. requires the state to reimburse school districts for costs associated with educating children placed by a tribal government in the same way it reimburses for those placed by state agencies;

2. requires charter schools to report on best practices they employ and requires SDE to publish and disseminate a best practices report to all public school superintendents and charter school governing councils;

3. allows SDE to establish a pilot program for the use of technology in computer assisted writing, instruction, and testing for 9^th and 10^th grade public school students; and

4. allows state-wide mastery tests to be administered in March or April, rather than just in April.

In the higher education area, the bill increases the capitol scholarship grant, requires an audit of the private occupational school protection account, and establishes a committee to review and assess pathways to baccalaureate degrees in early childhood education and child development.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2005, except for sections dealing with the following, which are effective on passage:

1. the Eastern Connecticut State University early childhood center (§ 12),

2. authority for interdistrict magnet school supplemental grants (§ 25),

3. the interdistrict magnet school task force (§ 34),

4. youth service bureau grants (§ 37),

5. the Regional 11 dissolution plan (§ 40),

6. the adult education competitive grant (§ 41),

7. the audit of the Private Occupational School Student Protection Account (§ 45),

8. grant for certain Hartford students participating in all-day kindergarten programs (§ 47),

9. the Early Childhood Education and Child Development Workforce Committee (§ 50),

10. the scheduling of the statewide mastery test (§51), and

11. eligibility for colleges participating in the program that provides grants to Connecticut students attending independent colleges in the state (§52).

The bill raises minimum qualifications for school readiness staff, beginning July 1, 2015.

Current law, which remains in effect through June 30, 2015, requires each school readiness classroom to have someone with at least the following qualifications:

1. a credential from an SDE-approved organization and nine credits (12 credits starting July 1, 2005) in early childhood education or child development from an accredited higher education institution,

2. an associate’s degree from an accredited institution with nine credits (12 credits starting July 1, 2005) in early childhood education or child development,

3. a four-year degree from an accredited institution with nine credits (12 credits starting July 1, 2005) in early childhood education or child development, or

4. a teaching certificate with an early childhood education or special education endorsement. (An endorsement indicates the grades or subjects a certified teacher is qualified to teach. )

As of July 1, 2015, the bill requires each school readiness classroom have a staff member with at least (1) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in early childhood education, child development, or a related field approved by SDE or (2) a teaching certificate with an early childhood or special education endorsement.

The bill allows the SDE to include guidelines for transition to school in its school readiness program guidelines.

By law, to receive a state school readiness grant, a town must convene a local school readiness council or establish a regional council with other towns. The council must include the local chief elected official and school superintendent, or their designees; parents; and local child care providers, among others.

The bill adds a representative of a health care provider in the community to each council.

Membership. The bill establishes an Early Childhood Education Cabinet chaired by the governor and the education commissioner or their designees. The cabinet members are the following state officials or their designees:

The cabinet must also include a representative of local or regional school readiness council appointed by the Senate President pro tempore and a representative of the Connecticut Head Start Association appointed by the House speaker.

Responsibilities. The bill requires the cabinet, within available appropriations, to:

1. advise the education commissioner on ways to achieve statutory goals of the state-funded school readiness program (see BACKGROUND),

2. conduct a statewide longitudinal evaluation of the school readiness program in consultation with DSS and the SDE,

3. develop early childhood program budget requests, and

4. promote consistent quality and comprehensiveness for early childhood services.

The bill also requires the education and DSS commissioners to consult the cabinet, as well as other affected state agencies, about their departments’ duties and responsibilities for school readiness.

The bill allows DSS’ quality enhancement grants for school readiness program and daycare providers to be used for providing (1) access to mental health consultants and (2) services to enhance the quality of programs for children age three and under, including informal child care arrangements.

Allowable quality improvements for programs for children age three and under include improving staff-to-child ratios and interaction, staff retention initiatives, parent involvement, curriculum content, preliteracy development, and lesson plans.

The bill also allows the grants to be used for staff scholarships for training for any type of early childhood education or child development credential, not just a child development associate certificate. It expands use of grants for supportive networks to include all child care providers, not just family day care homes.

By law, CHEFA may issue bonds to fund loans to municipalities, local and regional school boards, regional educational service centers, and other participating qualified nonprofit organizations to enable them to acquire, build, improve, expand, furnish, or equip facilities for providing educational programs for three- and four-year-olds.

This bill requires SDE, with DSS and CHEFA, to set financing priorities for facilities based on need and quality.

In general, the state reimburses schools districts for from 20%to 80% of the eligible costs of school construction projects. Some types of projects are eligible for higher reimbursement.

10-Point Bonus. The bill expands an existing 10-point school construction grant bonus for projects in priority school districts or priority schools to include those needed for full-day preschool programs. Under current law, bonus projects are limited to those needed to offer full-day kindergarten or to reduce class sizes in grades one to three.

In order to receive the bonus for a pre-school project, eligible districts must agree to maintain the full-day programs for at least 10 years.

Five-Point Bonus. The bill also requires school districts that receive an existing five-point school construction grant bonus for new or expanded space for a school readiness program to maintain full-day preschool enrollment for a minimum of 10 years after receiving the bonus. The five-point bonus is available for projects for new or expanded elementary school buildings that include space for school readiness programs.

The law imposes a limit on the cost of the SDE’s school readiness program component. The bill increases the limit from $ 6,400 to $ 6,650 per child for FY 06 and to $ 6,925 per child for FY 07 and subsequent fiscal years.

The bill requires the education commissioner, within available appropriations, to develop, by October 1, 2009, a state-wide developmentally appropriate assessment tool to measures a child’s readiness for kindergarten.

The bill extends the school readiness competitive grant program to towns that are among the 50 poorest rather than the 28 poorest districts that are not considered priority school districts. By law, towns or regional school readiness councils can apply to the SDE for competitive grants of up to $ 107,000 to provide spaces in school readiness programs for eligible children who live in an area served by a priority school or former priority school. For purposes of the grants, town wealth is measured in the same way as it is measured for Education Cost Sharing grants.

The bill requires the education commissioner, within available appropriations, to provide technical assistance and training to school readiness programs to assist in the application of preschool curriculum guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education.

The bill requires Eastern Connecticut State University’s (ECSU) early childhood center to (1) work with local and regional school readiness councils to address their child care and early education needs and (2) report to SDE on the results of the work.

The bill extends for an additional two years, through FY 06 and FY 07, the requirement that various special education reimbursement grants to school districts for special education costs be proportionately reduced if the appropriation for the grants is insufficient to pay all grants in full. But it excludes grants to reimburse districts for 100% of special education costs for students who are live on state-owned or -leased property and receive special education services from local school districts. Thus, under the bill, the state must pay those grants in full.

For FYs 06 and 07, the bill also requires proportional reductions in the following education grants to school districts if the total state appropriation is less than required to pay the full reimbursement to all towns:

The bill requires the state to reimburse school districts for the costs associated with educating a child placed by a tribal government in the same way it reimburses for those placed by state agencies. It does this by amending the definition of an “agency” to include tribal agencies in certain sections of the education statutes.

Whenever a public agency, other than a school board, the State Board of Education, or the Superior Court places a child requiring special education in a foster home, group home, hospital, state institution, receiving home, custodial institution, or any other residential or day treatment facility, the school board that oversees the district where the child would normally attend school must provide the special education and related services. If that board cannot be identified (no-nexus situation), the board where the child is placed must do so.

The board that oversees the district where the child would normally attend school is financially responsible for educating the child in an amount equal to the lesser of 100% of the costs or the educating board’s average per pupil education expenditure in the preceding year.

Generally, the state only pays special education costs that exceed five times the school district’s average per pupil expenditure in the preceding year, with the home district paying the remainder unless the child is placed by a state agency or resides on state property. Therefore, the state currently only pays for costs exceeding five times this amount when a student is placed by a tribal agency.

The bill provides that a “public agency” includes the offices of a federally recognized Native American tribe. Thus it requires the state to pay for children placed by tribal agencies for costs that exceed the district's average per pupil expenditure.

As under current law for other public agencies, the bill requires a tribal agency making such a placement to orally notify the board responsible for providing services within one business day of making the placement and provide written notice within two business days. The board must then, within 30 days, convene a planning and placement team meeting and invite a representative from the tribal agency.

Under current law, the school district providing special education services (usually where the child is placed) is eligible for state reimbursement for 100% of the reasonable costs of special education, as defined in SBE regulations, when a child requiring such services (1) is placed by a state agency in a private residential facility or a DCF operated institution, (2) receives special education at a program operated by a regional education service center or board of education program, and (3) no board of education can be found responsible for the child’s education. The bill extends this state reimbursement rate if the child is placed by a public agency, including a tribal agency.

Generally, children that are placed by an agency, including private DCF-licensed child-caring or child-placing agencies, and eligible mental health and addiction services facility residents between the ages of 18 and 21 are entitled to school privileges in the school district where they reside as a result of the placement. A board providing educational services can require documentation verifying that the residence is permanent, provided without pay, and not for the sole purpose of obtaining school accommodations provided by the school district. Generally, the district where the child would normally attend school is responsible for the full costs or its average per-pupil expenditure for the prior year, whichever is less. The State Department of Education must pay any additional costs. The bill adds tribal agencies to the list of child placement agencies, thus specifically making districts educating tribal-placed children eligible for the same state excess cost reimbursement as they receive for agency placements.

When a child is placed in a private residential facility by the children and families commissioner or by other agencies, the board of education governing the district where the student would have otherwise attended is responsible for the costs of educating the child in an amount equal to the lesser of 100% or the average per pupil education costs of the board in the preceding year, with the state paying the remainder. The placing agency is responsible for the non-educational costs. The bill adds tribal agencies to the list of placing agencies.

The bill adds to the information charter school governing councils must include in their annual report they submit to the education commissioner and, in the case of a local charter school, to the local or regional board where the school is located. Current law requires governing councils to include in the report the educational progress of the students, the financial condition of the school, accomplishment of school’s mission, purpose, and specialized focus, and the racial and ethnic composition of the student body and efforts to increase diversity in these areas. The bill requires them to also include information about best practices employed by the school that significantly contribute to students’ academic success.

The bill requires SDE to annually publish a report on all the reported best practices and distribute it to all public school superintendents and charter school governing councils.

The bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to establish a state education resource center to help the board provide programs and activities that promote educational equity and excellence. Activities that the center or a regional education service center may provide include training and continuing education seminars, publication of technical materials, research and evaluation, and other related activities. It is not clear whether the center is limited to providing these forms of assistance. The center may support programs and activities concerning early childhood education, the federal No Child Behind Act, closing the achievement gap between socio-economic subgroups, and other related programs.

The bill also authorizes the education commissioner to provide grants to boards of education for districts identified as “in need of improvement” by the state-wide accountability plan required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The grants must be provided with the assistance of the state education resource center and used for the creation and acquisition of and training in the use of new curricula and related supporting materials. Boards may only use the grants for curricula, training, and materials authorized by the commissioner. Under the bill, boards must apply for the grants at such time and in the manner prescribed by the commissioner, who is also responsible for determining the grant award amount.

The bill requires SDE to, within available appropriations, establish a Connecticut school reform resource center within the education resource center or by contract through a regional education service center. The school reform center must operate year-round and focus on serving the needs of all public schools. The center must:

1. publish and distribute reports on the most effective practices for improving student achievement by successful schools;

2. provide a professional development program for school leaders, including curriculum coordinators, principals, superintendents, and board of education members;

3. provide information on successful models for evaluating student performance and managing student data; and

4. provide other programs and materials to assist in the improvement of public schools.

The bill allows the state education resource center to operate the existing special education resource center as part of its program of activities. Current law requires SBE to maintain the special education resource center with federal funds it receives pursuant to the federal Education for Handicapped Act.

The bill makes permanent the education commissioner’s authority to provide, as she determines and within available appropriations, supplemental operating grants to interdistrict magnet schools. Grants must be used for enhancing educational programs in the schools. The commissioner may make the grants only after reviewing and approving a school’s total operating budget, including all revenue and expenditure estimates.

According to its current statutory definition, the “net cost of special education” is reached by determining expenditures and subtracting, among other things, the total amount of any funds from Medicaid payments received by the board pursuant to special education law. The bill specifies that boards must instead subtract Medicaid payments expended for special education purposes. The bill also specifies that boards must deduct special education grants and tuition payments received by the town, as well as the board.

The bill requires the State Board of Education to allocate $ 2,039,686 for FY 06 and $ 2,610,798 for FY 07 to the three priority school districts with the largest populations (Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven). The allocation is in addition to other priority school grant money the districts’ receive.

By law, school readiness funds for priority and former priority districts are distributed according to (1) their relative average kindergarten enrollment for three years prior to the grant and (2) the ratio of the average number of free and reduced-price school lunches served in their severe-need schools to the minimum percentage needed for severe-need school designation. No district can receive a grant that is less than it received in the previous year or less than $ 150,000. The bill requires any supplemental grants a district received for FY 05 to count as part of the previous year’s grant when determining the hold-harmless level.

The bill extends the existing ECS foundation amount of $ 5,891 per student for two more years, though June 30, 2007.

The bill also extends the current minimum expenditure requirement (MER) through June 30, 2006. The MER requires towns to spend a minimum amount on regular education programs. The bill extends the current requirement that that each town spend at least (1) its FY 045 MER; plus (2) any ECS aid increase; and (3) if its enrollment dropped between 2003 and 20043, an amount equal to the decrease multiplied by one-half the foundation amount.

The law requires towns to spend all ECS aid only for educational purposes and on the authority of the local or regional school board. In addition, districts that receive increases in ECS grants over the prior year may not use the increase to supplant local funding for education.

The bill makes the non-supplant prohibition more explicit by requiring that the budgeted education appropriation of any town that receives an increase in ECS funding to be at least the amount the town appropriated for education in the previous year plus the ECS increase. It imposes a penalty on any town with a K-12 school district or any regional school district that the State Board of Education (SBE) finds has violated the non-supplant requirements in any fiscal year. The penalty requires the town or regional district to forfeit twice the amount of any shortfall. SDE must withhold the penalty from the town’s ECS grant or, in the case of towns in a regional school district, from the member towns’ ECS grants in proportion to their relative numbers of resident students.

The bill allows SDE to waive the penalty (1) if the town or regional district agrees to increase its budgeted education appropriation for the year in which the forfeiture would occur by at least the forfeiture amount or (2) for good cause. If the district agrees to spend additional funds to avoid forfeiture, the extra funds do not count towards its future MER.

For FY 06 and FY 07, the bill requires each town to receive an ECS grant equal to its FY 05 grant plus 2%. For each of the two fiscal years, the bill also increases grants by specified amounts for each town. The increase amounts are listed in the bill.

The bill establishes an 18-member task force to study interdistrict magnet schools. The members must consist of:

1. the education commissioner or her designee,

2. the Office of Policy and Management secretary or his designee,

3. an SBE member designated by the board,

4. two regional educational service center (RESC) directors designated by the education commissioner,

5. two representatives of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education,

6. two representatives of the Connecticut Association of Schools,

7. the Education and Appropriations committee chairmen and ranking members or their designees, and

8. a member appointed by the governor.

1. examine magnet school per-pupil spending and compare it to state average per-pupil spending by local and regional school districts,

2. evaluate the adequacy of state magnet school operating and transportation grants;

3. study standard cost sharing by participating school districts;

4. examine magnet school governance, including comparing school district–based and RESC-based governance; and

5. consider projected enrollment commitment standards for state-aided construction and operation of new interdistrict magnet schools.

The education commissioner must report on the study to the Education and Appropriations committees by January 1, 2006.

For FY 06 and FY 07, the bill directs distribution of priority school district grants as follows:

The bill establishes separate per-student grants for RESC-operated interdistrict magnet schools that are not tied to the ECS foundation amount. Under current law, state per-pupil grants for all interdistrict magnet schools are based on percentages of the ECS foundation. The percentages vary according to the proportion of the school’s enrollment coming from each of its participating towns. Schools receive the largest per-pupil grants for students from towns that constitute 30% or less of their total enrollment and the smallest for students from towns making up 60% or more of the enrollment.

Under the bill, if students from a single town constitute less than 55% of a RESC-operated magnet school’s total enrollment, its per-pupil grant is set at $ 6,250 for FY 06 and $ 6,500 for FY 07 and subsequent years. If 55% or more of a school’s students come from a single town, the school’s operating grant must be at least $ 3,000 per-pupil in FY 06 and all subsequent years.

The bill eliminates a provision allowing SDE to retain up to 1% of the appropriation for magnet school operating grants for administration and evaluation.

The bill expands the youth service bureaus (YSB) eligible for SDE grants. It makes all YSBs eligible for state grants starting in FY 06 if they (1) were eligible for a grant in FY 05, rather than only in FY 03, or (2) applied by June 30, 2005, rather than only by June 30, 2003, after receiving approval for their town’s matching contribution. The grants are $ 14,000 each, with any excess funds distributed among bureaus that received grants of more than $ 15,000 in FY 95.

The bill increases state charter school operating grants from the current $ 7,250 per pupil to $ 7,625 for FY 06 and $ 8,000 for FY 07 and subsequent years.

The bill allows the SDE to, within available appropriations, establish a pilot program for 9^th and 10^th grade students in the public schools for the use of technology in providing computer assisted writing, instruction, and testing.

The commissioner may award program grants to boards of education and regional vocational-technical schools for demonstration projects. Boards and schools must apply to the SDE in the time and manner the commissioner prescribes. The bill requires the commissioner to select a diverse group of participants, based on population, geographic location, and economic characteristics of the district or school. Grant funds may be used for computer hardware and software, professional development, technical consulting assistance, and other related activities.

Under current law, regional school district member towns may apply to the regional board of education to institute proceedings to dissolve or withdraw from district. Within 30 days, the regional board must call for the appointment of a committee to study issues related to the withdrawal or dissolution and the committee must prepare a written report within a year detailing its recommendation and other findings. The bill allows Regional School District #11 to complete its written report within 18 months following the appointment of the full committee, despite any laws or regulations that might prohibit them from moving forward with the process.

The bill requires SDE to establish an adult education initiative competitive grant program for young adults for the 2007 fiscal year. The total amount awarded under the program cannot exceed $ 500,000. The grants must be awarded to provide new and unique methods of education young adults entering adult education.

The bill increases the maximum per student award for students attending Connecticut institutions under the Capitol Scholarship Grant Program from $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 annually. State residents who have not received a baccalaureate degree and who have been accepted at postsecondary school, technical institute, college, or university in the state, or in any other state that allows its students to bring state student financial assistance funds into Connecticut.

The bill requires the higher education commissioner to contract with an independent auditor to conduct an actuarial study of the private occupational student protection account. The private occupational schools must pay for the study. The study is to determine the amount of funds needed to maintain the account at a level that provides adequate protection to the students. DHE must report on the study to the higher education committee by February 1, 2006.

The account is funded by assessments from the private occupational schools based on a percentage of their tuition revenues, is used to make tuition refunds to students who are unable to complete a course at a private occupational school because the school becomes insolvent or ceases operating.

The bill allows SDE, in conjunction with the after school committee and within available appropriations, to provide grants to school districts, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations for programs that take place when school is not in session. The programs must be for educational, enrichment, and recreational activities for children in grades K-12.

The bill requires grant applications to be filed annually as the education commissioner prescribes. It also allows the education commissioner to accept private funds and other state agencies that are members of the after-school committee.

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, the bill allows the education commissioner to provide grants for Hartford interdistrict magnet school students to participate in all day kindergarten programs. In addition to the subsidy provided to the receiving school district in the interdistrict magnet program, the grants can also be used for payment of before and after-school care and remedial services for the kindergarten students in the program.

The bill allows SDE to retain up to $ 198,200 of the total school readiness appropriation for coordination, program evaluation, and administration.

The bill continues the annual appropriation for early reading success competitive grants for FY 06 and FY 07 at $ 1,788,001 and continues to limit the maximum amount that may be used for administrative purposes to $ 203,646

The bill establishes a 21-member committee to review and assess pathways to baccalaureate degrees in early childhood education and child development to promote the professionalization of the early childhood education workforce. The committee must:

1. identify existing systems and programs that lead to two and four-year degrees in early childhood education or child development;

2. review and assess the accessibility of these programs by the workforce;

3. make recommendations for increased access to initial teacher certification in early childhood education or child development; and

4. make recommendations for strengthening the existing articulation agreement between two and four year colleges regarding these programs.

1. the commissioners of higher education, education, social services, and labor, or their designees;

2. One appointed by the education commissioner who is knowledgeable in educator preparation, certification, support and assessment;

3. an academic dean of a public institution of higher education that offers a teacher preparation program in early childhood education or child development at the baccalaureate level and a member of the early childhood education or child development workforce, both appointed by the House speaker;

4. An academic dean of an independent institution of higher education that offers a early childhood education or child development teacher preparation program at the baccalaureate level, and an academic dean of a baccalaureate degree program in early childhood education or child development at a university of the Connecticut State University system, both appointed by the Senate president pro tempore;

5. a representative from the Community-Technical College system and a representative of a state teacher's association appointed by the House majority leader;

6. a faculty member of an associate degree program in early childhood education or child development and a representative of a state administrator's association, both appointed by the Senate majority leader;

7. a faculty member of an independent institution of higher education that offers a baccalaureate degree program in early childhood education or child development and a representative of the Connecticut State University system office appointed by the House minority leader;

8. a representative of Charter Oak State College and a representative of a state early childhood education association appointed by the Senate minority leader;

9. the director of the Office of Workforce Competitiveness or the director’s designee;

10. a member of the state’s Career Ladder Advisory Committee with expertise in early childhood education appointed by the Governor; and

11. a representative of a local or regional school district that offers a preschool program and a community representative from a local state-funded school readiness program, both appointed by the education commissioner.

The higher education commissioner or his designee is the committee chairperson. The chairperson is responsible for scheduling the first meeting, which must be held no later than 60 days after the bill becomes effective. The committee appointments must be made no later than 30 days after the bill’s passage. The appointing authority must fill any vacancy.

Not later than January 1, 2006, the committee must submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly.

Under current law, the state-wide 4^th and 6^th grade Connecticut Mastery tests and 10^th grade Connecticut Aptitude Performance test must be administered in April, beginning in the 2005-06 school year. The bill allows the tests to be given in March or April. When students in grades three through eight are required to take reading, writing, and math tests beginning in 2005-06 and students in grades five, eight, and 10 are required to take a science exam beginning in 2007-08, those assessments may be offered in March or April as well.

If certain program requirements are met, independent colleges and universities in the state may receive financial aid funds to distribute to state residents attending the institutions. Current law provides that these requirements do not affect the eligibility of schools that participated in the program as of June 30, 1983, as it existed then. The bill provides that a college or university’s eligibility under this exception is not affected by a school’s corporate structure change.

Under current law, the state must encourage the development of a network of school readiness programs to:

1. give children open access to quality programs that promote their health and safety and prepare them for formal schooling;

2. provide opportunities for parents to choose among affordable and accredited programs;

3. encourage coordination and cooperation among programs and prevent service duplication;

4. recognize the specific service needs and unique resources available to particular municipalities and provide flexibility in the implementation of programs;

5. prevent or minimize the potential for developmental delay in children before they reach age five;

6. enhance federally funded school readiness programs;

7. strengthen the family through (a) encouragement of parental involvement in a child's development and education and (b) enhancement of a family’s capacity to meet the special needs of the children, including children with disabilities;

8. reduce educational costs by decreasing the need for special education services for school age children and avoiding grade repetition;

9. assure that children with disabilities are integrated into programs available to children who are not disabled; and

10. improve the availability and quality of school readiness programs and their coordination with the services of child care providers.

1. The eight towns with the largest populations, based on the last census.

2. In the first year of each biennium, the 11 towns with the highest numbers of children on welfare plus the largest numbers of children scoring below the remedial level on the state mastery tests.

3. In the first year of each biennium, the 11 towns that rank highest in number of children on welfare divided by grant mastery percentage. The grant mastery percentage is the number of mastery tests on which students in the district score below the remedial level divided by the total number of tests taken in the district (CGS § 10-266p(a)).

Once a district is determined to be a priority district for purposes of the school readiness grant, it remains permanently eligible even if in subsequent years, it no longer meets these qualifications and becomes a former priority district.

A priority school is a school located outside of a priority or former priority district where 40% or more of the lunches served are served to students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches under the federal school lunch program. A district determined eligible under this category remains eligible for school readiness grants for five years (CGS § 10-16p).

Under the federal school lunch program, children with family incomes under 130% of federal poverty levels are eligible for free lunches and students with family incomes between 130% and 185% are eligible for reduced-price lunches.

*GRANT*	*FY 06*	*FY 07*
Priority School Districts	$ 34,538,308	$ 35,862,269
School Readiness	$ 48,516,500	$ 51,006,500
Early Reading Success	$ 19,747,286	$ 19,747,286
Extended School Building Hours	$ 2,994,752	$ 2,994,752
School Accountability	$ 3,499,699	$ 3,499,699