Source: https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/item/2018/2/hb5002/chapter/1/136/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 16:04:27+00:00

Document:
Financial Assistance for Categorical Programs (17803): Discretionary Inclusion; Treaty of 1677 between Virginia and the Indians; §§ 22.1-3.4, 22.1-108, 22.1-199 through 22.1-212.2:2, 22.1-213 through 22.1-221, 22.1-223 through 22.1-237, 22.1-254, Code of Virginia; P.L. 89-10, as amended; P.L. 91-230, as amended; P.L. 93-380, as amended; P.L. 94-142, as amended; P.L. 94-588; P.L. 95-561, as amended; P.L. 98-211, as amended; P.L. 98-524, as amended; P.L. 99-570; P.L. 100-297, as amended; P.L. 102-73, as amended; P.L. 105-220, as amended, Federal Code.
b. Except as otherwise provided herein, by statute, or by precedent, all appropriations to the Department of Education shall be calculated using March 31 ADM unadjusted for half-day kindergarten programs, estimated at 1,252,433.60 the first year and 1,257,772.90 the second year. March 31 ADM for half-day kindergarten shall be adjusted at 85 percent.
c. Students who are either (i) enrolled in a nonpublic school or (ii) receiving home instruction pursuant to § 22.1-254.1 and who are enrolled in a public school on less than a full-time basis in any mathematics, science, English, history, social science, vocational education, health education or physical education, fine arts or foreign language course, or receiving special education services required by a student's individualized education plan, shall be counted in the funded fall membership and March 31 ADM of the responsible school division. Each course shall be counted as 0.25, up to a cap of 0.5 of a student.
d. Students enrolled in an Individualized Student Alternative Education Program (ISAEP) pursuant to § 22.1-254 E shall be counted in the March 31 Average Daily Membership of the responsible school division. School divisions shall report these students separately in their March 31 reports of Average Daily Membership.
b. The state and local shares of funding resulting from the support cost calculation for school nurses shall be specifically identified as such and reported to school divisions annually. School divisions may spend these funds for licensed school nurse positions employed by the school division or for licensed nurses contracted by the local school division to provide school health services.
4.a. "Composite Index of Local Ability-to-Pay" - An index figure computed for each locality. The composite index is the sum of 2/3 of the index of wealth per pupil in unadjusted March 31 ADM reported for the first seven (7) months of the 2015-2016 school year and 1/3 of the index of wealth per capita (population estimates for 2015 as determined by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service of the University of Virginia) multiplied by the local nominal share of the costs of the Standards of Quality of 0.45 in each year. The indices of wealth are determined by combining the following constituent index elements with the indicated weighting: (1) true values of real estate and public service corporations as reported by the State Department of Taxation for the calendar year 2015 - 50 percent; (2) adjusted gross income for the calendar year 2015 as reported by the State Department of Taxation - 40 percent; (3) the sales for the calendar year 2015 which are subject to the state general sales and use tax, as reported by the State Department of Taxation - 10 percent. Each constituent index element for a locality is its sum per March 31 ADM, or per capita, expressed as a percentage of the state average per March 31 ADM, or per capita, for the same element. A locality whose composite index exceeds 0.8000 shall be considered as having an index of 0.8000 for purposes of distributing all payments based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay. Each constituent index element for a locality used to determine the composite index of local ability-to-pay for the current biennium shall be the latest available data for the specified official base year provided to the Department of Education by the responsible source agencies no later than November 15, 2017.
b. For any locality whose total calendar year 2015 Virginia Adjusted Gross Income is comprised of at least 3 percent or more by nonresidents of Virginia, such nonresident income shall be excluded in computing the composite index of ability-to-pay. The Department of Education shall compute the composite index for such localities by using adjusted gross income data which exclude nonresident income, but shall not adjust the composite index of any other localities. The Department of Taxation shall furnish to the Department of Education such data as are necessary to implement this provision.
c.1) Notwithstanding the funding provisions in § 22.1-25 D, Code of Virginia, additional state funding for future consolidations shall be as set forth in future Appropriation Acts.
2) In the case of the consolidation of Clifton Forge and Alleghany County school divisions, the fifteen year period for the application of a new composite index shall apply beginning with the fiscal year that starts on July 1, 2004. The composite index established by the Board of Education shall equal the lowest composite index that was in effect prior to July 1, 2004, of any individual localities involved in such consolidation, and this index shall remain in effect for a period of fifteen years, unless a lower composite index is calculated for the combined division through the process for computing an index as set forth above.
3) If the composite index of a consolidated school division is reduced during the course of the fifteen year period to a level that would entitle the school division to a lower interest rate for a Literary Fund loan than it received when the loan was originally released, the Board of Education shall reduce the interest rate of such loan for the remainder of the period of the loan. Such reduction shall be based on the interest rate that would apply at the time of such adjustment. This rate shall remain in effect for the duration of the loan and shall apply only to those years remaining to be paid.
4) In the case of the consolidation of Bedford County and Bedford City school divisions, the fifteen year period for the application of a new composite shall apply beginning with the fiscal year that starts on July 1, 2013. The composite index established by the Board of Education shall equal the lowest composite index that was in effect prior to July 1, 2013, of any individual localities involved in such consolidation, and this index shall remain in effect for a period of fifteen years, unless a lower composite index is calculated for the combined division through the process for computing an index as set forth above.
7. "Planning District Eight" - The nine localities which comprise Planning District Eight are Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Alexandria City, Fairfax City, Falls Church City, Manassas City, and Manassas Park City.
9. Entitlements under this Item that use school-level or division-level Free Lunch eligibility percentages to determine the entitlement amounts are based on the most recent data available as of the biennial rebenchmarking calculations made for the current biennium. For schools that participate in the Community Eligibility Provision program, such entitlements are based on the most recent Free Lunch eligibility data available prior to that school's enrollment in the Community Eligibility Provision program.
10. In the event that the general fund appropriations in this Item are not sufficient to meet the entitlements payable to school divisions pursuant to the provisions of this Item, the Department of Education is authorized to transfer any available general fund funds between these Items to address such insufficiencies. If the total general fund appropriations after such transfers remain insufficient to meet the entitlements of any program funded with general fund dollars, the Department of Education is authorized to prorate such shortfall proportionately across all of the school divisions participating in any program where such shortfall occurred. In addition, the Department of Education is authorized each year to temporarily suspend textbook payments made to school divisions from Lottery funds to ensure that any shortfall in Lottery revenue can be accounted for in the remaining textbook payments to be made for the year.
11. The Department of Education is directed to apply a cap on inflation rates in the same manner prescribed in § 51.1-166.B, Code of Virginia, when updating funding to school divisions during the biennial rebenchmarking process.
12. Notwithstanding any other provision in statute or in this Item, the Department of Education is directed to combine the end-of-year Average Daily Membership (ADM) for those school divisions who have partnered together as a fiscal agent division and a contractual division for the purposes of calculating prevailing costs included in the Standards of Quality (SOQ).
13. Notwithstanding any other provision in statute or in this Item, the Department of Education is directed to include zeroes in the linear weighted average calculation of support non-personal costs for the purpose of calculating prevailing costs included in the Standards of Quality (SOQ).
14. Notwithstanding any other provision in statute or in this Item, the Department of Education is directed to eliminate the corresponding and appropriate object code(s) related to reported travel expenditures included the linear weighted average non-personal cost calculations for the purpose of calculating prevailing costs included in the Standards of Quality (SOQ).
15. Notwithstanding any other provision in statute or in this Item, the Department of Education is directed to eliminate the corresponding and appropriate object code(s) related to reported leases and rental and facility expenditures included the linear weighted average non-personal cost calculations for the purpose of calculating prevailing costs included in the Standards of Quality (SOQ).
16. Notwithstanding any other provision in statute or in this Item, the Department of Education is directed to fund transportation costs using a 15 year replacement schedule, which is the national standard guideline, for school bus replacement schedule for the purpose of calculating funded transportation costs included in the Standards of Quality (SOQ).
17. To provide temporary flexibility, notwithstanding any other provision in statute or in this Item, school divisions may elect to increase the teacher to pupil staffing ratios in kindergarten through grade 7 and English classes for grades 6 through twelve by one additional student; the teacher to pupil staffing ratio requirements for Elementary Resource teachers, Prevention, Intervention and Remediation, English as a Second Language, Gifted and Talented, Career and Technical funded programs (other than on Career and Technical courses where school divisions will have to maintain a maximum class size based on federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration safety requirements) are waived; and the instructional and support technology positions, librarians and guidance counselors staffing ratios for new hires are waived.
18. To provide additional flexibility, notwithstanding the provisions of § 22.1-79.1, Code of Virginia, any school division that was granted a waiver regarding the opening date of the school year for the 2011-2012 school year under the good cause requirements shall continue to be granted a waiver for the 2018-2019 school year and the 2019-2020 school year.
7.a. Appropriations of state funds in this Item include the number of positions required by the Standards of Quality. This Item includes a minimum of 51 professional instructional positions and aide positions (C 5); Education of the Gifted, 1.0 professional instructional position (C 6); Occupational-Vocational Education Payments and Special Education Payments; a minimum of 6.0 professional instructional positions and aide positions (C 7 and C 8) for each 1,000 pupils in March 31 ADM each year in support of the current Standards of Quality. Funding in support of one hour of additional instruction per day based on the percent of students eligible for the federal free lunch program with a pupil-teacher ratio range of 18:1 to 10:1, depending upon a school division's combined failure rate on the English and Math Standards of Learning, is included in Remedial Education Payments (C 9).
8.a.1) Pursuant to § 22.1-97, Code of Virginia, the Department of Education is required to make calculations at the start of the school year to ensure that school divisions have appropriated adequate funds to support their estimated required local expenditure for the corresponding state fiscal year. In an effort to reduce the administrative burden on school divisions resulting from state data collections, such as the one needed to make the aforementioned calculations, the requirements of § 22.1-97, Code of Virginia, pertaining to the adequacy of estimated required local expenditures, shall be satisfied by signed certification by each division superintendent at the beginning of each school year that sufficient local funds have been budgeted to meet all state required local effort and required local match amounts. This provision shall only apply to calculations required of the Department of Education related to estimated required local expenditures and shall not pertain to the calculations associated with actual required local expenditures after the close of the school year.
d. Federal funds, and any federal funds carried forward from the previous fiscal year, will also be deducted from the amount calculated in paragraph a. above. Any federal funds that remain unspent at the end of the fiscal year and any capital expenditures paid from federal funds will be added to the amount calculated in paragraph a. above.
10. The Department of Education shall specify the manner for collecting the required information and the method for determining if a school division has expended the local funds required to support the actual local match based on all Lottery and Incentive programs in which the school division has elected to participate. Unless specifically stated otherwise in this Item, school divisions electing to participate in any Lottery or Incentive program that requires a local funding match in order to receive state funding, shall certify to the Department of Education its intent to participate in each program by July 1 each fiscal year in a manner prescribed by the Department of Education. As part of this certification process, each division superintendent must also certify that adequate local funds have been appropriated, above the required local effort for the Standards of Quality, to support the projected required local match based on the Lottery and Incentive programs in which the school division has elected to participate. State funding for such program(s) shall not be made until such time that the school division can certify that sufficient local funding has been appropriated to meet required local match. The Department of Education shall make calculations after the close of the fiscal year to verify that the required local match was met based on the state funds that were received.
20. Notwithstanding § 58.1-638 D., Code of Virginia, and other language in this Item, the Department of Education shall, for purposes of calculating the state and local shares of the Standards of Quality, apportion state sales and use tax dedicated to public education and those sales tax revenues transferred to the general fund from the Public Education Standards of Quality/ Local Real Estate Property Tax Relief Fund in the first year based on the July 1, 2016, estimate of school age population provided by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and, in the second year, based on the July 1, 2017, estimate of school age population provided by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
Notwithstanding § 58.1-638 D., Code of Virginia, and other language in this Item, the State Comptroller shall distribute the state sales and use tax revenues dedicated to public education and those sales tax revenues transferred to the general fund from the Public Education Standards of Quality/ Local Real Estate Property Tax Relief Fund in the first year based on the July 1, 2016, estimate of school age population provided by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and, in the second year, based on the July 1, 2017, estimate of school age population provided by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
22. This Item includes appropriations totaling an estimated $592,533,186 the first year and $598,393,186 the second year from the revenues deposited to the Lottery Proceeds Fund. These amounts are appropriated for distribution to counties, cities, and towns to support public education programs pursuant to Article X, Section 7-A Constitution of Virginia. Any county, city, or town which accepts a distribution from this fund shall provide its portion of the cost of maintaining an educational program meeting the Standards of Quality pursuant to Section 2 of Article VIII of the Constitution without the use of distributions from the fund.
24.a. Any locality that has met its required local effort for the Standards of Quality accounts for FY 2019 and that has met its required local match for incentive or Lottery-funded programs in which the locality elected to participate in FY 2019 may carry over into FY 2020 any remaining state Direct Aid to Public Education fund balances available to help minimize any FY 2020 revenue adjustments that may occur in state funding to that locality. Localities electing to carry forward such unspent state funds must appropriate the funds to the school division for expenditure in FY 2020.
b. Any locality that has met its required local effort for the Standards of Quality accounts for FY 2020 and that has met its required local match for incentive or Lottery-funded programs in which the locality elected to participate in FY 2020 may carry over into FY 2021 any remaining state Direct Aid to Public Education fund balances available to help minimize any FY 2021 revenue adjustments that may occur in state funding to that locality. Localities electing to carry forward such unspent state funds must appropriate the funds to the school division for expenditure in FY 2021.
26. The Department of Education shall include in the annual School Performance Report Card for school divisions the percentage of each division's annual operating budget allocated to instructional costs. For this report, the Department of Education shall establish a methodology for allocating each school division's expenditures to instructional and non-instructional costs in a manner that is consistent with the funding of the Standards of Quality as approved by the General Assembly.
27. It is the intent of the General Assembly that all school divisions annually provide their employees, upon request, with a user-friendly statement of total compensation, including contract duration if less than 12 months.
28. The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Community College System, will ensure that the same policies regarding the cost for dual enrollment courses held at a community college, are consistently applied to public school students and home-schooled students alike. These policies will clearly address the school division contributions and any student charges for dual enrollment courses, and will ensure that public school students and home-school students are treated in the same manner.
b. Notwithstanding § 51.1-1401, Code of Virginia, the Commonwealth shall provide payments for only the state share of the Standards of Quality fringe benefit cost of the retiree health care credit. This Item includes payments in both years based on the state share of fringe benefit costs of 55 percent of the employer's cost on funded Standards of Quality instructional positions, distributed based on the composite index of the local ability-to-pay.
b. Appropriations for contributions in paragraphs 2 and 3 above include payments from funds derived from the principal of the Literary Fund in accordance with Article VIII, Section 8, of the Constitution of Virginia. The amounts set aside from the Literary Fund for these purposes shall not exceed $146,349,570 the first year and $136,349,570 the second year.
a.1) A state share of the Basic Operation Cost, which cost per pupil in March 31 ADM is established individually for each local school division based on the number of instructional personnel required by the Standards of Quality and the statewide prevailing salary levels (adjusted in Planning District Eight for the cost of competing) as well as recognized support costs calculated on a prevailing basis for an estimated March 31 ADM.
2) This appropriation includes funding to recognize the common labor market in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV Combined Statistical Area. Standards of Quality salary payments for instructional and support positions in school divisions of the localities set out below have been adjusted for the equivalent portion of the Cost of Competing Adjustment (COCA) rates that are paid to local school divisions in Planning District Eight. For the counties of Stafford, Fauquier, Spotsylvania, Clarke, Warren, Frederick, and Culpeper and the Cities of Fredericksburg and Winchester, the SOQ payments for instructional and support positions have been increased by 25 percent each year of the COCA rates paid to school divisions in Planning District Eight.
The support COCA rate is 10.6 percent.
1) The appropriation in this Item includes $70,307,670 the first year and $70,478,652 the second year from the general fund as the state's share of the cost of textbooks based on a per pupil amount of $100.69 the first year and $100.69 the second year. A school division shall appropriate these funds for textbooks or any other public education instructional expenditure by the school division. The state's distributions for textbooks shall be based on adjusted March 31 ADM. These funds shall be matched by the local government, based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay.
4) Any funds provided to school divisions for textbook costs that are unexpended as of June 30, 2019, or June 30, 2020, shall be carried on the books of the locality to be appropriated to the school division the following year to be used for same purpose. School divisions are permitted to carry forward any remaining balance of textbook funds until the funds are expensed for a qualifying purpose.
h. The appropriation for the Standards of Quality for Public Education (SOQ) includes amounts estimated at $386,700,000 the first year and $395,200,000 the second year from the amounts transferred to the general fund from the Public Education Standards of Quality/Local Real Estate Property Tax Relief Fund pursuant to Part 3 of this act which are derived from the 0.375 cent increase in the state sales and use tax levied pursuant to § 58.1-638, Code of Virginia. These additional funds are provided to local school divisions and local governments in order to relieve the financial pressure education programs place on local real estate taxes.
i. From the total amounts in paragraph h. above, an amount estimated at $257,800,000 the first year and $263,400,000 the second year (approximately 1/4 cent of sales and use tax) is appropriated to support a portion of the cost of the state's share of the following revisions to the Standards of Quality pursuant to Chapters 939 & 955 of the Acts of Assembly of 2004: five elementary resource teachers per 1,000 students; one support and one instructional technology position per 1,000 students; a full daily planning period for teachers at the middle and high school levels in order to relieve the pressure on local real estate taxes and shall be taken into account by the governing body of the county, city, or town in setting real estate tax rates.
j. From the total amounts in paragraph h. above, an amount estimated at $128,900,000 the first year and $131,700,000 the second year (approximately 1/8 cent of sales and use tax) is appropriated in this Item to distribute the remainder of the revenues collected and deposited into the Public Education Standards of Quality/Local Real Estate Property Tax Relief Fund on the basis of the latest yearly estimate of school age population provided by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service as specified in this Item.
k. For the purposes of funding certain support positions in Basic Aid, a funding ratio methodology is used based upon the prevailing ratio of actual support positions, consistent with those recognized for SOQ funding, to actual instructional positions, consistent with those recognized for SOQ funding, as established in Chapter 781, 2009 Acts of Assembly. For the purposes of making the required spending adjustments, the appropriation and distribution of Basic Aid shall reflect this methodology. Local school divisions shall have the discretion as to where the adjustment may be made, consistent with the Standards of Quality funded in this Act.
b. An amount estimated at $120,281,318 the first year and $120,376,109 the second year from the general fund included in Basic Aid Payments relates to vocational education programs in support of the Standards of Quality.
a. An additional payment estimated at $113,078,853 the first year and $112,984,901 the second year from the general fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to support the Board of Education's Standards of Quality Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation program adopted in June 2003.
2) An addition to the Add-On, based on the concentration of children qualifying for the federal Free Lunch Program. Based on its percentage of Free Lunch participants, each school division will receive a total between 1.0 and 13.0 percent in the first year and between 1.0 and 14.0 percent in the second year in additional basic aid per Free Lunch participant. These funds shall be matched by the local government, based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay.
3a) Local school divisions are required to spend the established At-Risk Add-On payment (state and local share) on approved programs for students who are educationally at risk.
b) To receive these funds, each school division shall certify to the Department of Education that the state and local share of the At-Risk Add-On payment will be used to support approved programs for students who are educationally at risk. These programs may include: teacher recruitment programs and incentives, Dropout Prevention, community and school-based truancy officer programs, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Project Discovery, Reading Recovery, programs for students who speak English as a Second Language, hiring additional school guidance counselors, or programs related to increasing the success of disadvantaged students in completing a high school degree and providing opportunities to encourage further education and training. Further, each school division shall report each year by August 1 to the Department the individual uses of these funds. The Department shall compile the responses and provide them to the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees no later than the first day of each Regular General Assembly Session.
4) If the Board of Education has required a local school board to submit a corrective action plan pursuant to § 22.1-253.13:3, Code of Virginia, either for the school division pursuant to a division level review, or for any schools within its division that have been designated as not meeting the standards as approved by the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall determine and report to the Board of Education whether each such local school board has met its obligation to develop and submit such corrective action plan(s) and is making adequate and timely progress in implementing the plan(s). Additionally, if an academic review process undertaken pursuant to § 22.1-253.13:3, Code of Virginia, has identified actions for a local school board to implement, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall determine and report to the Board of Education whether the local school board has implemented required actions. If the Superintendent certifies that a local school board has failed or refused to meet any of those obligations, the Board of Education shall withhold payment of some or all At-Risk Add-On funds otherwise allocated to the affected division pursuant to this allocation for the pending fiscal year. In determining the amount of At-Risk Add-On funds to be withheld, the Board of Education shall take into consideration the extent to which such funds have already been expended or contractually obligated. The local school board shall be given an opportunity to correct its failure and, if successful in a timely manner, may have some or all of its At-Risk Add-On funds restored at the Board of Education's discretion.
1) An additional state payment of $8,779,013 the first year and $9,211,142 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund shall be disbursed for Regional Alternative Education programs. Such programs shall be for the purpose of educating certain expelled students and, as appropriate, students who have received suspensions from public schools and students returned to the community from the Department of Juvenile Justice.
4) Out of this appropriation, $432,317 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund is provided for a compensation supplement payment equal to 3.0 percent of base pay on July 1, 2019, for Regional Alternative Education Program instructional and support positions, as referenced in paragraph C. 39. of this Item.
1) This appropriation includes $24,940,359 the first year and $25,542,931 the second year from the general fund for the state's share of Remedial Summer School Programs. These funds are available to school divisions for the operation of programs designed to remediate students who are required to attend such programs during a summer school session or during an intersession in the case of year-round schools. These funds may be used in conjunction with other sources of state funding for remediation or intervention. School divisions shall have maximum flexibility with respect to the use of these funds and the types of remediation programs offered; however, in exercising this flexibility, students attending these programs shall not be charged tuition and no high school credit may be awarded to students who participate in this program.
3) From the amounts provided for Remedial Summer School, there is hereby appropriated $550,000 the first year and $550,000 the second year from the general fund to support pilot public-private partnerships between local school divisions and the Greater Richmond and Central Virginia affiliates of the Virginia Alliance of YMCAs to expand student participation opportunities in existing summer Power Scholars Academies in such partnered school divisions. The Virginia Alliance of YMCAs shall prepare and submit an evaluation report for such pilot partnerships between the school divisions and the Greater Richmond and Central Virginia YMCA affiliates to the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees no later than October 31, 2018.
a. An additional payment estimated at $130,593,583 the first year and $130,388,333 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Education as an incentive for reducing class sizes in the primary grades.
e. School divisions may elect to have eligible schools participate at a higher ratio, or only in a portion of grades kindergarten through three, with a commensurate reduction of state and required local funds, if local conditions do not permit participation at the established ratio and/or maximum individual class size. In the event that a school division requires additional actions to ensure participation at the established ratio and/or maximum individual class size, such actions must be completed by December 1 of the impacted school year. Special education teachers and instructional aides shall not be counted towards meeting these required pupil/teacher ratios in grades kindergarten through three.
a. The Department of Education and the Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA) shall provide a program of funding for school construction and renovation through the Literary Fund and through VPSA bond sales. The program shall be used to provide funds, through Literary Fund loans and subsidies, and through VPSA bond sales, to fund a portion of the projects on the First or Second Literary Fund Waiting List, or other critical projects which may receive priority placement on the First or Second Literary Fund Waiting List by the Department of Education. Interest rate subsidies will provide school divisions with the present value difference in debt service between a Literary Fund loan and a borrowing through the VPSA. To qualify for an interest rate subsidy, the school division's project must be eligible for a Literary Fund loan and shall be subject to the same restrictions. The VPSA shall work with the Department of Education in selecting those projects to be funded through the interest rate subsidy/bond financing program, so as to ensure the maximum leverage of Literary Fund moneys and a minimum impact on the VPSA Bond Pool.
b. The Department of Education may offer Literary Fund loans from the uncommitted balances of the Literary Fund after meeting the obligations of the interest rate subsidy sales and the amounts set aside from the Literary Fund for Debt Service Payments for Education Technology in this Item.
b. The Department of Education shall authorize estimated amounts as indicated in Table 1 from the Literary Fund to provide debt service payments for the education technology grant program conducted through the Virginia Public School Authority in the referenced years.
c. It is the intent of the General Assembly to authorize sufficient Literary Fund revenues to pay debt service on the Virginia Public School Authority bonds or notes authorized for education technology grant programs. In developing the proposed 2020-2022, 2022-2024, and 2024-2026 biennial budgets for public education, the Department of Education shall include a recommendation to the Governor to authorize sufficient Literary Fund revenues to make debt service payments for these programs in fiscal years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
d. 1) An education technology grant program shall be conducted through the Virginia Public School Authority, through the issuance of equipment notes in an amount estimated at $58,835,200 in fiscal year 2019 and $60,331,600 in fiscal year 2020. Proceeds of the notes will be used to establish a computer-based instructional and testing system for the Standards of Learning (SOL) and to develop the capability for high speed Internet connectivity at high schools followed by middle schools followed by elementary schools. School divisions shall use these funds first to develop and maintain the capability to support the administration of online SOL testing for all students with the exception of students with a documented need for a paper SOL test.
2) Grant funds from the issuance of $58,835,200 in fiscal year 2019 and $60,331,600 in fiscal year 2020 in equipment notes are based on a grant of $26,000 per school and $50,000 per school division. For purposes of this grant program, eligible schools shall include schools that are subject to state accreditation and reporting membership in grades K through 12 as of September 30, 2016, for the fiscal year 2017 issuance, and September 30, 2017, for the fiscal year 2018 issuance, as well as regional vocational centers, special education centers, alternative education centers, regular school year Governor's Schools, CodeRVA Regional High School, and the School for the Deaf and the Blind. Schools that serve only pre-kindergarten students shall not be eligible for this grant.
3. a.) Supplemental grants shall be allocated to eligible divisions to support schools that are not fully accredited in accordance with this paragraph. Schools that include a ninth grade that administer SOL tests in Spring 2018 and that are not fully accredited for the second consecutive year, based on school accreditation ratings in effect for fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019 will qualify to participate in the Virginia e-Learning Backpack Initiative in fiscal year 2019 and receive: (1) a supplemental grant of $400 per student reported in ninth grade fall membership in a qualifying school for the purchase of a laptop or tablet for that student and (2) a supplemental grant of $2,400 per qualifying school to purchase two content creation packages for teachers. Schools eligible to receive this supplemental grant in fiscal year 2019 shall continue to receive the grant for the number of subsequent years equaling the number of grades 9 through 12 in the qualifying school up to a maximum of four years. Schools that administer SOL tests in Spring 2019 and that are not fully accredited for the second consecutive year based on school accreditation ratings in effect for fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2020 will qualify to participate in the initiative in fiscal year 2020. Schools eligible for the supplemental grants in previous fiscal years shall continue to be eligible for the remaining years of their grant award. Schools eligible to receive this supplemental grant in fiscal year 2020 shall continue to receive the grant for the number of subsequent years equaling the number of grades 9 through 12 in the qualifying school up to a maximum of four years. Grants awarded to qualifying schools that do not have grades 10, 11, or 12 may transition with the students to the primary receiving school for all years subsequent to grade 9. Schools are eligible to receive these grants for a period of up to four years beginning in fiscal year 2014 and shall not be eligible to receive a separate award in the future once the original award period has concluded. Schools that are fully accredited or that are new schools with conditional accreditation in their first year shall not be eligible to receive this supplemental grant.
b.) Supplemental grants allocated to school divisions for participation in the Virginia e-Learning Backpack Initiative prior to fiscal year 2017 shall be used in eligible schools for (1) the purchase of a laptop or tablet for a student reported in ninth grade fall membership, and (2) the purchase of two content creation packages for teachers per grant. The amounts for such grants shall remain unchanged.
a) Localities are required to provide a match for these funds equal to 20 percent of the grant amount, including the supplemental grants provided pursuant to paragraph g. 5). At least 25 percent of the local match, including the match for supplemental grants, shall be used for teacher training in the use of instructional technology, with the remainder spent on other required uses. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to reduce the required local match for school divisions with a composite index of local ability-to-pay below 0.2000. The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind is exempt from the match requirement.
b) School divisions that administer 100 percent of SOL tests online in all elementary, middle, and high schools may use up to 75 percent of their required local match to purchase targeted technology-based interventions. Such interventions may include the necessary technology and software to support online learning, technology-based content systems, content management systems, technology equipment systems, information and data management systems, and other appropriate technologies that support the individual needs of learners. School divisions that receive supplemental grants pursuant to paragraph g.5) above shall use the funds in qualifying schools to purchase laptops and tablets for ninth grade students reported in fall membership and content creation packages for teachers.
5) The goal of the education technology grant program is to improve the instructional, remedial, and testing capabilities of the Standards of Learning for local school divisions and to increase the number of schools achieving full accreditation.
d) School divisions shall be eligible to receive supplemental grants pursuant to paragraph g.5) above. These supplemental grants shall be used in qualifying schools for the purchase of laptops and tablets for ninth grade students reported in fall membership and content creation packages for teachers. Participating school divisions will be required to select a core set of electronic textbooks, applications and online services for productivity, learning management, collaboration, practice, and assessment to be included on all devices. In addition, participating school divisions will assume recurring costs for electronic textbook purchases and maintenance.
7) Local school divisions shall maximize the use of available federal funds, including E-Rate Funds, and to the extent possible, use such funds to supplement the program and meet the goals of this program.
e. The Department of Education shall maintain criteria to determine if high schools, middle schools, or elementary schools have the capacity to meet the goals of this initiative. The Department of Education shall be responsible for the project management of this program.
f. 1) In the event that, on any scheduled payment date of bonds or notes of the Virginia Public School Authority (VPSA) issued for the purpose described in § 22.1-166.2, Code of Virginia, and not benefiting from the provisions of either § 22.1-168 (iii), (iv) and (v), Code of Virginia, or § 22.1-168.1, Code of Virginia, the available moneys in the Literary Fund are less than the amounts authorized for debt service due on such bonds or notes of the VPSA on such date, there is hereby appropriated to the VPSA from the general fund a sum equal to such deficiency.
g. Unobligated proceeds of the notes, including investment income derived from the proceeds of the notes may be used to pay interest on, or to decrease principal of the notes or to fund a portion of such other educational technology grants as authorized by the General Assembly.
h. 1) For the purposes of § 56-232, Code of Virginia, "Contracts of Telephone Companies with State Government" and for the purposes of § 56-234 "Contracts for Service Rendered by a Telephone Company for the State Government" shall be deemed to include communications lines into public schools which are used for educational technology. The rate structure for such lines shall be negotiated by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Chief Information Officer of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. Further, the Superintendent and Director are authorized to encourage the development of "by-pass" infrastructure in localities where it fails to obtain competitive prices or prices consistent with the best rates obtained in other parts of the state.
1) A security equipment grant program shall be conducted through the Virginia Public School Authority, through the issuance of equipment notes in an amount estimated at up to $6,000,000 in fiscal year 2019 and $6,000,000 in fiscal year 2020 in conjunction with the Virginia Public School Authority technology notes program authorized in C.12. of this Item. Proceeds of the notes will be used to help offset the related costs associated with the purchase of appropriate security equipment that will improve and help ensure the safety of students attending public schools in Virginia.
2) The Department of Education shall authorize estimated amounts as indicated in Table 1 from the Literary Fund to provide debt service payments for the security equipment grant programs conducted through the Virginia Public School Authority in the referenced years.
3) It is the intent of the General Assembly to authorize sufficient Literary Fund revenues to pay debt service on the Virginia Public School Authority bonds or notes authorized for this program. In developing the proposed 2020-2022, 2022-2024, and 2024-2026 biennial budgets for public education, the Department of Education shall include a recommendation to the Governor to authorize sufficient Literary Fund revenues to make debt service payments for these programs in fiscal years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
4) In the event that, on any scheduled payment date of bonds or notes of the Virginia Public School Authority issued for the purpose described in § 22.1-166.2, Code of Virginia, and not benefiting from the provisions of either § 22.1-168 (iii), (iv) and (v), Code of Virginia, or § 22.1-168.1, Code of Virginia, the available moneys in the Literary Fund are less than the amounts authorized for debt service due on such bonds or notes on such date, there is hereby appropriated to the Virginia Public School Authority from the general fund a sum equal to such deficiency.
5) The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Virginia Public School Authority shall, on or before November 1 of each year, deliver to the Governor and the Secretary of Finance a certificate setting forth his estimate of total debt service during each fiscal year of the biennium on bonds and notes issued and projected to be issued during such biennium. The Governor's budget submission each year shall include provisions for the payment of debt service pursuant to paragraph 1) above.
6) Grant award funds from the issuance of up to $6,000,000 in fiscal year 2019 and $6,000,000 in fiscal year 2020 in equipment notes shall be distributed to eligible school divisions. The grant awards will be based on a competitive grant basis of up to $100,000 per school division. School divisions will be permitted to apply annually for grant funding. For purposes of this program, eligible schools shall include schools that are subject to state accreditation and reporting membership in grades K through 12 as of September 30, 2018, for the fiscal year 2019 issuance, and September 30, 2019, for the fiscal year 2020 issuance, as well as regional vocational centers, special education centers, alternative education centers, regular school year Governor's Schools, and the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.
7) School divisions would submit their application to Department of Education by August 1 of each year based on the criteria developed by the Department of Education in collaboration with the Department of Criminal Justice Services who will provide requested technical support. Furthermore, the Department of Education will have the authority to make such grant awards to such school divisions.
8) It is also the intent of the General Assembly that the total amount of the grant awards shall not exceed $30,000,000 over any ongoing revolving five year period.
a) Localities are required to provide a match for these funds equal to 25 percent of the grant amount. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to reduce the required local match for school divisions with a composite index of local ability-to-pay below 0.2000. The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind is exempt from the match requirement.
b) Pursuant to § 15.2-1302, Code of Virginia, and in the event that two or more school divisions became one school division, whether by consolidation of only the school divisions or by consolidation of the local governments, such resulting division shall be provided funding through this program on the basis of having the same number of school divisions as existed prior to September 30, 2000.
c) Local school divisions shall maximize the use of available federal funds, including E-Rate Funds, and to the extent possible, use such funds to supplement the program and meet the goals of this program.
a.1) It is the intent of the General Assembly that a payment estimated at $72,286,230 the first year and $72,297,411 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to schools and community-based organizations to provide quality preschool programs for at-risk four-year-olds who are residents of Virginia and unserved by Head Start program funding and for at-risk five-year-olds who are not eligible to attend kindergarten. In no event shall distributions from the Lottery Proceeds Fund be made directly to community-based or private providers.
2) These state funds and required local matching funds shall be used to provide programs for at-risk four-year-old children, which include quality preschool education, health services, social services, parental involvement and transportation. It shall be the policy of the Commonwealth that state funds and required local matching funds for the Virginia Preschool Initiative not be used for capital outlay. Programs must provide full-day or half-day and, at least, school-year services.
3) The Department of Education shall establish academic standards that are in accordance with appropriate preparation for students to be ready to successfully enter kindergarten. These standards shall be established in such a manner as to be measurable for student achievement and success. Students shall be required to be evaluated in the fall and in the spring by each participating school division and the school divisions must certify that the Virginia Preschool Initiative program follows the established standards in order to receive the funding for quality preschool education and criteria for the service components. Such standards shall align with the Virginia Standards of Learning for Kindergarten.
4) a) Grants shall be distributed based on an allocation formula providing the state share of a $6,326 grant for 100 percent of the unserved at-risk four-year-olds in each locality for a full-day program. The number of unserved at-risk four-year-olds in each locality shall be based on the projected number of kindergarten students, updated once each biennium for the Governor's introduced biennial budget. Half-day programs shall operate for a minimum of three hours of classroom instructional time per day, excluding breaks for lunch or recess, and grants to half-day programs shall be funded based on the state share of $3,163 per unserved at-risk four-year-old in each locality. Full-day programs shall operate for a minimum of five and one-half instructional hours, excluding breaks for meals and recess. No additional state funding is provided for programs operating greater than three hours per day but less than five and one-half hours per day. In determining the state and local shares of funding, the composite index of local ability-to-pay is capped at 0.5000.
b) For new programs in the first year of implementation only, programs operating less than a full school year shall receive state funds on a fractional basis determined by the pro-rata portion of a school year program provided. In determining the prorated state funds to be received, a school year shall be 180 days or 990 teaching hours.
3) A local match, based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay, shall be required. For purposes of meeting the local match, localities may use local expenditures for existing qualifying programs, however, at least seventy-five percent of the local match will be cash and no more than twenty-five percent will be in-kind. In-kind contributions are defined as cash outlays that are made by the locality that benefit the program but are not directly charged to the program. The value of fixed assets cannot be considered as an in-kind contribution. Philanthropic or other private funds may be contributed to the locality to be appropriated in their local budget and then utilized as local match. Localities shall also continue to pursue and coordinate other funding sources, including child care subsidies. Funds received through this program must be used to supplement, not supplant, any funds currently provided for programs within the locality. However, in the event a locality is unable to continue the previous level of support to programs for at-risk four-year-olds from Title I of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the state and local funds provided in this grants program may be used to continue services to these Title I students. Such inability may occur due to adjustments to the allocation formula in the reauthorization of ESEA as the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, or due to a percentage reduction in a locality's Title I allocation in a particular year. Any locality so affected shall provide written evidence to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and request his approval to continue the services to Title I students.
2) "Wrap-out Services" - methods for using grant funds to purchase quality preschool services to at-risk four-year-old children through an existing child care setting by purchasing comprehensive services within a setting which currently provides quality preschool education.
3) "Expansion of Service" - methods for using grant funds to purchase slots within existing programs, such as Head Start, which provide comprehensive services to at-risk four-year-old children.
d.1) Local plans must indicate the number of at-risk four-year-old children to be served, and the eligibility criteria for participation in this program shall be consistent with the economic and educational risk factors stated in the 2015-2016 programs guidelines that are specific to: (i) family income at or below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines, (ii) homelessness, (iii) student's parents or guardians are school dropouts, or (iv) family income is above 200 percent but at or below 350 percent of federal poverty guidelines in the case of students with special needs or disabilities. Up to 15 percent of a division's slots may be filled based on locally established eligibility criteria so as to meet the unique needs of at-risk children in the community.
2) The Department of Education is directed to compile from each school division the aggregated information as to the number of enrolled students whose families are (i) at or below 130 percent of poverty, (ii) above 130 percent but at or below 200 percent of poverty, (iii) above 200 percent but at or below 350 percent of poverty, and (iv) above 350 percent of poverty. The Department shall report this information annually, after the application and fall participation reports are submitted to the Department from the school divisions, to the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees. In addition, the Department will post and maintain the summary information by division on the Department's website in keeping with current student privacy policies.
e.1) The Department of Education shall provide technical assistance for the administration of this grant program to provide assistance to localities in developing a comprehensive, coordinated, quality preschool program for serving at-risk four-year-old children.
2) The Department shall provide interested localities with information on models for service delivery, methods of coordinating funding streams, such as funds to match federal IV-A child care dollars, to maximize funding without supplanting existing sources of funding for the provision of services to at-risk four-year-old children. A priority for technical assistance in the design of programs shall be given to localities where the majority of the at-risk four-year-old population is currently unserved.
f. The Department of Education shall include in the program's application package specific information regarding the potential availability of funding for supplemental grants that may be used for one-time expenses, other than capital, related to start-up or expansion of programs, with priority given to proposals for expanding the use of partnerships with either nonprofit or for-profit providers. Furthermore, the Department is mandated to communicate to all eligible school divisions the remaining available balances in the program's adopted budget, after the fall participation reports have been submitted and finalized for such grants.
g. Beginning in school year 2019-2020, one-time waiting list slots may, subject to available funds, be provided to school divisions that have utilized 100 percent of their calculated slots in the previous school year and had a waiting list for unserved eligible children as certified by such school divisions on the October 1 Virginia Preschool Initiative Fall Verification Report submitted to the Department of Education in the previous school year. Further, eligible school divisions that may request and receive a one-time allocation of such slots in the subsequent school year, shall offer such slots to at-risk four-year old children that (i) family income at or below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines, (ii) family income is above 200 percent but at or below 350 percent of federal poverty guidelines in the case of students with special needs or disabilities, (iii) homelessness, or (iv) student's parents or guardians are school dropouts. The amount of funding available to provide any waiting list slots to eligible school divisions shall be determined by the previous fiscal year year-end balance of the allocations in paragraph C. 14. a. 1) of this item. Further, the Department of Education shall ensure that supplemental grants for one-time expenses, other than capital, related to start-up or expansion of Virginia Preschool Initiative program in paragraph C. 14. f. of this item, are awarded and allocated first from any year-end balances before any remaining balances are considered for waiting list slots. Available funding shall be provided only to eligible school divisions that report using 100 percent of the upcoming school year slot allocation in the May 15 grant proposal and report using 100 percent of the school year slot allocation on the October 1 Virginia Preschool Initiative Fall Verification Report submitted to the Department of Education for the school year that waiting list slots are provided. If a school division's October 1 Virginia Preschool Initiative Fall Verification Report submitted to the Department of Education does not certify that 100 percent of the school year calculated slot allocation is used, then the Department of Education shall withdraw enough of the granted waiting list slots and associated funding provided such that the net difference between the withdrawn waiting list slots make up the percentage deficient from the school year calculated slot allocation not used. The Department of Education shall submit a comprehensive report, detailing, but not limited to, the number of calculated slots and funding allocated to each school division, the number of calculated slots filled by each school division, supplemental grants requested and awarded by each school division, the number of waiting list slots requested by each school division, the number of waiting list slots offered to each school division, the number of waiting list slots filled by each school division and the funding allocated for the filled waiting list slots by each school division, to the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees no later than November 15, 2019, and annually thereafter.
h. Out of the appropriation in this Item, $2,304,088 the first year and $2,306,100 the second year from the general fund is allocated for the Department of Education to provide grants of no more than $30,000 each for local school divisions that have applied for such funds for the sole purpose of providing financial incentivcs to provisionally licensed teachers teaching students enrolled in the Virginia Preschool Initiative and who are actively engaged in coursework and professional development, toward achieving the required degree and license that satisfy the licensure requirements reflected in § 22.1-299, Code of Virginia. School divisions must submit applications to the Department of Education by December 1 of each year. Priority for awarding grants shall be given to hard-to-staff schools and schools with the highest number of provisionally licensed teachers teaching students enrolled in the Virginia Preschool Initiative. The Department of Education shall develop the application process to be provided to school divisions that have provisionally licensed teachers employed and are teaching students enrolled in the Virginia Preschool Initiative.
i. Out of the appropriation in this Item, $300,000 the first year and $700,000 the second year from the general fund is provided through the Department of Education to the University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning to ensure that all Virginia Preschool Initiative classroom programs teachers receive appropriate individualized professional development training from professional development specialists to support quality teacher-child interactions and effective research-based curriculum implementation. Funding and professional development assistance shall be prioritized for teachers with Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observation scores that did not meet the statewide minimum acceptable threshold standard established by University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning and the Department of Education. The University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, assisted on an as needed basis, by the Department of Education, Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and Elevate Early Education to hire and train specialists to provide such individualized professional development.
j. Out of the appropriation in this Item, $75,000 the first year from the general fund is provided such that, beginning July 1, 2018, the Department of Education shall develop a plan to ensure that high quality instruction is provided in the Virginia Preschool Initiative program's individual preschool classrooms. The plan shall detail how the Department will (i) monitor and assess the quality of teacher-child interactions within each preschool classroom at least once every two years, (ii) ensure the use of evidence-based curricula is implemented in each preschool classroom and take necessary corrective action if evidence-based curriculum is not used or effective by the following school year, and, (iii) facilitate and provide individualized professional development for Virginia Preschool Initiative classroom teachers to ensure the necessary teaching skills are aligned for the pedagogy of high quality preschool classroom experiences and (iv) provide informative and complete information about how Virginia Preschool Initiative funding, from all sources, supports quality preschool experiences for children enrolled in the local public school divisions in Virginia. The plan shall also include details on the number of staff, tasks and duties, and possible funding needed to carry out these responsibilities. The Department shall submit its complete detailed plan to the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by November 1, 2018.
k.Out of the appropriation in this Item, $350,000 the first year and $350,000 the second year from the general fund is provided through the Department of Education to the University of Virginia to ensure that all Virginia Preschool Initiative classroom programs have the quality of their teacher-child interactions assessed through a rigorous and research-based classroom observational instrument at least once every two years using the CLASS observational instrument for such assessment. All classrooms shall be observed no later than June 30, 2020. The University of Virginia, with input from the Department of Education and the use of its detailed plan for such assessments, shall establish a statewide minimum acceptable threshold for the quality of teacher-child interactions for Virginia Preschool Initiative classroom programs, and classrooms that are assessed below the threshold will receive additional technical assistance from the Department of Education and the University of Virginia. The threshold should be established with the assistance of University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, using a rigorous and research-based classroom observational instrument. The threshold shall be established no later than the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year and the classroom assessments shall begin no later than spring 2019. The University of Virginia's Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning shall submit a progress report on such classroom observations to the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees no later than June 30, 2019, and annually thereafter.
a. An additional payment of $22,599,681 the first year and $22,651,560 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to local school divisions for the purposes of providing early reading intervention services to students in grades kindergarten through 3 who demonstrate deficiencies based on their individual performance on diagnostic tests which have been approved by the Department of Education. The Department of Education shall review the tests of any local school board which requests authority to use a test other than the state-provided test to ensure that such local test uses criteria for the early diagnosis of reading deficiencies which are similar to those criteria used in the state-provided test. The Department of Education shall make the state-provided diagnostic test used in this program available to local school divisions. School divisions shall report the results of the diagnostic tests to the Department of Education on an annual basis at a time to be determined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
c. These payments are available to any school division that certifies to the Department of Education that an intervention program will be offered to such students and that each student who receives an intervention will be assessed again at the end of that school year. At the beginning of the school year, local school divisions shall partner with the parents of those third grade students in the division who demonstrate reading deficiencies, discussing with them a developed plan for remediation and retesting. Such intervention programs, at the discretion of the local school division, may include, but not be limited to, the use of: special reading teachers; trained aides; full-time early literacy tutors; volunteer tutors under the supervision of a certified teacher; computer-based reading tutorial programs; aides to instruct in-class groups while the teacher provides direct instruction to the students who need extra assistance; or extended instructional time in the school day or year for these students. Localities receiving these payments are required to match these funds based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay.
e. The results of all reading diagnostic tests and reading remediation shall be discussed with the student and the student's parent prior to the student being promoted to grade four.
f. Funds appropriated for Standards of Quality Prevention, Intervention, and Remediation, Remedial Summer School, or At-Risk Add-On may also be used to meet the requirements of this program.
a. An additional payment of $13,003,937 the first year and $13,020,964 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to local school divisions for the purposes of providing math intervention services to students in grades 6, 7, 8 and 9 who are at-risk of failing the Algebra I end-of-course test, as demonstrated by their individual performance on diagnostic tests which have been approved by the Department of Education. These amounts reflect $200,000 the first year and $200,000 the second year apportioned to each school division to account for the cost of the diagnostic test. The Department of Education shall review the tests to ensure that such local test uses state-provided criteria for diagnosis of math deficiencies which are similar to those criteria used in the state-provided test. The Department of Education shall make the state-provided diagnostic test used in this program available to local school divisions. School divisions shall report the results of the diagnostic tests to the Department of Education on an annual basis at a time to be determined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Notwithstanding the requirements of § 22.1-175.5, Code of Virginia, school divisions are permitted to withdraw funds from local escrow accounts established pursuant to § 22.1-175.5 to pay for recurring operational expenses incurred by the school division. Localities are not required to provide a local match of the withdrawn funds.
A payment of $62,210,121 the first year and $65,479,578 the second year from the general fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to local school divisions to support the state share of 17 professional instructional positions per 1,000 students for whom English is a second language. Local school divisions shall provide a local match based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay.
b. Out of the appropriations in this Item, the Department of Education shall make available, subject to implementation by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, an amount estimated at $28,004,796 the first year and $35,146,571 the second year from the general fund and $67,633,790 the first year and $65,930,420 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund for the purpose of the state's share of the tuition rates for approved public Special Education Regional Tuition school programs. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, the state's share of the tuition rates shall be based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay.
c. Out of the amounts for Financial Assistance for Categorical Programs, $35,588,024 the first year and $35,588,024 the second year from the general fund is appropriated to permit the Department of Education to enter into agreements with selected local school boards for the provision of educational services to children residing in certain hospitals, clinics, and detention homes by employees of the local school boards. The portion of these funds provided for educational services to children residing in local or regional detention homes shall only be determined on the basis of children detained in such facilities through a court order issued by a court of the Commonwealth. The selection and employment of instructional and administrative personnel under such agreements will be the responsibility of the local school board in accordance with procedures as prescribed by the local school board. State payments for the first year to the local school boards operating these programs will be based on certified expenditures from the fourth quarter of FY 2018 and the first three quarters of FY 2019. State payments for the second year to the local school boards operating these programs will be based on certified expenditures from the fourth quarter of FY 2019 and the first three quarters of FY 2020.
b. This appropriation includes $1,800,000 the first year and $1,800,000 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund for secondary vocational-technical equipment. A base allocation of $2,000 each year shall be available for all divisions, with the remainder of the funding distributed on the basis of student enrollment in secondary vocational-technical courses. State funds received for secondary vocational-technical equipment must be used to supplement, not supplant, any funds currently provided for secondary vocational-technical equipment within the locality. Local school divisions are not required to provide a local match in order to receive these state funds.
c.1) This appropriation includes an additional $2,000,000 the first year and $2,000,000 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund to update vocational-technical equipment to industry standards providing students with classroom experience that translates to the workforce.
2) Of this amount, $1,400,000 the first year and $1,400,000 the second year is provided for vocational-technical equipment in high-demand, high-skill, and fast-growth industry sectors as identified by the Virginia Board of Workforce Development and based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Virginia Employment Commission.
3) Of this amount, $600,000 the first year and $600,000 the second year will be awarded based on competitive innovative program grants for high-demand and fast-growth industry sectors with priority given to state-identified challenged schools, the Governor's Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) academies, and the Governor's Health Science Academies.
d. This appropriation includes $500,000 the first year and $500,000 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund to support credentialing testing materials for students and professional development for instructors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-health sciences (STEM-H) career and technical education programs.
a. This appropriation includes $2,410,988 the first year and $2,410,988 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund to support Race to GED. Out of this appropriation, $465,375 the first year and $465,375 the second year shall be used for PluggedIn VA.
b. This appropriation includes $1,387,240 the first year and $1,387,240 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund to support Project Graduation and any associated administrative and contractual service expenditures related to this initiative.
b. This appropriation includes $498,000 the first year and $498,000 the second year from the general fund to support the Virtual Virginia full-time program for 200 students in grades nine through 12.
c. This appropriation includes $330,000 the first year and $330,000 the second year from the general fund to support the virtual mathematics outreach program.
d. The local share of costs associated with the operation of the Virtual Virginia program shall be computed using the composite index of local ability-to-pay.
Out of this appropriation, $2,247,581 the first year and $2,247,581 in the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund shall be provided for the secondary schools' Individual Student Alternative Education Program (ISAEP), pursuant to Chapter 488 and Chapter 552 of the 1999 Session of the General Assembly.
b. This appropriation provides $11,010,422 the first year and $11,979,339 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund to support children attending public school who have been placed in foster care or other such custodial care across jurisdictional lines, as provided by subsections A and B of § 22.1-101.1, Code of Virginia. To the extent these funds are not adequate to cover the full costs specified therein, the Department is authorized to expend unobligated balances in this Item for this support.
d. Included in this appropriation are the accelerated sales tax revenues attributable to §58.1-638 B., D., and F.1., Code of Virginia, and collected pursuant to §3-5.06 of this act.
b.1) Out of the amounts for Governor's School Payments, the Department of Education shall provide assistance for the state share of the incremental cost of summer residential Governor's Schools and Foreign Language Academies to be based on the greater of the state's share of the composite index of local ability-to-pay or 50 percent. Participating school divisions must certify that no tuition is assessed to students for participation in this program if they are enrolled in a public school.
2) Out of the amounts for Governor's School Payments, $41,000 the first year and $41,000 the second year is provided to support the Hanover Regional Summer Governor's School for Career and Technical Advancement, which was established pursuant to Chapter 425, 2014 Acts of Assembly, and Chapter 665, 2015 Acts of Assembly.
f.1) Regular school year Governor's Schools are funded through this Item based on the state's share of the incremental per pupil cost for providing such programs for each student attending a Governor's School up to a cap of 1,800 students per Governor's School in the first year and a cap of 1,800 students per Governor's School in the second year. This incremental per pupil payment shall be adjusted for the composite index of the school division that counts such students attending an academic year Governor's School in their March 31 Average Daily Membership. It is the intent of the General Assembly that this incremental per pupil amount be in addition to the basic aid per pupil funding provided to the affected school division for such students. Therefore, local school divisions are encouraged to provide the appropriate portion of the basic aid per pupil funding to the Governor's Schools for students attending these programs, adjusted for costs incurred by the school division for transportation, administration, and any portion of the day that the student does not attend a Governor's School.
g. All regional Governor's Schools are encouraged to provide full-day grades 9 through 12 programs.
h. Out of the appropriation included in paragraph C. 39. of this Item, $568,499 the second year from the general fund is provided in the Academic Year Governor's School funding allocation to increase the per pupil amount the second year as an add-on for a compensation supplement payment equal to 3.0 percent of base pay on July 1, 2019, for Academic Year Governor's School instructional and support positions.
a. Out of this appropriation, $6,731,771 the first year and $7,997,053 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund is included to continue a state funded incentive program to maximize federal school nutrition revenues and increase student participation in the school breakfast program. These funds are available to any school division as a reimbursement for breakfast meals served that are in excess of the baseline established by the Department of Education. The per meal reimbursement shall be $0.22; however, the department is authorized, but not required to reduce this amount proportionately in the event that the actual number of meals to be reimbursed exceeds the number on which this appropriation is based so that this appropriation is not exceeded.
c.1) Out of this appropriation, $1,074,000 the first year and $1,074,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to fund an After-the-Bell Model breakfast program available on a voluntary basis to elementary, middle, and high schools where student eligibility for free or reduced lunch exceeds 45.0 percent for the participating eligible school, and to provide additional reimbursement for eligible meals served in the current traditional school breakfast program at all grade levels in any participating school. The Department of Education is directed to ensure that only eligible schools receive reimbursement funding for participating in the After-the-Bell school breakfast model. The schools participating in the program shall evaluate the educational impact of the models implemented that provide school breakfasts to students after the first bell of the school day, based on the guidelines developed by the Department of Education and submit the required report to the Department of Education no later than August 31, 2019 for the 2018-2019 school year and no later than August 31, 2020 for the 2019-2020 school year.
2) The Department of Education shall communicate, through Superintendent's Memo, to school divisions the types of breakfast serving models and the criteria that will meet the requirements for this State reimbursement, which may include, but are not limited to, breakfast in the classroom, grab and go breakfast, or a breakfast after first period. School divisions may determine the breakfast serving model that best applies to its students, so long as it occurs after the instructional day has begun. For the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years, the Department of Education shall monthly transfer to each school division a reimbursement rate of $0.05 per breakfast meal that meets either of the established criteria in elementary schools and a reimbursement rate of $0.10 per breakfast meal that meets either of the established criteria in middle or high schools.
3) No later than July 1, 2018 for the 2018-2019 school year and no later than July 1, 2019 for the 2019-2020 school year, the Department of Education shall provide for a breakfast program application process for school divisions with eligible schools, including guidelines regarding specified required data to be compiled from the prior school year or years and for the upcoming school year program. The number of approved applications shall be based on the estimated number of sites that can be accommodated within the approved funding level. The Department of Education shall set criteria for establishing priority should the number of applications from eligible schools exceed the approved funding level. The reporting requirements must include: chronic absenteeism rates, student attendance and tardy arrivals, office discipline referrals, student achievement measures, teachers' and administrators' responses to the impact of the program on student hunger, student attentiveness, and overall classroom learning environment before and after implementation, and the financial impact on the division's school food program. Funded schools that do not provide data by August 31 are subject to exclusion from funding in the following year. The Department of Education shall collect and compile the results of the breakfast program and shall submit the report to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees no later than November 1 following each school year.
Appropriations in this Item include $308,655 the first year and $308,655 the second year from the general fund to provide support grants to school divisions for standard diploma graduates. To provide flexibility, school divisions may use the state grants for the actual assessment or for other industry certification preparation and testing.
a. An additional payment of $1,476,790 the first year and $1,476,790 the second year from the general fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to qualifying local school divisions for the purpose of providing a reading specialist for schools with a third grade that rank lowest statewide on the reading Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments.
b. These payments shall be based on the state's share of the cost of providing one reading specialist per qualifying school.
c. These payments are available to any school division with a qualifying school that (1) certifies to the Department of Education that the division has hired a reading specialist to provide direct services to children reading below grade level in the school to improve reading achievement and (2) applies and receives a waiver for up to two years from the Board of Education for the administration of third grade SOL assessments in science or history and social science or both for the purpose of creating additional instructional time for reading specialists to work with students reading below grade level to improve reading achievement.
d. These payments also are available to any school division with a qualifying school that certifies to the Department of Education that the division is supporting tuition for collegiate programs and instruction for currently employed instructional school personnel to earn the credentials necessary to meet licensure requirements to be endorsed as a reading specialist.
e. School divisions receiving these payments are required to match these funds based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay.
f. Within the fiscal year, any funds not awarded from this program may be awarded to eligible schools under the Math/Reading Instructional Specialist Initiative.
a. Included in this appropriation is $1,834,538 the first year and $1,834,538 the second year from the general fund in additional payments for reading or math instructional specialists at underperforming schools. From this amount, the state share of one reading or math specialist shall be provided to local school divisions with schools which rank lowest statewide on the Spring Standards of Learning (SOL) math or reading assessment. Funding for one math or reading specialist during the 2018-2020 biennium shall be based on the results of the Spring 2017 SOL assessments. Such schools shall be eligible to receive the state share of funding for both years of the biennium. If, following certification from a school division that it will not participate in the program, the Department is authorized to identify additional eligible schools based upon the list of schools that rank lowest on the Spring SOL math or reading assessment.
b. These payments are available to any school division with a qualifying school that certifies to the Department of Education that the division has (1) hired a math or reading instructional specialist, or (2) is supporting tuition for collegiate programs and instruction for currently employed instructional school personnel to earn the credentials necessary to meet licensure requirements to be endorsed as a math specialist or a reading specialist. Localities receiving these payments are required to match these funds based on the composite index of local ability-to-pay.
c. The Department of Education is authorized to utilize available funding appropriated to the Early Reading Specialist Initiative contained in this Item to pay for instructional specialists at additional eligible schools, or to support tuition for collegiate programs and instruction for currently employed instructional school personnel at additional eligible schools to earn the credentials necessary to meet licensure requirements to be endorsed as an instructional specialist.
d. Within the fiscal year, any funds not awarded from this program may be awarded to eligible schools under the Early Reading Specialists Initiative.
By November 1 each year, school divisions shall report to the Department of Education the status of broadband connectivity capability of schools in the division on a form to be provided by the Department. Such report shall include school-level information on the method of Internet service delivery, the level of bandwidth capacity and the degree such capacity is sufficient for delivery of school-wide digital resources and instruction, degree of internet connectivity via Wi-Fi, cost information related to Internet connectivity, data security, and such other pertinent information as determined by the Department of Education. The Department shall provide a summary of the division responses in a report to be made available on its agency Web site.
a. Out of this appropriation, an amount estimated at $234,670,780 the first year and $239,357,235 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Education to local school divisions to support the state share of an estimated $336.08 per pupil the first year and $341.96 per pupil the second year in adjusted March 31 average daily membership. These per pupil amounts are subject to change for the purpose of payment to school divisions based on the actual March 31 ADM collected each year. No locality shall be required to maintain a per pupil expenditure each year from local funds which is greater than the per pupil amount expended by the locality for such purposes in the year upon which the 2016-18 biennial Standards of Quality expenditure data were based.
b. Of the amounts listed above, school divisions are permitted to spend such funds on both recurring and nonrecurring expenses in a manner that best supports the needs of the schools divisions. No local match is required.
c. Any lottery funds provided to school divisions from this item that are unexpended as of June 30, 2019, and June 30, 2020, shall be carried on the books of the locality to be appropriated to the school division in the following year.
a. Notwithstanding § 22.1-290.02, Code of Virginia, out of this appropriation, $437,186 the first year and $437,186 the second year from the general fund is provided for traineeships and program operation grants that shall be awarded to public Virginia institutions of higher education to prepare persons who are employed in the public schools of Virginia, state operated programs, or regional special education centers as special educators with a provisional license and enrolled either part-time or full-time in programs for the education of children with disabilities. Applicants shall be graduates of a regionally accredited college or university.
b. The award of such grants shall be made by the Department of Education, and the number of awards during any one year shall depend upon the amounts appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose. The amount awarded for each traineeship shall be $600 for a minimum of three semester hours of course work in areas required for the special education endorsement to be taken by the applicant during a single semester or summer session. Only one traineeship shall be awarded to a single applicant in a single semester or summer session.
a.1) Out of this appropriation, $130,895,609 the second year from the general fund and $432,317 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund is provided for the state share of a payment equivalent to a 3.0 percent salary incentive increase, effective July 1, 2019, for funded SOQ instructional and support positions. Funded SOQ instructional positions shall include the teacher, guidance counselor, librarian, instructional aide, principal, and assistant principal positions funded through the SOQ staffing standards for each school division in the biennium. This amount includes $568,499 the second year from the general fund referenced in paragraph C. 28. h. for the Academic Year Governor's Schools for a 3.0 percent salary incentive increase, effective July 1, 2019, for instructional and support positions, and this amount includes $432,317 the second year from the Lottery Proceeds Fund referenced in paragraph C. 9. f. 4) for Regional Alternative Education Programs for a 3.0 percent salary incentive increase, effective July 1, 2019, for instructional and support positions.
2) It is the intent that the instructional and support position salaries be increased in school divisions throughout the state by at least an average of 3.0 percent during the 2018-2020 biennium. Sufficient funds are appropriated in this act to finance, on a statewide basis, the state share of a 3.0 percent salary increase for funded SOQ instructional and support positions, effective July 1, 2019, to school divisions which certify to the Department of Education, by April 1, 2019, that salary increases of a minimum average of 3.0 percent have been or will have been provided during the 2018-2020 biennium, either in the first year or in the second year or through a combination of the two years, to instructional and support personnel.
b. This funding is not intended as a mandate to increase salaries.

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