Budget Amendment ID: FY2017-S4-162

EDU 162

Elementary School Literacy Improvement Grant Program

Messrs. Rush and Brownsberger, Ms. Forry, Messrs. Lewis, Moore and deMacedo moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting, after section __, the following new section: -

SECTION __.  Chapter 15 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 52 the following section:-

Section 52A.  (a) The Board shall establish, subject to appropriation, an elementary school literacy and school improvement grant program.  Grants shall be targeted to improved literacy outcomes, but may include broader instructional goals.  Grant awards shall be made for individual schools.  Districts may receive separate grants for different schools.  Total grant awards shall be awarded between $250,000 and $500,000 per school.  Awards will be made in a single fiscal year, however the funds shall be spent over a period of four academic years.  School districts shall be required to provide matching funds as a portion of the grant awards.  The amount of matching funds required shall be based on the percentage of “economically disadvantaged students,” as calculated according to the formula adopted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  The Department shall determine the statewide average percentage of students who meet the criteria of economically disadvantaged students for all public schools.  The amount of matching funds required from a school district shall be based on a sliding scale to be determined by the Department, with districts having student populations at or greater than the statewide average contributing 25% of the total grant award, and districts having student populations at less than ten percent of the statewide average contributing 50% of the total grant award.  Grants shall be awarded for intensive school wide literacy coaching and professional development, and may include coaching for broader educational goals.  Grants shall only be awarded for programs that are research based, and have already established positive results based on research.  Grant monies shall not be spent for ongoing educational expenses, provided that local match may be spent for ongoing expenses.   Grants are intended to raise literacy scores over a period of four years, and are not immediately renewable.  Grantees shall be required to report their results to the Department, which shall publish the results online.

(b) The Board shall establish, subject to appropriation, a K-3 literacy intervention grant program, for the most at-risk students.  Grants may be in conjunction with, or separate from, grants awarded for literacy and school improvement, established in subsection (a).  Grants shall be awarded for intensive literacy intervention training, coaching, and professional development.  Grants shall only be awarded for programs that are research based, and have already established positive results based on research.