TITLE 16

Education

CHAPTER 16-99

Full-Day Kindergarten Accessibility Act

SECTION 16-99-4



   § 16-99-4  Eligible school districts;

funding. –

(a) A school district shall be eligible to request funding pursuant to §

16-99-4(b), if:



   (1) The school district is a public school district; and



   (2) The school district operates a half-day kindergarten

program as of September 1, 2012, but not a full-day kindergarten, as defined

herein, serving more than one-half of the kindergarten students in the district

as determined on a headcount basis.



   (b) Subject to appropriation, beginning with school year

2013-2014 and through school year 2014-2015, the commissioner of elementary and

secondary education shall rank and approve eligible public school districts

that voluntarily implement a full-day kindergarten program as defined herein.

The aforementioned school district shall receive funding to offset a portion of

the reasonable, one-time start-up costs including, but not limited to, desks,

books, facility upgrades, ancillary costs associated with relocation of

students, costs associated with the development and implementation of new

curriculum, and any other necessary expenses associated with each school's

implementation of a full-day kindergarten program. Ranking shall be based upon

criteria established by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education

to ensure the quality and sustainability of the full-day kindergarten programs

implemented.



   In ranking the school districts' proposals, the commissioner

shall consider the quality and sustainability of the program and the average

number of children eligible for USDA reimbursable school meals served by the

respective district's elementary schools with priority given to school

districts with enrollment greater than eight thousand (8,000).



   If no school district has enrollment greater than eight

thousand (8,000), then priority shall be given to school districts with

enrollment greater than four thousand (4,000).



   (c) The commissioner shall fully fund all eligible

expenditures of each district in rank order. If a district's proposal cannot be

fully funded, the district may either accept the available funding for the

project or refuse funding. If funding is refused, the commissioner shall fund

the next eligible school district's request based on the aforementioned ranking.



   (d) School districts receiving funds pursuant to this chapter

must operate only a full-day program, no half-day programs. The full-day

kindergarten program must continue to operate for five (5) years.



   (e) All funding provided under this section is subject to

appropriation.



   (f) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (d), school

districts that request funding pursuant to this chapter may be allowed to

phase-in the implementation of a full-day kindergarten program, provided that

the district provides the department of elementary and secondary education with

a schedule and plan as to the implementation of such program.



History of Section.

(P.L. 2012, ch. 372, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 382, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch.

358, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 431, § 3; P.L. 2014, ch. 456, § 3; P.L.

2015, ch. 141, art. 6, § 1.)