Direct Aid to Public Education (197)

 Authority: Discretionary Inclusion.

A. Out of this appropriation, the Department of Education shall provide $373,776 the first year and $373,776 the second year from the general fund for the Jobs for Virginia Graduates initiative.

B. Out of this appropriation, the Department of Education shall provide $124,011 the first year and $124,011 the second year from the general fund for the Southwest Virginia Public Education Consortium at the University of Virginia's College at Wise.  An additional $71,849 the first year and $71,849 the second year from the general fund is provided to the Consortium to continue the Van Gogh Outreach program with Lee and Wise County Public Schools and expand the program to the twelve school divisions in Southwest Virginia.

C. This appropriation includes $58,905 the first year and $58,905 the second year from the general fund for the Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium to expand the research and development phase of a technology linkage.

D. An additional state payment of $145,896 the first year and $145,896 the second year from the general fund is provided as a Small School Division Assistance grant for the City of Norton.  To receive these funds, the local school board shall certify to the Superintendent of Public Instruction that its division has entered into one or more educational, administrative or support service cost-sharing arrangements with another local school division.

E. Out of this appropriation, $298,021 the first year and $298,021 the second year from the general fund shall be allocated for the Career and Technical Education Resource Center to provide vocational curriculum and resource instructional materials free of charge to all school divisions.

F. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Department of Education provide bonuses from state funds to classroom teachers in Virginia's public schools who hold certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.  Such bonuses shall be $5,000 the first year of the certificate and $2,500 annually thereafter for the life of the certificate.  This appropriation includes an amount estimated at $5,885,000 the first year and $5,885,000 the second year from the general fund for the purpose of paying these bonuses.  By October 15 of each year, school divisions shall notify the Department of Education of the number of classroom teachers under contract for that school year that hold such certification.

G. This appropriation includes $708,000 the first year and $708,000 the second year from the general fund for the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program. These scholarships shall be for undergraduate students at or beyond the sophomore year in college with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.7, who were in the top 10 percent of their high school class, who are nominated by their college and students at the graduate level, and who meet the criteria and qualifications, pursuant to § 22.1-290.01, Code of Virginia.  Awards shall be made to students who are enrolled full-time or part-time in approved undergraduate or graduate teacher education programs for (i) critical teacher shortage disciplines, such as special education, chemistry, physics, earth and space science, foreign languages, or technology education or (ii) as students meeting the qualifications in § 22.1-290.01, Code of Virginia, who have been identified by a local school board to teach in any discipline or at any grade level in which the school board has determined that a shortage of teachers exists; however, such persons shall meet the qualifications for awards granted pursuant to this item; or (iii) those students seeking degrees in Career and Technical education. Minority students may be enrolled in any content area for teacher preparation and male students may be enrolled in any approved elementary or middle school teacher preparation program; therefore, this provision shall satisfy the requirements for the Diversity in Teaching Initiative and Fund, pursuant to Chapters 570, 597, 623, 645, and 719 of the Acts of Assembly of 2000.  Scholarship recipients may fulfill the teaching obligation by accepting a teaching position (i) in one of the critical teacher shortage disciplines; or (ii) regardless of teaching discipline, in a school with a high concentration of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch; or (iii) in any discipline or at grade levels with a shortage of teachers; or (iv) in a rural or urban region of the state with a teacher shortage.  For the purposes of this item, "critical teacher shortage area and discipline" means subject areas and grade levels identified by the Board of Education in which the demand for classroom teachers exceeds the supply of teachers, as defined in the Board of Education's Regulations Governing the Determination of Critical Teacher Shortage Areas.  Scholarship amounts are based on $10,000 per year for full-time students, and shall be prorated for part-time students based on the number of credit hours.   The Department of Education shall report annually on the critical shortage teaching areas in Virginia.

2. The Department of Education shall make payments on behalf of the scholarship recipients directly to the Virginia institution of higher education where the scholarship recipient is enrolled full-time or part-time in an approved undergraduate or graduate teacher education program.

3. The Department  of Education is authorized to recover total funds awarded as scholarships, or the appropriate portion thereof, in the event that scholarship recipients fail to honor the stipulated teaching obligation.  Any funds collected by the Department  on behalf of this program shall revert to the general fund on June 30 each year. Such reversion shall be the net of any administrative or legal fees associated with the collection of these funds.

H. Out of the amounts for this Item, shall be provided $31,003 the first year and $31,003 the second year from the general fund for the Virginia Career Education Foundation.

I. Out of this appropriation, $400,000 the first year and $400,000 the second year from the general fund shall be distributed to the GReat Aspirations Scholarship Program (GRASP) to provide students and families in need access to financial aid, scholarships, and counseling to maximize educational opportunities for students.

J. Out of this appropriation, the Department of Education shall provide $794,400 the first year and $794,400 the second year from the general fund to Communities in Schools.

K. This appropriation includes $100,000 the first year and $100,000 the second year from the general fund for the Superintendent of Public Education to award supplemental grants to charter schools.

L. This appropriation includes $543,176 the first year and $543,176 the second year from the general fund to support the Youth Development Academy for rising 9th and 10th grade students.

M. Out of this appropriation, $808,000 the first year and $808,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to attract, recruit, and retain high-quality diverse individuals to teach science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) subjects in Virginia’s middle and high schools.  A teacher with up to three years of teaching experience employed full-time in a Virginia school division who has been issued a five-year Virginia teaching license with an endorsement in Middle Education 6-8: Mathematic, Mathematics-Algebra-I, mathematics, Middle Education 6-8: Science, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, physics, or technology education and assigned to a teaching position in a corresponding STEM subject area is eligible to receive a $5,000 initial incentive award after the completion of the first, second, or third year of teaching with a satisfactory performance evaluation and a signed contract in the same school division for the following school year.  A teacher, holding one or more of the aforementioned endorsements and assigned to a teaching position in a corresponding STEM subject area and regardless of teaching experience, who is reassigned from a fully accredited school in a Virginia school division to a hard-to-staff school or a school that is not fully accredited and receives a satisfactory performance evaluation and a signed contract in the same school division for the following year is also eligible to receive an initial incentive award of $5,000.  An additional $1,000 incentive award may be granted for each year the eligible teacher receives a satisfactory evaluation and teaches a qualifying STEM subject in which the teacher has an endorsement for up to three years in a Virginia school division following the year in which the teacher receives the initial incentive award. The maximum incentive award for each eligible teacher is $8,000.  Funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis with preference to teachers assigned to teach in hard-to-staff schools or low-performing schools not fully accredited.

N. Out of this appropriation, the Department of Education shall provide $425,000 the first year and $425,000 the second year from the general fund for Project Discovery.  These funds are towards the cost of the program in Abingdon, Accomack/Northampton, Alexandria, Amherst, Appomattox, Arlington, Bedford, Bland, Campbell, Charlottesville, Cumberland, Danville/Pittsylvania, Fairfax, Franklin/Patrick, Goochland/Powhatan, Lynchburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond City, Roanoke City, Smyth, Surry/Sussex, Tazewell, Williamsburg/James City, and Wythe and the salary of a fiscal officer for Project Discovery.  The Department of Education shall administer the Project Discovery funding distributions to each community action agency.  Distributions to each community action agency shall be based on performance measures established by the Board of Directors of Project Discovery.  The contract with Project Discovery should specify the allocations to each local program and require the submission of a financial and budget report and program evaluation performance measures.

O. Out of this appropriation, the Department of Education shall provide $225,000 the first year and $225,000 the second year from the general fund for the Virginia Student Training and Refurbishment Program.

P. Out of this appropriation, $400,000 the first year and $400,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to establish a comprehensive pilot initiative to recruit students to major in the fields of mathematics and science to help alleviate the shortage of qualified teachers in these fields.

Q. Out of this appropriation, $598,000 the first year and $598,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to expand the number of schools implementing a system of positive behavioral interventions and supports with the goal of improving school climate and reducing disruptive behavior in the classroom.  Such a system may be implemented as part of a tiered system of supports that utilizes evidence-based, system-wide practices to provide a response to academic and behavioral needs.  Any school division which desires to apply for this competitive grant must submit a proposal to the Department of Education by June 1 preceding the school-year in which the program is to be implemented.  The proposal must define student outcome objectives including, but not limited to, reductions in disciplinary referrals and out-of-school suspension rates. In making the competitive grant awards, the Department of Education shall give priority to school divisions proposing to serve schools identified by the Department as having high suspension rates.  No funds awarded to a school division under this grant may be used to supplant funding for schools already implementing the program.

R. Out of this appropriation, $613,312 the first year and $613,312 the second year from the general fund is provided for planning or start-up grants for extended learning time models, grants for preschool, and grants for alternative instructional delivery or school governance models.  School divisions may apply for the grants for preschool programs, extended day or year schedules or year-round schools or for assistance to establish charter, college laboratory, or virtual schools, or other instructional delivery or school governance models in Virginia. The Department of Education shall give school divisions containing at-risk schools preferential treatment when considering applications and may otherwise use competitive criteria in reviewing grant applications for funding.  At-risk schools shall be defined as those schools which have received accreditation with warning based on the most recent school accreditation ratings.  School divisions may also apply for grants of no more than $25,000 each for the purpose of pursuing the creation of new year-round school programs or other extended learning time models for divisions or individual schools in support of the findings from the 2012 JLARC review.  For other types of grants, the Department of Education is authorized to limit the grant amounts provided in order to increase the availability of funding to school divisions applying for grants.  School divisions must submit applications to the Department of Education by August 1 preceding the school year in which the grant will be expended.  Applications for planning grants shall include evidence of commitment to pursue implementation in the school year immediately following the school year in which the planning grant is expended.  If balances exist each year, existing extended learning time programs may be eligible to apply for remaining funds.

S. Out of this appropriation, $500,000 the first year and $500,000 the second year from the general fund is provided through grants to school divisions for the cost of fees associated with hiring teachers through Teach for America.  School divisions may apply for these funds through application submission to the Department of Education.  The Opportunity Education Institution shall evaluate each application and provide the Department of Education with the grant allocations.