Bill Text: CT HB05554 | 2016 | General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Regional Education.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-04-22 - File Number 709 [HB05554 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2016-HB05554-Comm_Sub.html
General Assembly |
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February Session, 2016 |
*_____HB05554PD____041216____* |
AN ACT CONCERNING REGIONAL EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 10-283 of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2016):
(a) (1) Each town or regional school district shall be eligible to apply for and accept grants for a school building project as provided in this chapter. Any town desiring a grant for a public school building project may, by vote of its legislative body, authorize the board of education of such town to apply to the Commissioner of Administrative Services and to accept or reject such grant for the town. Any regional school board may vote to authorize the supervising agent of the regional school district to apply to the Commissioner of Administrative Services for and to accept or reject such grant for the district. Applications for such grants under this chapter shall be made by the superintendent of schools of such town or regional school district on the form provided and in the manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Administrative Services. The application form shall require the superintendent of schools to affirm that the school district considered the maximization of natural light, the use and feasibility of wireless connectivity technology and, on and after July 1, 2014, the school safety infrastructure criteria, developed by the School Safety Infrastructure Council, pursuant to section 10-292r, in projects for new construction and alteration or renovation of a school building. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall review each grant application for a school building project for compliance with educational requirements and on the basis of categories for building projects established by the Commissioner of Administrative Services in accordance with this section. The Commissioner of Education shall evaluate, if appropriate, whether the project will assist the state in meeting the goals of the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as extended, or the goals of the 2013 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as extended. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall consult with the Commissioner of Education in reviewing grant applications submitted for purposes of subsection (a) of section 10-65 or section 10-76e on the basis of the educational needs of the applicant. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall review each grant application for a school building project for compliance with standards for school building projects pursuant to regulations, adopted in accordance with section 10-287c, and, on and after July 1, 2014, the school safety infrastructure criteria, developed by the School Safety Infrastructure Council pursuant to section 10-292r. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall regularly consult with the Connecticut State Data Center at The University of Connecticut to (A) review projected enrollment figures included in grant applications for school building projects, and (B) assist the commissioner in performing an annual regional school capacity assessment that analyzes student enrollment for each school facility in any school district adjacent to the applicant. The Commissioner of Administrative Services shall share the results of the regional school capacity assessment with each applicant. Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of Quinebaug Valley Community College and Three Rivers Community College and the following entities that will operate an interdistrict magnet school that will assist the state in meeting the goals of the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as extended, or the goals of the 2013 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as extended, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, may apply for and shall be eligible to receive grants for school building projects pursuant to section 10-264h for such a school: [(A)] (i) The Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges on behalf of a regional community-technical college, [(B)] (ii) the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System on behalf of a state university, [(C)] (iii) the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut on behalf of the university, [(D)] (iv) the board of governors for an independent institution of higher education, as defined in subsection (a) of section 10a-173, or the equivalent of such a board, on behalf of the independent institution of higher education, [(E)] (v) cooperative arrangements pursuant to section 10-158a, as amended by this act, and [(F)] (vi) any other third-party not-for-profit corporation approved by the Commissioner of Education.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2016) A regional educational service center may enter into an agreement with one or more local or regional boards of education to provide administrative services related to the operation and management of the school district or districts under the jurisdiction of such board or boards to enable any such board to carry out its duties specified in the general statutes. Such agreements may include (1) the sharing of administrative staff, and (2) the provision of administrative services by regional educational service center personnel, such as the management of pupil personnel, data collecting and reporting, financial management and business services, information technology services, monitoring of compliance with state and federal education laws, facilities management, provision of teachers and staff, and other services.
Sec. 3. Section 10-66o of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2016):
The Department of Education shall encourage the use of regional educational service centers as providers of goods and services for local and regional boards of education and may award special consideration to grant applications that indicate the use of services of regional educational service centers or joint purchasing agreements among boards of education for the purpose of purchasing instructional or other supplies, testing materials, special education services, health care services, [or] food or food services or administrative services.
Sec. 4. Section 10-158a of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2016):
(a) Any two or more boards of education may, in writing, agree to establish cooperative arrangements to provide school accommodations services, programs or activities, special education services, health care services or alternative education, as defined in section 10-74j, to enable such boards to carry out the duties specified in the general statutes. Such arrangements may include the establishment of a committee to supervise such programs, the membership of the committee to be determined by the agreement of the cooperating boards. Such committee shall have the power, in accordance with the terms of the agreement, to (1) apply for, receive directly and expend on behalf of the school districts which have designated the committee an agent for such purpose any state or federal grants which may be allocated to school districts for specified programs, the supervision of which has been delegated to such committee, provided such grants are payable before implementation of any such program or are to reimburse the committee pursuant to subsection (d) of this section for transportation provided to a school operated by a cooperative arrangement; (2) receive and disburse funds appropriated to the use of such committee by the cooperating school districts, the state or the United States, or given to the committee by individuals or private corporations; (3) hold title to real or personal property in trust, or as otherwise agreed to by the parties, for the appointing boards; (4) employ personnel; (5) enter into contracts; and (6) otherwise provide the specified programs, services and activities. Teachers employed by any such committee shall be subject to the provisions of the general statutes applicable to teachers employed by the board of education of any town or regional school district. For purposes of this section, the term "teacher" shall include each professional employee of a committee below the rank of superintendent who holds a regular certificate issued by the State Board of Education and who is in a position requiring such certification.
(b) Subject to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, any board of education may withdraw from any agreement entered into under subsection (a) of this section if, at least one year prior to the date of the proposed withdrawal, it gives written notice of its intent to do so to each of the other boards. Upon withdrawal by one or more boards of education, two or more boards of education may continue their commitment to the agreement. If two or more boards of education continue the arrangement, then such committee established within the arrangement may continue to hold title to any real or personal property given to or purchased by the committee in trust for all the boards of education which entered the agreement, unless otherwise provided in the agreement or by law or by the grantor or donor of such property. Upon dissolution of the committee, any property held in trust shall be distributed in accordance with the agreement, if such distribution is not contrary to law.
(c) If a cooperative arrangement receives a grant for a school building project pursuant to chapter 173, the cooperative arrangement shall use the building for which the grant was provided for a period of not less than twenty years after completion of such project. If the cooperative arrangement ceases to use the building for the purpose for which the grant was provided, the Commissioner of Education shall determine whether (1) title to the building and any legal interest in appurtenant land reverts to the state, or (2) the cooperative arrangement reimburses the state an amount equal to ten per cent of the eligible school building project costs of the project.
(d) Any cooperative arrangement established pursuant to this section, or any local or regional board of education which is a member of such a cooperative arrangement which transports students to a school operated by such cooperative arrangement shall be reimbursed in accordance with the provisions of section 10-266m. At the end of each school year, any such cooperative arrangement or local or regional board of education which provides such transportation shall file an application for reimbursement on a form provided by the Department of Education.
(e) A local or regional board of education that is a member of a cooperative arrangement may, for purposes of reporting expenditures of such board of education pursuant to sections 10-10c and 10-227, as amended by this act, report all expenditures made by such board of education in accordance with the terms of the agreement entered into under subsection (a) of this section as a single total annual expenditure of such board of education. Any local or regional board of education that reports such cooperative arrangement expenditures in a manner prescribed by this subsection shall provide a description of which local or regional expenses were provided, in whole or in part, by the cooperative arrangement and shall not be required to report the specific amount of each such expense.
(f) Each cooperative arrangement shall annually file an independent public school financial report, in a manner similar to section 10-227, as amended by this act, that includes information related to expenses for the activities described in subsection (a) of this section.
Sec. 5. Section 10-227 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2016):
Each board of education shall cause the superintendent to make returns not later than September first of each year to the Commissioner of Education of the receipts, expenditures and statistics, as prescribed by the commissioner, provided each such board may submit revisions to the returns in such form and with such documentation as required by the commissioner no later than December thirty-first of each year following the September submission. Each board of education that is a member of a cooperative arrangement, pursuant to section 10-158a, as amended by this act, shall cause the superintendent to make a report not later than September first of each year to the commissioner of the expenditures under the cooperative arrangement, as described in subsection (e) of section 10-158a, as amended by this act, provided each such board may submit revisions to the report in such form and with such documentation as required by the commissioner not later than December thirty-first of each year following the September submission. Such reports or returns required shall be made in accordance with the instructions furnished by the commissioner, shall be certified no later than December thirty-first of each year by the independent public accountant selected pursuant to section 7-392 for the purpose of auditing municipal accounts, and shall be subject to Department of Education verification. If the returns and statistics and revisions called for by said commissioner are not sent on or before the days specified in this section or if the returns are not certified as required by the commissioner on or before December thirty-first, each local and regional board of education required by law to make separate returns, whose returns and statistics or revisions are delayed until after those days, shall forfeit of the total sum which is paid for such board of education from the State Treasurer an amount to be determined by the State Board of Education, which amount shall be not less than one thousand dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars. The amount so forfeited shall be withheld from a subsequent grant payment as determined by the commissioner. Notwithstanding the penalty provision of this section, the Commissioner of Education may waive said forfeiture for good cause.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2016 |
10-283(a)(1) |
Sec. 2 |
July 1, 2016 |
New section |
Sec. 3 |
July 1, 2016 |
10-66o |
Sec. 4 |
July 1, 2016 |
10-158a |
Sec. 5 |
July 1, 2016 |
10-227 |
ED |
Joint Favorable Subst. |
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PD |
Joint Favorable |