Bill Text: MI SB1095 | 2011-2012 | 96th Legislature | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Education; preschools; age for eligibility to enroll in great start readiness programs; revise. Amends sec. 32d of 1979 PA 94 (MCL 388.1632d).

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-04-25 - Referred To Committee On Education [SB1095 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2011-SB1095-Engrossed.html

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SB-1095, As Passed Senate, August 15, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE BILL No. 1095

 

 

April 25, 2012, Introduced by Senators BOOHER, HANSEN and PAVLOV and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1979 PA 94, entitled

 

"The state school aid act of 1979,"

 

by amending section 32d (MCL 388.1632d), as amended by 2011 PA 62.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 32d. (1) For 2011-2012, there is allocated to eligible

 

intermediate districts and consortia of intermediate districts for

 

great start readiness programs an amount not to exceed

 

$104,275,000.00 from the state school aid fund money appropriated

 

in section 11. Funds allocated under this section shall be used to

 

provide part-day or full-day comprehensive free compensatory

 

programs designed to do 1 or both of the following:

 

     (a) Improve the readiness and subsequent achievement of

 

educationally disadvantaged children, as defined by the department,

 

who will be at least 4, but less than 5 years of age, as of

 

December 1 of the school year in which the programs are offered,

 

and who meet the participant eligibility and prioritization

 

guidelines as defined by the state board. Beginning with the 2012-

 

2013 school year, for a child to be eligible to participate in a

 

program under this section, the child shall be at least 4, but less

 

than 5, years of age, as of the date specified for determining a

 

child's eligibility to attend school under section 1147 of the

 

revised school code, MCL 380.1147.

 

     (b) Provide preschool and parenting education programs similar

 

to those under former section 32b as in effect for 2001-2002.

 

Beginning in 2007-2008, funds spent by a district for programs

 

described in this subdivision shall not exceed the lesser of the

 

amount spent by the district under this subdivision for 2006-2007

 

or the amount spent under this subdivision in any subsequent fiscal

 

year.

 

     (2) Funds allocated under this section shall be allocated to

 

intermediate districts or consortia of intermediate districts. An

 

intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts

 

receiving funding under this section shall act as the fiduciary for

 

the great start readiness programs. For 2011-2012, the fiduciary

 

intermediate districts and consortia of intermediate districts

 

shall allocate the funding under this section as follows:

 

     (a) An amount not to exceed $95,400,000.00 allocated to

 

districts and consortia of districts as directed by the department

 

based on the formula in section 39. In order to be eligible to

 

receive funds allocated under this subdivision from an intermediate

 

district or consortium of intermediate districts, a district or

 

consortium of districts shall comply with this section and section

 

39.

 

     (b) An amount not to exceed $8,875,000.00 allocated in grants

 

to competitive great start readiness programs as directed by the

 

department based on the grant award process in section 32l. In order

 

to be eligible to receive funds allocated under this section from

 

an intermediate district or consortium of intermediate districts, a

 

competitive great start readiness program shall comply with this

 

section and section 32l.

 

     (3) In addition to the allocation under subsection (1), from

 

the general fund money appropriated under section 11, there is

 

allocated an amount not to exceed $300,000.00 for 2011-2012 for a

 

competitive grant to continue a longitudinal evaluation of children

 

who have participated in great start readiness programs.

 

     (4) To be eligible for funding under this section, a program

 

shall prepare children for success in school through comprehensive

 

part-day or school-day programs that contain all of the following

 

program components, as determined by the department:

 

     (a) Participation in a collaborative recruitment and

 

enrollment process. At a minimum, the process shall include all

 

other funded preschool programs that may serve children in the same

 

geographic area, to assure that each child is enrolled in the

 

program most appropriate to his or her needs and to maximize the

 

use of federal, state, and local funds.

 

     (b) An age-appropriate educational curriculum that is in

 

compliance with the early childhood standards of quality for

 

prekindergarten children adopted by the state board.

 

     (c) Nutritional services for all program participants.

 

     (d) Health and developmental screening services for all

 

program participants.

 

     (e) Referral services for families of program participants to

 

community social service agencies, as appropriate.

 

     (f) Active and continuous involvement of the parents or

 

guardians of the program participants.

 

     (g) A plan to conduct and report annual great start readiness

 

program evaluations and continuous improvement plans using criteria

 

approved by the department.

 

     (h) Participation in a multidistrict, multiagency, school

 

readiness advisory committee that provides for the involvement of

 

classroom teachers, parents or guardians of program participants,

 

and community, volunteer, and social service agencies and

 

organizations, as appropriate. The advisory committee shall review

 

the program components listed in this subsection and make

 

recommendations for changes to the great start readiness program

 

for which it is an advisory committee.

 

     (i) The ongoing articulation of the kindergarten and first

 

grade programs offered by the program provider.

 

     (5) An application for funding under this section shall

 

provide for the following, in a form and manner determined by the

 

department:

 

     (a) Ensure compliance with all program components described in

 

subsection (4).

 

     (b) Ensure that more than 75% of the children participating in

 

an eligible great start readiness program are children who live

 

with families with a household income that is equal to or less than

 

300% of the federal poverty level.

 

     (c) Ensure that the applicant only employs qualified personnel

 

for this program, as follows:

 

     (i) Teachers possessing proper training. For programs managed

 

directly by an intermediate district, a valid teaching certificate

 

and an early childhood (ZA or ZS) endorsement are required. This

 

provision does not apply to an intermediate district or competitive

 

program that subcontracts with an eligible child development

 

program. In that situation, a teacher must have a valid Michigan

 

teaching certificate with an early childhood (ZA or ZS)

 

endorsement, a valid Michigan elementary teaching certificate with

 

a child development associate credential, or a bachelor's degree in

 

child development with specialization in preschool teaching.

 

However, if an intermediate district demonstrates to the department

 

that it is unable to fully comply with this subparagraph after

 

making reasonable efforts to comply, teachers who have significant

 

but incomplete training in early childhood education or child

 

development may be employed by the intermediate district if the

 

intermediate district provides to the department, and the

 

department approves, a plan for each teacher to come into

 

compliance with the standards in this subparagraph. A teacher's

 

compliance plan must be completed within 2 years of the date of

 

employment. Progress toward completion of the compliance plan shall

 

consist of at least 2 courses per calendar year.

 

     (ii) Paraprofessionals possessing proper training in early

 

childhood development, including an associate's degree in early

 

childhood education or child development or the equivalent, or a

 

child development associate (CDA) credential. However, if an

 

intermediate district demonstrates to the department that it is

 

unable to fully comply with this subparagraph after making

 

reasonable efforts to comply, the intermediate district may employ

 

paraprofessionals who have completed at least 1 course that earns

 

college credit in early childhood education or child development if

 

the intermediate district provides to the department, and the

 

department approves, a plan for each paraprofessional to come into

 

compliance with the standards in this subparagraph. A

 

paraprofessional's compliance plan must be completed within 2 years

 

of the date of employment. Progress toward completion of the

 

compliance plan shall consist of at least 2 courses or 60 clock

 

hours of training per calendar year.

 

     (d) Include a program budget that contains only those costs

 

that are not reimbursed or reimbursable by federal funding, that

 

are clearly and directly attributable to the great start readiness

 

program, and that would not be incurred if the program were not

 

being offered. The program budget shall indicate the extent to

 

which these funds will supplement other federal, state, local, or

 

private funds. Funds received under this section shall not be used

 

to supplant any federal funds by the applicant to serve children

 

eligible for a federally funded existing preschool program that has

 

the capacity to serve those children.

 

     (6) For a grant recipient that enrolls pupils in a school-day

 

program funded under this section, each child enrolled in the

 

school-day program shall be counted as 2 children served by the

 

program for purposes of determining the number of children to be

 

served and for determining the amount of the grant award. A grant

 

award shall not be increased solely on the basis of providing a

 

school-day program.

 

     (7) An intermediate district or consortium of intermediate

 

districts receiving a grant under this section may contract with

 

for-profit or nonprofit preschool center providers that meet all

 

requirements of subsection (4) and retain for administrative

 

services an amount equal to not more than 5% of the grant amount.

 

An intermediate district, consortium of intermediate districts, or

 

competitive grant program may expend not more than 10% of the total

 

grant amount for administration of the program.

 

     (8) Any public or private for-profit or nonprofit legal entity

 

or agency may apply for a competitive grant under this section.

 

However, a district or intermediate district may not apply for a

 

competitive grant under this section unless the district,

 

intermediate district, or consortium of districts or intermediate

 

districts is acting as a local grantee for the federal head start

 

program operating under the head start act, 42 USC 9831 to 9852.

 

     (9) A recipient of funds under this section shall report to

 

the department in a form and manner prescribed by the department

 

the number of children participating in the program who meet the

 

income or other eligibility criteria prescribed by the department

 

and the total number of children participating in the program. For

 

children participating in the program who meet the income or other

 

eligibility criteria specified under subsection (5)(b), a recipient

 

shall also report whether or not a parent is available to provide

 

care based on employment status. For the purposes of this

 

subsection, "employment status" shall be defined by the department

 

of human services in a manner consistent with maximizing the amount

 

of spending that may be claimed for temporary assistance for needy

 

families maintenance of effort purposes.

 

     (10) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Part-day program" means a program that operates at least

 

4 days per week, 30 weeks per year, for at least 3 hours of

 

teacher-child contact time per day but for fewer hours of teacher-

 

child contact time per day than a school-day program.

 

     (b) "School-day program" means a program that operates for at

 

least the same length of day as a district's first grade program

 

for a minimum of 4 days per week, 30 weeks per year. A classroom

 

that offers a school-day program must enroll all children for the

 

school day to be considered a school-day program.

 

     (11) A grant recipient receiving funds under this section is

 

encouraged to establish a sliding scale of tuition rates based upon

 

a child's family income for the purpose of expanding eligible

 

programs under this section. A grant recipient may charge tuition

 

for programs provided under this section according to that sliding

 

scale of tuition rates on a uniform basis for any child who does

 

not meet the program eligibility requirements under this section.

 

     (12) Beginning with 2012-2013, it is the intent of the

 

legislature to transfer funding for great start readiness programs

 

under this section into an early childhood block grant program,

 

along with funding for great start collaboratives under section 32b

 

and funding for great parents, great start programs under section

 

32j. The early childhood block grant program will allocate funds to

 

intermediate districts and consortia of intermediate districts to

 

act as fiduciaries and provide administration of regional early

 

childhood programs in conjunction with their regional great start

 

collaborative to improve program quality, evaluation, and

 

efficiency for early childhood programs. The department shall work

 

with intermediate districts, districts, great start collaboratives,

 

and the early childhood investment corporation to establish a

 

revised funding formula, application process, program criteria, and

 

data reporting requirements for 2012-2013. Not later than January

 

1, 2012, the department shall report to the legislature its

 

recommendations for the revisions required under this subsection.