15-249.12. Computer science professional development program fund; requirements; uses; reports

A. The computer science professional development program fund is established consisting of monies appropriated by the legislature and grants, gifts, devises and donations from any public or private source. The department of education shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated and are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations. On notice from the department, the state treasurer shall invest and divest monies in the fund as provided by section 35-313, and monies earned from investment shall be credited to the fund. Monies in the fund are subject to state auditing as prescribed by law.

B. The department of education shall distribute grants on a first-come, first-served basis from the computer science professional development program fund to public schools that do not currently provide high school computer science courses to fund quality training for prospective computer science teachers. Subject to review and approval by the state board of education, the department shall establish application procedures for public schools that offer instruction in grades nine through twelve to apply for grants from the fund. A public school that applies for a grant shall demonstrate how it plans to use monies from the fund to provide quality training to prospective computer science teachers. A public school that receives grant monies from the fund must provide evidence that training provided to prospective computer science teachers with grant monies addresses academic standards for computer science, as adopted by the state board of education.

C. The grant application process established by the department of education shall prioritize awards to eligible public schools that either:

1. Have at least sixty percent of enrolled students who are eligible for free and reduced-priced lunches under the national school lunch and child nutrition acts (42 United States Code sections 1751 through 1785).

2. Are rural schools as defined in section 15-249.13.

D. The department of education may not distribute grant monies in an amount that is more than fifty percent of the total state general fund appropriation to the computer science professional development program fund in any fiscal year unless matching gifts, grants or donations of monies or in-kind services are received from private sources to carry out the purposes of this section. The value of training provided by a private entity at no cost to this state or any other public school in this state shall count as matching monies in any fiscal year in which this training is provided.

E. The department may use up to two percent of the monies deposited in the fund each fiscal year for administrative purposes.

F. On or before June 30 of each year, each public school that receives grant monies from the computer science professional development program fund shall submit a report to the department of education on the outcomes achieved with prospective computer science teachers and how the grant monies were spent. On or before November 15 of each year, the department shall submit a report to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives and the governor on the amount of grant monies awarded from the fund, the outcomes achieved and how the monies were spent. The department shall provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state.