(1) (a) In preparing the application forms to be submitted by school districts or public schools when applying for grant moneys, except as otherwise required by statute, the department shall not require information from public schools or school districts which has been previously submitted to the department; except that this prohibition shall not apply to annual updates of information sought by the department.

(b) In preparing said application forms and in reviewing submitted applications, the department shall utilize a database of pertinent data previously received from, or otherwise obtained regarding, schools and school districts, so as to minimize the need to require schools and school districts to send duplicative information.

(2) Whenever, as part of a grant program, the department or a school or school district is required to prepare an evaluation of the effectiveness of the services provided using the grant moneys, the department shall compile the evaluations and make such evaluations readily available to all schools and school districts upon request. Any costs associated with the compilation and availability of such reports shall be paid from the amount appropriated to the department for costs incurred in administering such grant programs.

(3) (a) For each budget year, the department shall allocate to the boards of cooperative services established pursuant to article 5 of this title that provide a wide range of services described in section 22-5-118 to their member school districts, or school districts with student populations of less than four thousand students, an amount equal to one percent of the amount appropriated to all education grant programs for that fiscal year, or two hundred fifty thousand dollars, whichever is less. The amount allocated to the boards of cooperative services pursuant to this subsection (3) shall be taken from the amounts appropriated to all education grant programs. In the event the department allocates two hundred fifty thousand dollars, such amount shall be taken from each education grant program in the same proportion that the amount appropriated for that fiscal year to the education grant program bears to the total amount appropriated for that fiscal year to all education grant programs.

(b) The department shall proportionately divide the moneys allocated pursuant to this subsection (3) among the boards of cooperative services described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (3) on a per school district basis, based on the total number of school districts that have student populations of less than four thousand students and are members of boards of cooperative services that shall receive moneys pursuant to this subsection (3).

(c) The boards of cooperative services that receive moneys pursuant to this subsection (3) shall only use such moneys to assist member school districts and schools in applying for grants from education grant programs. One or more boards of cooperative services may use the moneys allocated pursuant to this subsection (3) jointly to provide services to member school districts from more than one board of cooperative services.