(a) The State Board of Education shall administer a priority school district grant program to assist certain school districts to improve student achievement and enhance educational opportunities. The grant program shall include the priority school district portions of the grant programs established pursuant to sections 10-265f, 10-265m and 10-266t. The grant program and its component parts shall be for school districts in (1) the eight towns in the state with the largest population, based on the most recent federal decennial census, (2) towns which rank for the first fiscal year of each biennium from one to eleven when all towns are ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine based on the number of children under the temporary family assistance program, as defined in subdivision (17) of section 10-262f, plus the mastery count of the town, as defined in subdivision (13) of section 10-262f, and (3) towns which rank for the first fiscal year of each biennium one to eleven when all towns are ranked in descending order from one to one hundred sixty-nine based on the ratio of the number of children under the temporary family assistance program as so defined to the resident students of such town, as defined in subdivision (22) of section 10-262f, plus the grant mastery percentage of the town, as defined in subdivision (12) of section 10-262f. The State Board of Education shall utilize the categorical grant program established under this section and sections 10-266q and 10-266r and other educational resources of the state to work cooperatively with such school districts during any school year to improve their educational programs or early reading intervention programs. The component parts of the grant shall be allocated according to the provisions of sections 10-265f, 10-265m and 10-266t. Subject to the provisions of subsection (c) of section 10-276a, the State Board of Education shall allocate one million dollars to each of the eight towns described in subdivision (1) of this subsection and five hundred thousand dollars to each of the towns described in subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection, except the towns described in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not receive any additional allocation if they are also described in subdivision (2) or (3) of this subsection.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, any town which received a grant pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and which does not qualify for a grant pursuant to subsection (a) of this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, shall receive grants for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, June 30, 2001, and June 30, 2002, in amounts determined in accordance with this subsection. (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, in an amount equal to the difference between (A) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (B) an amount equal to twenty-five per cent of the difference between (i) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (ii) the amount of the grants received by transitional school districts pursuant to section 10-263c. (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, in an amount equal to the difference between (A) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (B) an amount equal to fifty per cent of the difference between (i) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (ii) the amount of the grants received by transitional school districts pursuant to section 10-263c. (3) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, in an amount equal to the difference between (A) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (B) an amount equal to seventy-five per cent of the difference between (i) the amount of the grant such town received pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and (ii) the amount of the grants received by transitional school districts pursuant to section 10-263c.

(c) In addition to the amount allocated pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate (1) seven hundred fifty thousand dollars to each town which ranks from one to three, inclusive, in population pursuant to subdivision (1) of said subsection (a) and three hundred thirty-four thousand dollars to each town which ranks from four to eight, inclusive, in population pursuant to said subdivision and (2) one hundred eighty thousand dollars to each of the towns described in subdivisions (2) and (3) of said subsection (a), except that the towns described in subdivision (1) of said subsection (a) shall not receive any additional allocation pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection if they are also described in subdivision (2) or (3) of said subsection (a).

(d) In addition to the amounts allocated pursuant to subsections (a) and (c) of this section, the State Board of Education shall allocate a share, in the same proportion as the total amount allocated pursuant to said subsections, of two million five hundred thousand dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, and three million dollars for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and each fiscal year thereafter, to each of the towns receiving a grant pursuant to this section.

(e) In addition to the amounts allocated pursuant to subsections (a), (c) and (d) of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate (1) one million five hundred thousand dollars to the town which ranks one in population pursuant to subdivision (1) of said subsection (a), (2) one million dollars to each town which ranks from two to four, inclusive, in population pursuant to said subdivision (1), (3) six hundred thousand dollars to the town which ranks five in population pursuant to said subdivision (1), (4) five hundred thousand dollars to each town which ranks from six to eight, inclusive, in population pursuant to said subdivision (1), and (5) two hundred fifty thousand dollars to each of the towns described in subdivisions (2) and (3) of said subsection (a), except that the towns described in subdivision (1) of said subsection (a) shall not receive any additional allocation pursuant to subdivision (5) of this subsection if they are also described in subdivision (2) or (3) of said subsection (a).

(f) In addition to the amounts allocated in subsection (a), and subsections (c) to (e), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, the State Board of Education shall allocate two million thirty-nine thousand six hundred eighty-six dollars to the towns that rank one to three, inclusive, in population pursuant to subdivision (1) of said subsection (a), and for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate two million six hundred ten thousand seven hundred ninety-eight dollars to the towns that rank one to three, inclusive, in population pursuant to subdivision (1) of said subsection (a).

(g) In addition to the amounts allocated in subsection (a) and subsections (c) to (f), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate two million eight hundred eighty-two thousand three hundred sixty-eight dollars as follows: Each priority school district shall receive an allocation based on the ratio of the amount it is eligible to receive pursuant to subsection (a) of this section and subsections (c) to (f), inclusive, of this section to the total amount all priority school districts are eligible to receive pursuant to subsection (a) of this section and subsections (c) to (f), inclusive, of this section. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, a priority school district may carry forward any unexpended funds allocated after May 1, 2016, pursuant to this subsection, into the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.

(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and for each fiscal year thereafter, no town receiving a grant pursuant to this section shall receive a grant that is in an amount that is less than one hundred fifty dollars per pupil. For the purposes of this subsection, the amount of the grant on a per pupil basis shall be determined by dividing the total amount that a town receives for a grant under this section by the number of resident students, as defined in subdivision (22) of section 10-262f, of the local or regional school district for which the town receives a grant under this section.

(i) In addition to the amounts allocated in subsection (a) and subsections (c) to (h), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate two million twenty thousand dollars to the town ranked sixth when all towns are ranked from highest to lowest in population, based on the most recent federal decennial census, except that for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall allocate two million two hundred seventy thousand dollars to said town.

(j) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount of the grants payable to local or regional boards of education in accordance with this section shall be reduced proportionately if the total of such grants in such year exceeds the amount appropriated for the purposes of this section for such year.

(P.A. 84-265, S. 1, 4; P.A. 87-499, S. 18, 34; P.A. 92-262, S. 30, 42; P.A. 93-145, S. 4, 6; P.A. 93-263, S. 13, 14; P.A. 94-245, S. 3, 46; P.A. 95-226, S. 24, 29, 30; P.A. 96-178, S. 5, 18; P.A. 97-318, S. 6, 12; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 14, 165; P.A. 99-224, S. 1–3, 9; June Sp. Sess. P. A. 01-1, S. 33, 54; P.A. 03-76, S. 35; 03-278, S. 116; P.A. 04-254, S. 4; P.A. 05-245, S. 27; P.A. 06-135, S. 27; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 7; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 47; P.A. 08-170, S. 3; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6, S. 35; P.A. 11-6, S. 57; 11-48, S. 201; P.A. 13-247, S. 171; P.A. 14-39, S. 11; 14-217, S. 109; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 306, 335; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-2, S. 37, 38.)

History: P.A. 87-499 made the program permanent rather than a three-year pilot; P.A. 92-262 changed the eligibility criteria for the program, reduced the number of towns able to participate and changed the provisions pertaining to the allocation of funds; P.A. 93-145 amended Subdivs. (2) and (3) to include towns ranked to eleven instead of ten, changed the allocation for the towns described in Subdiv. (1) to grants of $1,000,000 each from 80% “of the amount appropriated for purposes of the program for grants in equal amounts” and for the towns described in Subdivs. (2) and (3) to grants of $500,000 each from 20% “of the amount so appropriated for grants in equal amounts” and made a technical change, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-263 repealed section, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 94-245 added Subsec. (b) re grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, effective June 2, 1994; P.A. 95-226 amended Subsec. (a) to require the rankings to be for the first fiscal year of each biennium, added Subsec. (b)(2) re grants for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, and repealed P.A. 93-263, S. 13 which had repealed the section, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-178 amended Subsec. (a) to allow the grants to be used to provide early childhood education or early reading intervention programs and added Subsec. (c) re further allocation for fiscal years commencing after July 1, 1996, and a requirement that an amount at least equal to 25% of the amount received pursuant to Subsec. (c) be used for early childhood education or reading intervention programs, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 97-318 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting requirement to use at least 25% of funds for early childhood education or reading intervention programs, and added Subsec. (d) re additional funds, effective July 1, 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) to replace “aid to families with dependent children” with “temporary family assistance”, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-224 amended Subsec. (a) to stipulate that the allocation of the $1,000,000 to each of the eight towns described in Subdiv. (1) is subject to the provisions of Sec. 10-276a(c), amended Subsec. (b) to replace obsolete phase-out provisions for school districts that no longer qualify for grants pursuant to Subsec. (a) with a new phase-out formula for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, to June 30, 2002, inclusive, and amended Subsec. (d) to add provision for the allocation of shares in the $3,000,000 to continue for “each fiscal year thereafter”, effective July 1, 1999; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 amended Subsec. (a) to specify that the grant program includes the priority school district portions of the grant programs established pursuant to Secs. 10-16p, 10-265f, 10-265m and 10-266t, to specify that the component parts of the grant be allocated in accordance with said Secs. and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 03-76, effective June 3, 2003, and P.A. 03-278, effective July 9, 2003, made technical changes in Subsec. (a); P.A. 04-254 added Subsec. (e) re additional grant allocations beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-245 added Subsec. (f) re allocations for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2006, and June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-135 added Subsec. (g) re allocations for fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, and each fiscal year thereafter, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 added Subsecs. (h) and (i) re minimum per pupil grant and re town ranked the sixth largest in population, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (f) to extend allocation of $2,610,798 through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, and amended Subsec. (g) to increase amount of allocation to $4,750,990, effective October 6, 2007; P.A. 08-170 amended Subsec. (g) to reduce funding for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, and fiscal years thereafter, from $4,750,990 to $4,160,122, effective July 1, 2008; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-6 amended Subsec. (f) by replacing “June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009” with “to June 30, 2011” and amended Subsec. (g) by replacing “four million one hundred sixty thousand one hundred twenty-two” with “three million seven hundred forty thousand five hundred seventy-three”, effective October 5, 2009; P.A. 11-6 amended Subsec. (g) by reducing funding for fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, from $3,740,573 to $3,216,908 and adding funding for fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (f) by replacing “2011” with “2013”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-247 amended Subsec. (i) by increasing allocation from $650,000 to $2,020,000, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 14-39 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting references to Sec. 10-16p and to early childhood education, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 14-217 amended Subsec. (f) by replacing reference to June 30, 2013, with reference to June 30, 2015, and amended Subsec. (g) by deleting “and each fiscal year thereafter”, replacing reference to June 30, 2013, with reference to June 30, 2014, changing allocation amount therefor from $2,929,364 to $2,925,481, adding provision re allocation for fiscal year ending June 30, 2015 and adding provision re carry forward of unexpended funds into fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, effective June 13, 2014; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (i) by adding exception re allocation of $2,200,070 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and added Subsec. (j) re proportional reduction of grants for fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, and each fiscal year thereafter, effective July 1, 2015; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-2 amended Subsec. (f) by replacing “to June 30, 2015” with “and each fiscal year thereafter”, amended Subsec. (g) by deleting provisions re allocation for fiscal years ending June 30, 2012, and June 30, 2014, adding “and each fiscal year thereafter” in provision re allocation for fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and replacing “2014” with “2016” and replacing “2015” with “2017” in provision re carry forward of unexpended funds and amended Subsec. (i) by adding “and each fiscal year thereafter” and replacing $2,200,070 with $2,270,000 in provision re fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, effective June 2, 2016.

Cited. 195 C. 24; 228 C. 699.