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S. B. No. 241 As Passed by the SenateAs Passed by the Senate
130th General Assembly | Regular Session | 2013-2014 |
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Cosponsors:
Senators Seitz, Lehner, Kearney, Skindell, Tavares, Turner, Schiavoni, Brown, Balderson, Beagle, Gardner, Gentile, Hite, LaRose, Manning, Obhof, Smith, Uecker, Widener
A BILL
To amend Section 263.325 of Am. Sub. H.B. 59 of the
130th General Assembly to modify the membership
structure of the Straight A Program Governing
Board.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That Section 263.325 of Am. Sub. H.B. 59 of the
130th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 263.325. (A) The Straight A Program is hereby created
for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 to provide grants to city, local,
exempted village, and joint vocational school districts,
educational service centers, community schools established under
Chapter 3314., STEM schools established under Chapter 3326.,
college-preparatory boarding schools established under Chapter
3328. of the Revised Code, individual school buildings, education
consortia (which may represent a partnership among school
districts, school buildings, community schools, or STEM schools),
institutions of higher education, and private entities partnering
with one or more of the educational entities identified in this
division for projects that aim to achieve significant advancement
in one or more of the following goals:
(2) Spending reduction in the five-year fiscal forecast
required under section 5705.391 of the Revised Code;
(3) Utilization of a greater share of resources in the
classroom.
(B)(1) Grants shall be awarded by a nine-member
thirteen-member governing board consisting of the Superintendent
of Public Instruction, or the Superintendent's designee, four
members appointed by the Governor, two members appointed by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and two members appointed
by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, two
members appointed by the President of the Senate, and two members
appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate. The Department of
Education shall provide administrative support to the board. No
member shall be compensated for the member's service on the board.
(2) The board shall select grant advisors with fiscal
expertise and education expertise. These advisors shall evaluate
proposals from grant applicants and advise the staff administering
the program. No advisor shall be compensated for this service.
(3) The board shall issue an annual report to the Governor,
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the
Senate, and the chairpersons of the House and Senate committees
that primarily deal with education regarding the types of grants
awarded, the grant recipients, and the effectiveness of the grant
program.
(4) The board shall create a grant application and publish on
the Department's web site the application and timeline for the
submission, review, notification, and awarding of grant proposals.
(5) With the approval of the board, the Department shall
establish a system for evaluating and scoring the grant
applications received under this section.
(C) Each grant applicant shall submit a proposal that
includes all of the following:
(1) A description of the project for which the applicant is
seeking a grant, including a description of how the project will
have substantial value and lasting impact;
(2) An explanation of how the project will be
self-sustaining. If the project will result in increased ongoing
spending, the applicant shall show how the spending will be offset
by verifiable, credible, permanent spending reductions.
(3) A description of quantifiable results of the project that
can be benchmarked.
If an education consortia described in division (A) of this
section applies for a grant, the lead applicant shall be the
school district, school building, community school, or STEM school
that is a member of the consortia and shall so indicate on the
grant application.
(D)(1) Within seventy-five days after receiving a grant
application, the board shall issue a decision on the application
of "yes," "no," "hold," or "edit." In making its decision, the
board shall consider whether the project has the capability of
being replicated in other school districts and schools or creates
something that can be used in other districts and schools. A grant
awarded under this section to a school district, educational
service center, community school, STEM school, college-preparatory
boarding school, individual school building, institution of higher
education, or private entity partnering with one or more of the
educational entities identified in division (A) of this section
shall not exceed $5,000,000 in each fiscal year. A grant awarded
to an education consortia shall not exceed $15,000,000 in each
fiscal year. The Superintendent of Public Instruction may make
recommendations to the Controlling Board that these maximum
amounts be exceeded. Upon Controlling Board approval, grants may
be awarded in excess of these amounts.
(2) If the board issues a "hold" or "edit" decision for an
application, it shall, upon returning the application to the
applicant, specify the process for reconsideration of the
application. An applicant may work with the grant advisors and
staff to modify or improve a grant application.
(E) Upon deciding to award a grant to an applicant, the board
shall enter into a grant agreement with the applicant that
includes all of the following:
(1) The content of the applicant's proposal as outlined under
division (C) of this section;
(2) The project's deliverables and a timetable for their
completion;
(3) Conditions for receiving grant funding;
(4) Conditions for receiving funding in future years if the
contract is a multi-year contract;
(5) A provision specifying that funding will be returned to
the board if the applicant fails to implement the agreement, as
determined by the Auditor of State.
(6) A provision specifying that the agreement may be amended
by mutual agreement between the board and the applicant.
(F) An advisory committee for the Straight A Program is
hereby established. The committee shall consist of not more than
eleven members appointed by the Governor that represent all areas
of the state and different interests. The committee shall annually
review the Straight A Program and provide strategic advice to the
governing board and the Director of the Governor's Office of 21st
Century Education.
(G) Each grant awarded under this section shall be subject to
approval by the Controlling Board prior to execution of the grant
agreement.
Section 2. That existing Section 263.325 of Am. Sub. H.B. 59
of the 130th General Assembly is hereby repealed.
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