REFERENCE TITLE: appropriation; grants; reading-intensive programs

State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-second Legislature First Regular Session 2015

HB 2520

Introduced by Representatives Cardenas, Bolding, Coleman, Gabaldón, Sherwood, Velasquez, Wheeler: Ackerley, Alston, Andrade, Barton, Benally, Borrelli, Bowers, Campbell, Clark, Espinoza, Fann, Fernandez, Finchem, Friese, Gonzales, Hale, Larkin, Lawrence, Mach, McCune Davis, Mendez, Meyer, Norgaard, Otondo, Pratt, Rios, Saldate, Shope, Steele, Thorpe, Townsend, Senators Cajero Bedford, McGuire, Quezada

 

AN ACT

 

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Appropriation; department of education; grants for reading-intensive programs; amount

A.  The sum of $500,000 is appropriated from the technology-based language development and literacy intervention fund established by section 15-217, Arizona Revised Statutes, in fiscal year 2015-2016 to the department of education to provide grants to school districts and charter schools to fund reading-intensive programs.

B.  The amount of each grant awarded to a school district or charter school is at the discretion of the department of education with the goal of maximizing the number of pupils who meet or exceed the reading standards adopted by the state board of education for third grade pupils.  In determining the amount of each grant, the department of education may take into consideration the number of pupils in the school district or charter school who are classified as English language learners, the percentage of pupils in the school district or charter school who are eligible for free and reduced price lunch programs and the average number of pupils in the school district or charter school who fell below the reading standard for third grade pupils over the previous three years.

C.  In order to be eligible for a grant awarded pursuant to this section, a school district or charter school must have received monies in fiscal year 2015‑2016 generated by the K-3 reading support level prescribed in section 15-943, Arizona Revised Statutes.