79-1054.

State Board of Education; establish grant programs; application; contents; department; duties; report; State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund; created; use; investment.

(1)(a) This subsection applies until July 1, 2024.

(b) The State Board of Education shall establish a competitive innovation grant program with funding from the Nebraska Education Improvement Fund pursuant to section 79-3501. Grantees shall be a school district, an educational service unit, or a combination of entities that includes at least one school district or educational service unit. For grantees that consist of a combination of entities, a participating school district or educational service unit shall be designated to act as the fiscal agent and administer the program funded by the grant. The state board shall only award grants pursuant to applications that the state board deems to be sufficiently innovative and to have a high chance of success.

(c) An application for a grant pursuant to this subsection shall describe:

(i) Specific measurable objectives for improving education outcomes for early childhood students, elementary students, middle school students, or high school students or for improving the transitions between any successive stages of education or between education and the workforce;

(ii) The method for annually evaluating progress toward a measurable objective, with a summative evaluation of progress submitted to the state board and electronically to the Education Committee of the Legislature on or before July 1, 2019;

(iii) The potential for the project to be both scalable and replicable; and

(iv) Any cost savings that could be achieved by reductions in other programs if the funded program is successful.

(d) Based on evaluations received on or before July 1, 2019, for each grant, the State Board of Education shall recommend the grant project as:

(i) Representing a best practice;

(ii) A model for a state-supported program; or

(iii) A local issue for further study.

(e) On or before December 1, 2017, and on or before December 1 of each year thereafter, the state board shall electronically submit a report to the Clerk of the Legislature on all such grants, including, but not limited to, the results of the evaluations for each grant. The state board may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out this subsection, including, but not limited to, application procedures, selection procedures, and annual evaluation reporting procedures.

(2)(a) This subsection applies beginning July 1, 2024.

(b) The State Board of Education shall establish an improvement grant program in areas including, but not limited to, (i) teacher recruitment and retention, (ii) improvement for schools and school districts, (iii) improvement in student performance in the subject areas of reading and mathematics, and (iv) other improvement areas identified by the state board. Such grants shall be funded using lottery funds under section 79-3501.

(c) On or before December 1 of each calendar year, the state board shall electronically submit a report to the Clerk of the Legislature on all such grant programs, including, but not limited to, the recipients of the programs and evaluations of the effectiveness of each grant program. The state board may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out this subsection.

(3)(a) This subsection applies beginning January 1, 2024.

(b) For purposes of this subsection, learning platform means a three-dimensional, game-based learning platform for use by middle school and high school students.

(c)(i) The State Board of Education shall establish a grant program to procure or purchase an annual license for learning platforms for use in schools to engage students in coursework and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Such grants shall be funded using lottery funds pursuant to section 79-3501.

(ii) The State Board of Education shall establish standards that a learning platform shall meet in the subject areas of chemistry, physical science, and mathematics. The state board shall develop the criteria to prioritize the grant applications.

(iii) A developer may apply to the Commissioner of Education in a manner prescribed by the state board for a grant under this subsection for a learning platform that:

(A) Is designed to teach information related to chemistry, physical science, or mathematics;

(B) Aligns with the standards established by the state board relating to chemistry, physical science, or mathematics;

(C) Connects such standards with real-world technologies and applications;

(D) Highlights science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career pathways in Nebraska; and

(E) Meets any additional requirements set out by the State Board of Education.

(iv) Any developer that receives a grant under this subsection shall provide access to and use of its learning platform to all Nebraska school districts.

(v) Any grant awarded pursuant to this subsection shall be awarded by July 1 of each year.

(d) On or before December 1 of each calendar year, the state board shall electronically submit a report to the Clerk of the Legislature on the grant program, including, but not limited to, the recipients of the program and evaluations of the effectiveness of the grant program. The State Board of Education may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out this subsection.

(4)(a) The State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund is created. The fund shall be administered by the State Department of Education and shall consist of transfers pursuant to section 79-3501, repayments of grant funds, and interest payments received in the course of administering this section. The fund shall be used to carry out this section. Transfers may be made from the fund to the Education Future Fund at the direction of the Legislature. Any money in the State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.

(b) Of the ten percent of funds transferred to the fund pursuant to section 79-3501, eight and three-fourths percent shall be used for improvement grants pursuant to subsection (3) of this section and the remaining one and one-fourth percent shall be used for grants pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.