(1)There is created in the department the school transformation grant program to
provide funding to:
(a)Assist in the design of turnaround leadership development programs and
to provide funding to support training and development of school turnaround
leaders for the public schools in the state;
(b)Support school districts, the institute, and charter schools in pursuing
bold solutions by providing educator professional development and transforming
instruction in public schools that are required to adopt priority improvement or
turnaround plans for the immediate or preceding school year, including, but not
limited to, management restructuring, creating a pipeline for leadership and
educator development, asset restructuring, collaborative problem-solving,
designing budgetary exp
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(1) There is created in the department the school transformation grant program to
provide funding to:
(a) Assist in the design of turnaround leadership development programs and
to provide funding to support training and development of school turnaround
leaders for the public schools in the state;
(b) Support school districts, the institute, and charter schools in pursuing
bold solutions by providing educator professional development and transforming
instruction in public schools that are required to adopt priority improvement or
turnaround plans for the immediate or preceding school year, including, but not
limited to, management restructuring, creating a pipeline for leadership and
educator development, asset restructuring, collaborative problem-solving,
designing budgetary expectations for school turnaround plans and implementing a
funding sustainability plan, distributing resources to the schools most in need, and
ensuring the school district plan details the allocation of resources to address
school district needs;
(c) Assist school districts, the institute, and charter schools that are
implementing priority improvement or turnaround plans in planning for and
implementing one or more of the following rigorous school redesign strategies:
(I) Converting a district public school to a charter school if it is not already
authorized as a charter school;
(II) Granting innovation school status to a district public school pursuant to
section 22-32.5-104;
(III) With regard to a district or institute charter school, replacing the
school's operator or governing board;
(IV) Contracting with a public or private entity other than the school district
to partially or wholly manage a district public school, which entity is accepted by
the department and the local school board as using research-based strategies and
having a proven record of success working with schools under similar
circumstances; or
(V) Closing a public school or revoking the charter for a district or institute
charter school;
(d) Support school districts, the institute, and charter schools that are
implementing priority improvement or turnaround plans to use local assessment
data to identify performance indicator gaps and provide supports and interventions;
and
(e) Assist school districts, the institute, and charter schools that have been
required to adopt a priority improvement or turnaround plan for one, two, or three
consecutive years to engage in community-led improvement strategies.
(2) The state board, in accordance with the State Administrative Procedure
Act, article 4 of title 24, shall adopt rules to implement and administer the
program. At a minimum, the rules must include:
(a) Criteria for identifying approved providers from among those that
respond to the request for proposals pursuant to section 22-13-104. At a minimum,
the criteria must:
(I) Consider each provider's experience in developing successful, effective
leadership in low-performing schools and school districts;
(II) Consider the leadership qualities that each provider's turnaround
leadership development program is expected to develop; and
(III) Ensure the availability of turnaround leadership development programs
for school turnaround leaders in public schools throughout the state.
(b) and (c) Repealed.
(d) Timelines for the school transformation grant application and approval
process;
(e) The requirements for a school transformation grant application, including
but not limited to the goals that the applicant expects to achieve through the grant;
and
(f) Criteria for selecting school transformation grant recipients. At a
minimum, the criteria must take into account for applying school districts the
concentration of schools of the school district, or for the institute the concentration
of institute charter schools, that must implement priority improvement or
turnaround plans. For applying charter schools, the criteria must prioritize schools
that are implementing priority improvement or turnaround plans.
(3) (a) Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, during
the 2022-23 budget year, the state board may award school transformation grants
pursuant to section 22-13-105, which may continue for up to three budget years, to
school districts that are accredited with improvement plan, the institute if it is
accredited with improvement plan, and charter schools that are required to adopt
an improvement plan.
(b) The state board shall promulgate rules as necessary to implement this
subsection (3).
(c) This subsection (3) is repealed, effective July 1, 2026.