§ 20-20-13-6 — David C. Ford educational technology program and fund

(a) The Senator David C. Ford educational
technology fund is established to extend educational technologies to
elementary and secondary schools. The fund may be used for:
(1) the 4R's technology grant program to assist school
corporations (on behalf of public schools) in purchasing
technology equipment:
(A) for kindergarten and grade 1 students, to learn reading,
writing, and arithmetic using technology;
(B) for students in all grades, to understand that technology is
a tool for learning; and
(C) for students in kindergarten through grade 3 who have been
identified as needing remediation, to offer daily remediation
opportunities using technology to prevent those students from
failing to make appropriate progress at the particular grade
level;
(2) a school technology program developed by the department.
The program may include grants to school corporations for the
purchase of:
(A) equipment, hardware, and software;
(B) learning and teaching systems; and
(C) other materials;
that promote student learning, as determined by the department;
(3) providing educational technologies, including computers in
the homes of students;
(4) conducting educational technology training for teachers;
(5) other innovative educational technology programs; and
(6) providing, subject to subsection (c), professional learning
opportunities for educators regarding digital learning.
(b) The department may also use money in the fund under contracts
entered into with the office of technology established by IC 4-13.1-2-1
to study the feasibility of establishing an information
telecommunications gateway that provides access to information on
employment opportunities, career development, and instructional
services from data bases operated by the state among the following:
(1) Elementary and secondary schools.
(2) Postsecondary educational institutions.
(3) Career and technical educational centers and institutions that
are not postsecondary educational institutions.
(4) Libraries.
(5) Any other agencies offering education and training programs.
(c) The department may use money in the fund to directly provide
the professional learning opportunities to educators as described in
subsection (a)(6). However, the department may not use more than ten
percent (10%) of the total money used from the fund during a state
fiscal year to provide the professional learning opportunities described
in subsection (a)(6).
(d) The fund consists of:
(1) state appropriations;
(2) private donations to the fund; or
(3) any combination of the amounts described in subdivisions (1)
through (2).
(e) The fund shall be administered by the department.
(f) Unexpended money appropriated to or otherwise available in the
fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not revert to the state general
fund but remains available to the department for use under this chapter.
[Pre-2005 Elementary and Secondary Education
Recodification Citation: 20-10.1-25-1.]

Legislative History

As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.4. Amended by P.L.177-2005, SEC.40; P.L.2-2006, SEC.81; P.L.2-2007, SEC.205; P.L.234-2007, SEC.92; P.L.3-2008, SEC.116; P.L.31-2009, SEC.2; P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.305; P.L.133-2012, SEC.185; P.L.244-2017, SEC.16; P.L.245-2023, SEC.3.