Chapter 706 Oregon Laws 2011

AN ACT

SB 252

Relating to education collaboration grant program; appropriating money; and declaring an emergency.

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. Sections 2 and 3 of this 2011 Act are added to and made a part of ORS chapter 329.

SECTION 2. (1) The School District Collaboration Grant Program is established to provide funding for school districts to improve student achievement through the voluntary collaboration of teachers and administrators to design and implement new approaches to:

(a) Career pathways for teachers and administrators;

(b) Evaluation processes for teachers and administrators;

(c) Compensation models for teachers and administrators; and

(d) Enhanced professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.

(2)(a) The Department of Education shall administer the grant program established by this section and may provide technical expertise to school districts applying for or receiving a grant under this section.

(b) For the purpose of providing technical expertise, the department may enter into contracts with nonprofit entities that have experience in designing and implementing approaches that are similar to the approaches described in subsection (1) of this section.

(c) The department may expend no more than five percent of the amount appropriated to the department for the grant program to pay for the administrative costs incurred by the department under this section, including any costs related to contracts described in paragraph (b) of this subsection.

(3) Each school district may apply to the department for a grant under this section. Prior to applying for a grant, the school district must receive the approval to apply for the grant from:

(a) The exclusive bargaining representative for the teachers of the school district or, if the teachers are not represented by an exclusive bargaining representative, from the teachers of the school district;

(b) The chairperson of the school district board; and

(c) The superintendent of the school district.

(4)(a) Funding for the grant program established by this section shall be provided through the School District Collaboration Grant Account established by section 3 of this 2011 Act.

(b) For the purpose of a grant awarded under this section:

(A) Grant Amount = School district ADMw ´ (the total amount available for distribution during a fiscal year through the School District Collaboration Grant Program ÷ the total ADMw of the school districts that receive a grant for the fiscal year through the School District Collaboration Grant Program).

(B) ADMw shall be calculated as provided by ORS 327.013, 338.155 (1) and 338.165 (3).

(c) Moneys received by a school district under this section must be separately accounted for and may be used only to provide funding for the purposes described in the application submitted by the school district.

(5) The department shall accumulate, evaluate and publish student achievement results of school districts receiving grants under this section to determine the effectiveness of the approaches implemented by the school districts under the grant program.

(6)(a) Except as provided by paragraph (b) of this subsection, the State Board of Education may adopt any rules necessary for the implementation of the grant program established by this section.

(b) The board may not adopt any rules that establish statewide standards for the design and implementation of the approaches described in subsection (1) of this section.

SECTION 3. The School District Collaboration Grant Account is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the School District Collaboration Grant Account shall be credited to the account. Moneys in the School District Collaboration Grant Account are continuously appropriated to the Department of Education for the School District Collaboration Grant Program established by section 2 of this 2011 Act.

SECTION 4. This 2011 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2011 Act takes effect July 1, 2011.

Approved by the Governor August 2, 2011

Filed in the office of Secretary of State August 2, 2011

Effective date August 2, 2011

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