Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to override a veto and pass a bill that appropriates school aid for Fiscal Year 2021-2022.

Highlights:

• Defines "school fiscal year" as a fiscal year that commences July 1 and continues through June 30 (Sec. 6-13).

• Appropriates $4.74 billion for payments to districts and qualifying public school academies to guarantee each district and qualifying public school academy an amount equal to its 1994-95 total state and local per-pupil revenue (Sec. 22a-1).

• Authorizes a school district or qualifying public school academy to use funds allocated under this law in conjunction with any federal funds for which the district or qualifying public school academy otherwise would be eligible (Sec. 22a-4).

• Requires the multi-tiered system of supports described in this law to provide at least all of the following essential components (Sec. 31a-3):

• Team-based leadership;

• A tiered delivery system;

• Selection and implementation of instruction, interventions, and supports;

• A comprehensive screening and assessment system; and

• Continuous data-based decision-making.

• Authorizes a great start readiness program or a GSRP/Head Start blended program funded under this law to utilize AmeriCorps Pre-K Reading Corps members in classrooms implementing research-based early literacy intervention strategies (Sec. 32d-25).

• Transfers $50,000 from the General Fund for a grant to be distributed by the Department of Education to an organization to provide industrial and technological education and workforce preparation for students and professional development opportunities and support for teachers (Sec. 67a-1).

• Appropriates $2,000,000.00 for 2021-2022 to the SME Education Foundation's Partnership Response Initiative. The SME Education Foundation's Partnership Response Initiative will use the funding it receives under this law to provide high schools in this state with cost-effective and tailored engineering/manufacturing programs that provide equipment, curricula, professional development, scholarships, and STEM-focused curricular activities to students enrolled in and teachers teaching in the high schools of this state (Sec. 67b).

• Establishes in order to receive funding under this law, an intermediate district must provide advice, guidance, and leadership to assist all districts located within its geographic boundaries to assist in the preparedness and response efforts toward addressing COVID-19. At a minimum, this must include the coordination and collaboration with any local public health agency that has jurisdiction within the intermediate district's geographic boundaries and may include the coordination of bulk purchasing of personal protective equipment, technology, or other products or services necessary for students to return to school (Sec. 81-5.f).

• Requires funds under this law to be used to create and support a task force that will develop a comprehensive multi-year plan to attract, prepare, and retain qualified personnel for children with disabilities. The task force described in this law will provide all of the following (Sec. 94d-2):

• An identification of the barriers to attracting and training qualified personnel to work with children with disabilities;

• An analysis of current educator preparation processes, including the degree to which they meet the needs of special education students and whether the preparation process could be streamlined to increase the number of qualified personnel entering the field of special education;

• An analysis of attrition rates for qualified personnel leaving the field of special education and recommendations for ways that this state or districts could better retain talent;

• An analysis of this state's licensing requirements and whether they could be streamlined to increase the number of qualified personnel entering the field of special education; and

• Policy changes should be enacted into law to address the barriers identified in this subsection, with specific changes to applicable state laws or applicable state rules.

Full Bill Text

Vetoed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer