Connecticut 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06618 Latest Draft

Bill / Comm Sub Version Filed 05/10/2021

                             
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 6618  
January Session, 2021 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING FU NDING ISSUES RELATED TO PUBLIC 
EDUCATION IN CONNECT ICUT.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Subsection (d) of section 10-262u of the general statutes is 1 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2 
2021): 3 
(d) The local or regional board of education for a town designated as 4 
an alliance district may apply to the Commissioner of Education, at such 5 
time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes, to receive any 6 
increase in funds received over the amount the town received for the 7 
prior fiscal year pursuant to subsection (a) of section 10-262i. 8 
Applications pursuant to this subsection shall include objectives and 9 
performance targets and a plan that are developed, in part, on the 10 
strategic use of student academic performance data. Such plan may 11 
include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) A tiered system of 12 
interventions for the schools under the jurisdiction of such board based 13 
on the needs of such schools, (2) ways to strengthen the foundational 14 
programs in reading, through the intensive reading instruction program 15 
pursuant to section 10-14u, to ensure reading mastery in kindergarten 16 
to grade three, inclusive, with a focus on standards and instruction, 17 
proper use of data, intervention strategies, current information for 18  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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teachers, parental engagement, and teacher professional development, 19 
(3) additional learning time, including extended school day or school 20 
year programming administered by school personnel or external 21 
partners, (4) a talent strategy that includes, but is not limited to, teacher 22 
and school leader recruitment and assignment, career ladder policies 23 
that draw upon guidelines for a model teacher evaluation program 24 
adopted by the State Board of Education, pursuant to section 10-151b, 25 
and adopted by each local or regional board of education. Such talent 26 
strategy may include provisions that demonstrate increased ability to 27 
attract, retain, promote and bolster the performance of staff in 28 
accordance with performance evaluation findings and, in the case of 29 
new personnel, other indicators of effectiveness, (5) training for school 30 
leaders and other staff on new teacher evaluation models, (6) provisions 31 
for the cooperation and coordination with early childhood education 32 
providers to ensure alignment with district expectations for student 33 
entry into kindergarten, including funding for an existing local Head 34 
Start program, (7) provisions for the cooperation and coordination with 35 
other governmental and community programs to ensure that students 36 
receive adequate support and wraparound services, including 37 
community school models, (8) provisions for implementing and 38 
furthering state-wide education standards adopted by the State Board 39 
of Education and all activities and initiatives associated with such 40 
standards, (9) strategies for attracting and recruiting minority teachers 41 
and administrators, (10) provisions for the enhancement of bilingual 42 
education programs, pursuant to section 10-17f, or other language 43 
acquisition services to English language learners, including, but not 44 
limited to, participation in the English language learner pilot program, 45 
established pursuant to section 10-17n, (11) entering into the model 46 
school district responsibilities agreement, described in section 10-223l, 47 
(12) leadership succession plans that provide training and learning 48 
opportunities for administrators and are designed to assist in the 49 
seamless transition of school and district personnel in and out of 50 
leadership positions in the school district and the continuous 51 
implementation of plans developed under this subsection, and (13) any 52 
additional categories or goals as determined by the commissioner. Such 53  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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plan shall demonstrate collaboration with key stakeholders, as 54 
identified by the commissioner, with the goal of achieving efficiencies 55 
and the alignment of intent and practice of current programs with 56 
conditional programs identified in this subsection. The commissioner 57 
may (A) require changes in any plan submitted by a local or regional 58 
board of education before the commissioner approves an application 59 
under this subsection, [and] (B) permit a local or regional board of 60 
education, as part of such plan, to use a portion of any funds received 61 
under this section for the purposes of paying tuition charged to such 62 
board pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (k) of section 10-264l or 63 
subsection (b) of section 10-264o, or (C) permit a local or regional board 64 
of education to expend up to ten per cent of the portion of any increase 65 
of funds received under this section over the amount such board 66 
received for the prior fiscal year, in a manner not included in the plan 67 
submitted by such board or otherwise prescribed under this subsection, 68 
provided such board (i) expends such funds in accordance with the 69 
provisions of section 10-262i, as amended by this act, and (ii) increases 70 
its local appropriation for education for such fiscal year in an amount 71 
equal to the amount the commissioner permits such board expend 72 
under this subparagraph. 73 
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) For the fiscal years ending June 74 
30, 2021, to June 30, 2023, inclusive, the balance of any remaining federal 75 
funds received by a local or regional board of education for the purpose 76 
of covering costs associated with COVID-19 expenditures, including, 77 
but not limited to, funds received pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, 78 
Relief, and Economic Security Act, P.L. 116-136, as amended from time 79 
to time, and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental 80 
Appropriations Act, P.L. 116-260, as amended from time to time, that 81 
have not been expended by such board at the end of the fiscal year shall 82 
not lapse and shall be carried forward and used by such board in the 83 
next fiscal year. As used in this section, "COVID-19" means the 84 
respiratory disease designated by the World Health Organization on 85 
February 11, 2020, as coronavirus 2019, and any related mutation thereof 86 
recognized by the World Health Organization as a communicable 87  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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respiratory disease. 88 
Sec. 3. Subdivision (2) of subsection (d) of section 10-51 of the general 89 
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 90 
(Effective July 1, 2021): 91 
(2) On and after June 7, 2006, a regional board of education, by a 92 
majority vote of its members, may create a reserve fund for capital and 93 
nonrecurring expenditures. Such fund shall thereafter be termed 94 
"reserve fund for capital and nonrecurring expenditures". The aggregate 95 
amount of annual and supplemental appropriations by a district to such 96 
fund shall not exceed [one] two per cent of the annual district budget 97 
for such fiscal year. Annual appropriations to such fund shall be 98 
included in the share of net expenses to be paid by each member town. 99 
Supplemental appropriations to such fund may be made from estimated 100 
fiscal year end surplus in operating funds. Interest and investment 101 
earnings received with respect to amounts held in the fund shall be 102 
credited to such fund. The board shall annually submit a complete and 103 
detailed report of the condition of such fund to the member towns. 104 
Upon the recommendation and approval by the regional board of 105 
education, any part or the whole of such fund may be used for capital 106 
and nonrecurring expenditures, but such use shall be restricted to the 107 
funding of all or part of the planning, construction, reconstruction or 108 
acquisition of any specific capital improvement or the acquisition of any 109 
specific item of equipment. Upon the approval of any such expenditure 110 
an appropriation shall be set up, plainly designated for the project or 111 
acquisition for which it has been authorized, and such unexpended 112 
appropriation may be continued until such project or acquisition is 113 
completed. Any unexpended portion of such appropriation remaining 114 
after such completion shall revert to said fund. If any authorized 115 
appropriation is set up pursuant to the provisions of this subsection and 116 
through unforeseen circumstances the completion of the project or 117 
acquisition for which such appropriation has been designated is 118 
impossible to attain the board, by a majority vote of its members, may 119 
terminate such appropriation which then shall no longer be in effect. 120  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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Such fund may be discontinued, after the recommendation and 121 
approval by the regional board of education, and any amounts held in 122 
the fund shall be transferred to the general fund of the district. 123 
Sec. 4. Section 10-262j of the general statutes is repealed and the 124 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 125 
(a) Except as otherwise provided under the provisions of subsections 126 
[(c)] (b) to (h), inclusive, of this section, for [the] any fiscal year, [ending 127 
June 30, 2020,] the budgeted appropriation for education shall be not 128 
less than the budgeted appropriation for education for the prior fiscal 129 
year, [ending June 30, 2019,] plus any aid increase described in 130 
subsection (d) of section 10-262i, as amended by this act, except that a 131 
town may reduce its budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal 132 
year, [ending June 30, 2020,] by one or more of the following: 133 
(1) If a town experiences an aid reduction, as described in subsection 134 
(d) of section 10-262i, as amended by this act, such town may reduce its 135 
budgeted appropriation for education in an amount equal to the aid 136 
reduction; 137 
(2) If a district experiences a net reduction in its resident student 138 
count during a period that may include any of the five fiscal years 139 
immediately prior to the fiscal year for which the budgeted 140 
appropriation for education is calculated, such district may reduce its 141 
budgeted appropriation for education in an amount equal to the 142 
number of such net reduction multiplied by fifty per cent of the net 143 
current expenditures per resident student of such district, provided no 144 
district may use the resident student count for any fiscal year that was 145 
previously used to reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in 146 
any calculation of a net reduction of resident students for purposes of 147 
reducing its budgeted appropriation for education pursuant to this 148 
subdivision for any subsequent fiscal year; 149 
(3) Any district (A) that does not maintain a high school and pays 150 
tuition to another school district pursuant to section 10-33 for resident 151  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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students to attend high school in another district, and (B) in which the 152 
number of resident students attending high school for such district for 153 
October [1, 2018] first of the prior school year, using the data of record 154 
as of January [31, 2019] thirty-first of the prior school year, is lower than 155 
such district's number of resident students attending high school for 156 
October [1, 2017] first of the school year before the prior school year, 157 
using the data of record as of January [31, 2019] thirty-first of the school 158 
year before the prior school year, may reduce such district's budgeted 159 
appropriation for education by the difference in the number of resident 160 
students attending high school for such years multiplied by the amount 161 
of tuition paid per student pursuant to section 10-33; or 162 
(4) Any district that realizes new and documentable savings through 163 
(A) increased district efficiencies approved by the Commissioner of 164 
Education, including, but not limited to, (i) reductions in costs 165 
associated with transportation services, school district administration or 166 
contracts that are not the result of collective bargaining or other labor 167 
agreements, (ii) an agreement to provide medical or health care benefits 168 
pursuant to section 7-464b, (iii) a cooperative agreement relating to the 169 
performance of administrative and central office functions, such as 170 
business manager functions, for the municipality and the school district 171 
pursuant to section 10-241b, (iv) reductions in costs associated with the 172 
purchasing or joint purchasing of property insurance, casualty 173 
insurance and workers' compensation insurance, following the 174 
consultation with the legislative body of the municipality of such district 175 
pursuant to section 10-241c, (v) reductions in costs associated with the 176 
purchasing of payroll processing or accounts payable software systems, 177 
following the consultation with the legislative body of the municipality 178 
of such district to determine whether such systems may be purchased 179 
or shared on a regional basis pursuant to section 10-241e, (vi) 180 
consolidation of information technology services, and (vii) reductions in 181 
costs associated with the care and maintenance of athletic fields, or (B) 182 
regional collaboration or cooperative arrangements pursuant to section 183 
10-158a may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for 184 
education in an amount equal to half of the amount of savings 185  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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experienced as a result of such district efficiencies, regional 186 
collaboration or cooperative arrangement, provided such reduction 187 
shall not exceed one-half of one per cent of the district's budgeted 188 
appropriation for education for the prior fiscal year. [ending June 30, 189 
2019.] 190 
[(b) Except as otherwise provided under the provisions of subsections 191 
(c) to (h), inclusive, of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 192 
2021, a town's budgeted appropriation for education shall be not less 193 
than the budgeted appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending 194 
June 30, 2020, plus any aid increase received pursuant to subsection (d) 195 
of section 10-262i, except that a town may reduce its budgeted 196 
appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, by 197 
one or more of the following: 198 
(1) If a town experiences an aid reduction, as described in subsection 199 
(d) of section 10-262i, such town may reduce its budgeted appropriation 200 
for education in an amount equal to the aid reduction; 201 
(2) If a district experiences a net reduction in its resident student 202 
count during a period that may include any of the five fiscal years 203 
immediately prior to the fiscal year for which the budgeted 204 
appropriation for education is calculated, such district may reduce its 205 
budgeted appropriation for education in an amount equal to the 206 
number of such net reduction multiplied by fifty per cent of the net 207 
current expenditures per resident student of such district, provided no 208 
district may use the resident student count for any fiscal year that was 209 
previously used to reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in 210 
any calculation of a net reduction of resident students for purposes of 211 
reducing its budgeted appropriation for education pursuant to this 212 
subdivision for any subsequent fiscal year; 213 
(3) Any district (A) that does not maintain a high school and pays 214 
tuition to another school district pursuant to section 10-33 for resident 215 
students to attend high school in another district, and (B) in which the 216 
number of resident students attending high school for such district for 217  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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October 1, 2019, using the data of record as of January 31, 2020, is lower 218 
than such district's number of resident students attending high school 219 
for October 1, 2018, using the data of record as of January 31, 2020, may 220 
reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for education by the 221 
difference in the number of resident students attending high school for 222 
such years multiplied by the amount of tuition paid per student 223 
pursuant to section 10-33; or 224 
(4) Any district that realizes new and documentable savings through 225 
(A) increased district efficiencies approved by the Commissioner of 226 
Education, including, but not limited to, (i) reductions in costs 227 
associated with transportation services, school district administration or 228 
contracts that are not the result of collective bargaining or other labor 229 
agreements, (ii) an agreement to provide medical or health care benefits 230 
pursuant to section 7-464b, (iii) a cooperative agreement relating to the 231 
performance of administrative and central office functions, such as 232 
business manager functions, for the municipality and the school district 233 
pursuant to section 10-241b, (iv) reductions in costs associated with the 234 
purchasing or joint purchasing of property insurance, casualty 235 
insurance and workers' compensation insurance, following the 236 
consultation with the legislative body of the municipality of such district 237 
pursuant to section 10-241c, (v) reductions in costs associated with the 238 
purchasing of payroll processing or accounts payable software systems, 239 
following the consultation with the legislative body of the municipality 240 
of such district to determine whether such systems may be purchased 241 
or shared on a regional basis pursuant to section 10-241e, (vi) 242 
consolidation of information technology services, and (vii) reductions in 243 
costs associated with the care and maintenance of athletic fields, or (B) 244 
regional collaboration or cooperative arrangements pursuant to section 245 
10-158a, may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for 246 
education in an amount equal to half of the amount of savings 247 
experienced as a result of such district efficiencies, regional 248 
collaboration or cooperative arrangement, provided such reduction 249 
shall not exceed one-half of one per cent of the district's budgeted 250 
appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020.] 251  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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[(c) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021] (b) 252 
For any fiscal year, the Commissioner of Education may permit a town 253 
to reduce its budgeted appropriation for education in an amount 254 
determined by the commissioner if the school district in such town has 255 
permanently ceased operations and closed one or more schools in the 256 
school district due to declining enrollment at such closed school or 257 
schools in the [fiscal years ending June 30, 2013, to June 30, 2020, 258 
inclusive] seven fiscal years immediately prior to the fiscal year for 259 
which the budgeted appropriation for education is calculated. 260 
[(d)] (c) Except as otherwise provided under the provisions of 261 
[subsection (h)] subsections (g) and (h) of this section, [for the fiscal 262 
years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021,] a town designated as an 263 
alliance district, as defined in section 10-262u, as amended by this act, 264 
shall not reduce its budgeted appropriation for education pursuant to 265 
this section. 266 
[(e) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021, the] 267 
(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any district that is in 268 
the top ten per cent of school districts based on the accountability index, 269 
as defined in section 10-223e. 270 
[(f) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021, the] 271 
(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the member towns 272 
of a regional school district during the first full fiscal year following the 273 
establishment of the regional school district, provided the budgeted 274 
appropriation for education for member towns of such regional school 275 
district for each subsequent fiscal year shall be determined in 276 
accordance with this section. 277 
[(g) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 2021, any] 278 
(f) Any district that has (1) elected to act as a self-insurer, pursuant to 279 
section 10-236, (2) experienced a loss incurred as a result of one or more 280 
catastrophic events, as declared by a nationally recognized catastrophe 281 
loss index provider, during the prior fiscal year, and (3) increased its 282 
budgeted appropriation for education during said prior fiscal year as a 283  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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result of such loss, shall not be required to include the amount of such 284 
increase in the calculation of such district's budgeted appropriation for 285 
education for the subsequent fiscal year. 286 
[(h)] (g) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, [and June 30, 2021] 287 
to June 30, 2023, inclusive, any district that has received (1) a 288 
supplemental appropriation from the board of finance for a town having 289 
a board of finance, the board of selectmen for a town having no board 290 
of finance or the authority making appropriations for the school district, 291 
for the purpose of covering costs associated with COVID -19 292 
expenditures because the budgeted appropriation for education for the 293 
district was insufficient to cover such costs, or (2) federal funds received 294 
pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, 295 
P.L. 116-136, as amended from time to time, and the Coronavirus 296 
Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, P.L. 116-260, as 297 
amended from time to time, shall not be required to include the amount 298 
of such supplemental appropriation or federal funds in the calculation 299 
of such district's budgeted appropriation for education for the 300 
subsequent fiscal year. As used in this subsection, "COVID-19" means 301 
the respiratory disease designated by the World Health Organization on 302 
February 11, 2020, as coronavirus 2019, and any related mutation thereof 303 
recognized by the World Health Organization as a communicable 304 
respiratory disease. 305 
(h) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023, any 306 
district that has been awarded a grant under the school security 307 
infrastructure competitive grant program, established pursuant to 308 
section 84 of public act 13-3, during the prior fiscal year, shall not be 309 
required to include the amount of such grant in the calculation of such 310 
district's budgeted appropriation for education for the subsequent fiscal 311 
year. 312 
Sec. 5. Subsection (d) of section 10-262i of the general statutes is 313 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 314 
2021): 315  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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[(d) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, (A) if the amount of 316 
the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-317 
262h is greater than such town's equalization aid grant amount for the 318 
prior fiscal year, the difference between the amount of such town's 319 
equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and such 320 
town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year shall be 321 
the aid increase for such town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, 322 
and (B) if the amount of the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to 323 
pursuant to section 10-262h is less than such town's equalization aid 324 
grant amount for the prior fiscal year, the difference between such 325 
town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year and the 326 
amount of such town's equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending 327 
June 30, 2020, shall be the aid reduction for such town for the fiscal year 328 
ending June 30, 2020. 329 
(2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, (A) if the amount of the 330 
equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h 331 
is greater than such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior 332 
fiscal year, the difference between the amount of such town's 333 
equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, and such 334 
town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year shall be 335 
the aid increase for such town for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, 336 
and (B) if the amount of the equalization aid grant a town is entitled to 337 
pursuant to section 10-262h is less than such town's equalization aid 338 
grant amount for the prior fiscal year, the difference between such 339 
town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year and the 340 
amount of such town's equalization aid grant for the fiscal year ending 341 
June 30, 2021, shall be the aid reduction for such town for the fiscal year 342 
ending June 30, 2021.] (d) For any fiscal year, (1) if the amount of the 343 
equalization aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h 344 
is greater than such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior 345 
fiscal year, the difference between the amount of such town's 346 
equalization aid grant for the fiscal year, and such town's equalization 347 
aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year shall be the aid increase for 348 
such town for the fiscal year, and (2) if the amount of the equalization 349  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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aid grant a town is entitled to pursuant to section 10-262h is less than 350 
such town's equalization aid grant amount for the prior fiscal year, the 351 
difference between such town's equalization aid grant amount for the 352 
prior fiscal year and the amount of such town's equalization aid grant 353 
for the fiscal year shall be the aid reduction for such town for the fiscal 354 
year. 355 
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) The Department of 356 
Agriculture, in consultation with the advisory committee described in 357 
subsection (c) of this section, shall administer the CT Grown for CT Kids 358 
Grant Program. Such program shall assist local and regional boards of 359 
education to develop farm-to-school programs that will increase the 360 
availability of local foods in child nutrition programs, allow educators 361 
to use hands-on educational techniques to teach students about 362 
nutrition and farm-to-school connections, sustain relationships with 363 
local farmers and producers, enrich the educational experience of 364 
students, improve the health of children in the state and enhance the 365 
state's economy. 366 
(b) A local or regional board of education, regional educational 367 
service center, cooperative arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a of 368 
the general statutes, child care centers, group child care homes and 369 
family child care homes, as such terms are described in section 19a-77 of 370 
the general statutes, or any organization or entity administering or 371 
assisting in the development of a farm-to-school program, may apply, 372 
in a form and manner prescribed by the department, for a grant under 373 
this section. Such grant shall be used to develop or implement a school-374 
to-farm program, which may include (1) the purchase of equipment, 375 
resources or materials, including, but not limited to, local food products, 376 
gardening supplies, field trips to farms, gleaning on farms and stipends 377 
to visiting farmers, (2) the provision of professional development and 378 
skills training for educators, school nutrition professionals, parents, 379 
caregivers, child care providers, and employees and volunteers of 380 
organizations administering or assisting in the development and 381 
implementation of farm-to-school programs, and (3) piloting new 382  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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purchasing systems and programs. 383 
(c) The department shall convene an advisory committee to assist in 384 
the administration of the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant Program. The 385 
advisory committee shall consist of the Commissioner of Education, or 386 
the commissioner's designee, and individuals representing stakeholder 387 
groups that reflect the demographic and geographic diversity of the 388 
state, selected by the Commissioner of Agriculture. The advisory 389 
committee shall (1) assist the department in reviewing applications and 390 
awarding grants under this section, and (2) provide technical assistance 391 
to grant recipients in the development and implementation of farm-to-392 
school programs. 393 
(d) In awarding grants under this section, the department shall (1) 394 
give priority to applicants (A) located in alliance districts, as defined in 395 
section 10-262u of the general statutes, as amended by this act, or who 396 
are providers of school readiness programs, as defined in section 10-16p 397 
of the general statutes, and (B) who demonstrate broad commitment 398 
from school administrators, school nutrition professionals, educators 399 
and community stakeholders, and (2) not award a grant that is in an 400 
amount greater than ten per cent of the total amount available for the 401 
fiscal year. 402 
(e) The department may accept gifts, grants and donations, including 403 
in-kind donations, for the administration of the CT Grown for CT Kids 404 
Grant Program and to implement the provisions of this section. 405 
(f) Not later than January 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, the 406 
department shall submit a report on the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant 407 
Program to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 408 
having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with 409 
the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. Such report shall 410 
include, but need not be limited to, an accounting of the funds 411 
appropriated and received by the department for the program, 412 
descriptions of each grant awarded under the program and how such 413 
grant was expended by the recipient, and an evaluation of the program 414  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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and the success of local farm-to-school programs that have received 415 
grant awards under this section. 416 
Sec. 7. Subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of section 10-264i of the 417 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 418 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 419 
(4) In addition to the grants otherwise provided pursuant to this 420 
section, the Commissioner of Education may provide supplemental 421 
transportation grants to regional educational service centers for the 422 
purposes of transportation to interdistrict magnet schools. Any such 423 
grant shall be provided within available appropriations and after the 424 
commissioner has reviewed and approved the total interdistrict magnet 425 
school transportation budget for a regional educational service center, 426 
including all revenue and expenditure estimates. For the fiscal years 427 
ending June 30, 2013, to June 30, 2018, inclusive, in addition to the grants 428 
otherwise provided pursuant to this section, the Commissioner of 429 
Education may provide supplemental transportation to interdistrict 430 
magnet schools that assist the state in meeting its obligations pursuant 431 
to the decision in Sheff v. O'Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related 432 
stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the commissioner. Any 433 
such grant shall be provided within available appropriations and upon 434 
a comprehensive financial review, by an auditor selected by the 435 
Commissioner of Education, the costs of such review may be paid from 436 
funds that are part of the supplemental transportation grant. Any such 437 
grant shall be paid as follows: For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, 438 
up to fifty per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2013, and the 439 
balance on or before September 1, 2013, upon completion of the 440 
comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, 441 
up to fifty per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2014, and the 442 
balance on or before September 1, 2014, upon completion of the 443 
comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, 444 
up to fifty per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2015, and the 445 
balance on or before September 1, 2015, upon completion of the 446 
comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, 447  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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up to fifty per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2016, and the 448 
balance on or before September 1, 2016, upon completion of the 449 
comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, 450 
up to seventy per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2017, and the 451 
balance on or before May 30, 2018, upon completion of the 452 
comprehensive financial review; for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, 453 
up to seventy per cent of the grant on or before June 30, 2018, and the 454 
balance on or before September 1, 2018, upon completion of the 455 
comprehensive financial review; and for the fiscal year ending June 30, 456 
2019, [and each fiscal year thereafter,] up to seventy per cent of the grant 457 
on or before June thirtieth of the fiscal year, and the balance on or before 458 
September first of the following fiscal year upon completion of the 459 
comprehensive financial review; and for the fiscal year ending June 30, 460 
2021, and each fiscal year thereafter, any unpaid balance of eligible 461 
transportation costs incurred on or before December thirty-first of the 462 
fiscal year based on documentation, including, but not limited to, 463 
vendor bills dated on or before February first of the fiscal year, and any 464 
unpaid balance of eligible transportation costs incurred on or before 465 
March thirty-first of the fiscal year based on documentation, including, 466 
but not limited to, vendor bills on or before May first of the fiscal year, 467 
and the balance of the grant on or before September first of the following 468 
fiscal year upon completion of the comprehensive financial review. 469 
Sec. 8. Subdivision (1) of subsection (d) of section 10-66ee of the 470 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 471 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 472 
(d) (1) The state shall pay in accordance with this subsection, to the 473 
fiscal authority for a state charter school for each student enrolled in 474 
such school, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, ten thousand two 475 
hundred dollars, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, ten thousand 476 
five hundred dollars, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2015, to June 477 
30, 2018, inclusive, eleven thousand dollars, [and] for the fiscal [year] 478 
years ending June 30, 2019, [and each fiscal year thereafter] to June 30, 479 
2021, inclusive, eleven thousand two hundred fifty dollars, and for the 480  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, and each fiscal year thereafter, eleven 481 
thousand five hundred twenty-five dollars. Such payments shall be 482 
made as follows: Twenty-five per cent of the amount not later than July 483 
fifteenth and September first based on estimated student enrollment on 484 
May first, and twenty-five per cent of the amount not later than January 485 
first and the remaining amount not later than April first, each based on 486 
student enrollment on October first. 487 
Sec. 9. Section 10-17g of the general statutes is repealed and the 488 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 489 
For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2016, to June 30, [2021] 2023, 490 
inclusive, the board of education for each local and regional school 491 
district that is required to provide a program of bilingual education, 492 
pursuant to section 10-17f, may make application to the State Board of 493 
Education and shall annually receive, within available appropriations, 494 
a grant in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying one 495 
million nine hundred sixteen thousand one hundred thirty by the ratio 496 
which the number of eligible children in the school district bears to the 497 
total number of such eligible children state-wide. The board of 498 
education for each local and regional school district receiving funds 499 
pursuant to this section shall annually, on or before September first, 500 
submit to the State Board of Education a progress report which shall 501 
include (1) measures of increased educational opportunities for eligible 502 
students, including language support services and language transition 503 
support services provided to such students, (2) program evaluation and 504 
measures of the effectiveness of its bilingual education and English as a 505 
second language programs, including data on students in bilingual 506 
education programs and students educated exclusively in English as a 507 
second language programs, and (3) certification by the board of 508 
education submitting the report that any funds received pursuant to this 509 
section have been used for the purposes specified. The State Board of 510 
Education shall annually evaluate programs conducted pursuant to 511 
section 10-17f. For purposes of this section, measures of the effectiveness 512 
of bilingual education and English as a second language programs 513  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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include, but need not be limited to, mastery examination results, under 514 
section 10-14n, and graduation and school dropout rates. Any amount 515 
appropriated under this section in excess of one million nine hundred 516 
sixteen thousand one hundred thirty dollars shall be spent in accordance 517 
with the provisions of sections 10-17k, 10-17n and 10-66t. Any 518 
unexpended funds, as of November first, appropriated to the 519 
Department of Education for purposes of providing a grant to a local or 520 
regional board of education for the provision of a program of bilingual 521 
education, pursuant to section 10-17f, shall be distributed on a pro rata 522 
basis to each local and regional board of education receiving a grant 523 
under this section. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for 524 
the fiscal years ending June 30, 2009, to June 30, [2021] 2023, inclusive, 525 
the amount of grants payable to local or regional boards of education 526 
for the provision of a program of bilingual education under this section 527 
shall be reduced proportionately if the total of such grants in such year 528 
exceeds the amount appropriated for such grants for such year. 529 
Sec. 10. Subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of section 10-76d of the 530 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 531 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 532 
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, "public agency" includes the 533 
offices of a government of a federally recognized Native American tribe. 534 
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the general statutes, for the 535 
fiscal year ending June 30, 1987, and each fiscal year thereafter, 536 
whenever a public agency, other than a local or regional board of 537 
education, the State Board of Education or the Superior Court acting 538 
pursuant to section 10-76h, places a child in a foster home, group home, 539 
hospital, state institution, receiving home, custodial institution or any 540 
other residential or day treatment facility, and such child requires 541 
special education, the local or regional board of education under whose 542 
jurisdiction the child would otherwise be attending school or, if no such 543 
board can be identified, the local or regional board of education of the 544 
town where the child is placed, shall provide the requisite special 545 
education and related services to such child in accordance with the 546  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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provisions of this section. Within one business day of such a placement 547 
by the Department of Children and Families or offices of a government 548 
of a federally recognized Native American tribe, said department or 549 
offices shall orally notify the local or regional board of education 550 
responsible for providing special education and related services to such 551 
child of such placement. The department or offices shall provide written 552 
notification to such board of such placement within two business days 553 
of the placement. Such local or regional board of education shall 554 
convene a planning and placement team meeting for such child within 555 
thirty days of the placement and shall invite a representative of the 556 
Department of Children and Families or offices of a government of a 557 
federally recognized Native American tribe to participate in such 558 
meeting. (A) The local or regional board of education under whose 559 
jurisdiction such child would otherwise be attending school shall be 560 
financially responsible for the reasonable costs of such special education 561 
and related services in an amount equal to the lesser of one hundred per 562 
cent of the costs of such education or the average per pupil educational 563 
costs of such board of education for the prior fiscal year, determined in 564 
accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of section 10-76f. The 565 
State Board of Education shall pay on a current basis, except as provided 566 
in subdivision (3) of this subsection, any costs in excess of such local or 567 
regional board's basic contributions paid by such board of education in 568 
accordance with the provisions of this subdivision. (B) Whenever a child 569 
is placed pursuant to this subdivision, on or after July 1, 1995, by the 570 
Department of Children and Families and the local or regional board of 571 
education under whose jurisdiction such child would otherwise be 572 
attending school cannot be identified, the local or regional board of 573 
education under whose jurisdiction the child attended school or in 574 
whose district the child resided at the time of removal from the home 575 
by said department shall be responsible for the reasonable costs of 576 
special education and related services provided to such child, for one 577 
calendar year or until the child is committed to the state pursuant to 578 
section 46b-129 or 46b-140 or is returned to the child's parent or 579 
guardian, whichever is earlier. If the child remains in such placement 580 
beyond one calendar year the Department of Children and Families 581  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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shall be responsible for such costs. During the period the local or 582 
regional board of education is responsible for the reasonable cost of 583 
special education and related services pursuant to this subparagraph, 584 
the board shall be responsible for such costs in an amount equal to the 585 
lesser of one hundred per cent of the costs of such education and related 586 
services or the average per pupil educational costs of such board of 587 
education for the prior fiscal year, determined in accordance with the 588 
provisions of subsection (a) of section 10-76f. The State Board of 589 
Education shall pay on a current basis, except as provided in 590 
subdivision (3) of this subsection, any costs in excess of such local or 591 
regional board's basic contributions paid by such board of education in 592 
accordance with the provisions of this subdivision. The costs for services 593 
other than educational shall be paid by the state agency which placed 594 
the child. The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to the school 595 
districts established within the Department of Children and Families, 596 
pursuant to section 17a-37 or the Department of Correction, pursuant to 597 
section 18-99a, provided in any case in which special education is being 598 
provided at a private residential institution, including the residential 599 
components of regional educational service centers, to a child for whom 600 
no local or regional board of education can be found responsible under 601 
subsection (b) of this section, Unified School District #2 shall provide 602 
the special education and related services and be financially responsible 603 
for the reasonable costs of such special education instruction for such 604 
children. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, for the 605 
fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, to June 30, 2007, inclusive, and for the 606 
fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, to June 30, [2021] 2023, inclusive, the 607 
amount of the grants payable to local or regional boards of education in 608 
accordance with this subdivision shall be reduced proportionately if the 609 
total of such grants in such year exceeds the amount appropriated for 610 
the purposes of this subdivision for such year. 611 
Sec. 11. Subsection (d) of section 10-76g of the general statutes is 612 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 613 
2021): 614  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal years 615 
ending June 30, 2004, to June 30, 2007, inclusive, and for the fiscal years 616 
ending June 30, 2010, to June 30, [2021] 2023, inclusive, the amount of 617 
the grants payable to local or regional boards of education in accordance 618 
with this section, except grants paid in accordance with subdivision (2) 619 
of subsection (a) of this section, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2006, 620 
and June 30, 2007, and for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, to June 621 
30, [2021] 2023, inclusive, shall be reduced proportionately if the total of 622 
such grants in such year exceeds the amount appropriated for the 623 
purposes of this section for such year. 624 
Sec. 12. Subsection (b) of section 10-253 of the general statutes is 625 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 626 
2021): 627 
(b) The board of education of the school district under whose 628 
jurisdiction a child would otherwise be attending school shall be 629 
financially responsible for the reasonable costs of education for a child 630 
placed out by the Commissioner of Children and Families or by other 631 
agencies, including, but not limited to, offices of a government of a 632 
federally recognized Native American tribe, in a private residential 633 
facility when such child requires educational services other than special 634 
education services. Such financial responsibility shall be the lesser of 635 
one hundred per cent of the costs of such education or the average per 636 
pupil educational costs of such board of education for the prior fiscal 637 
year, determined in accordance with subsection (a) of section 10-76f. 638 
Any costs in excess of the board's basic contribution shall be paid by the 639 
State Board of Education on a current basis. The costs for services other 640 
than educational shall be paid by the state agency which placed the 641 
child. Application for the grant to be paid by the state for costs in excess 642 
of the local or regional board of education's basic contribution shall be 643 
made in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (5) of subsection 644 
(e) of section 10-76d. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, 645 
for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, to June 30, 2007, inclusive, and 646 
for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, to June 30, [2021] 2023, 647  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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inclusive, the amount of the grants payable to local or regional boards 648 
of education in accordance with this subsection shall be reduced 649 
proportionately if the total of such grants in such year exceeds the 650 
amount appropriated for the purposes of this subsection for such year. 651 
Sec. 13. Subsection (i) of section 10-217a of the general statutes is 652 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 653 
2021): 654 
(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal years 655 
ending June 30, 2008, to June 30, [2021] 2023, inclusive, the amount of 656 
the grants payable to local or regional boards of education in accordance 657 
with this section shall be reduced proportionately if the total of such 658 
grants in such year exceeds the amount appropriated for purposes of 659 
this section. 660 
Sec. 14. Subsection (e) of section 10-66j of the general statutes is 661 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 662 
2021): 663 
(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal years 664 
ending June 30, 2004, to June 30, 2019, inclusive, and for the fiscal years 665 
ending June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023, the amount of grants payable to 666 
regional educational service centers shall be reduced proportionately if 667 
the total of such grants in such year exceeds the amount appropriated 668 
for such grants for such year. 669 
Sec. 15. Subsection (d) of section 10-71 of the general statutes is 670 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 671 
2021): 672 
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal years 673 
ending June 30, 2004, to June 30, [2021] 2023, inclusive, the amount of 674 
the grants payable to towns, regional boards of education or regional 675 
educational service centers in accordance with this section shall be 676 
reduced proportionately if the total of such grants in such year exceeds 677 
the amount appropriated for the purposes of this section for such year. 678  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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Sec. 16. Section 10-266aa of the general statutes is repealed and the 679 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 680 
(a) As used in this section: 681 
(1) "Receiving district" means any school district that accepts students 682 
under the program established pursuant to this section; 683 
(2) "Sending district" means any school district that sends students it 684 
would otherwise be legally responsible for educating to another school 685 
district under the program; and 686 
(3) "Minority students" means students who are "pupils of racial 687 
minorities", as defined in section 10-226a. 688 
(b) There is established, within available appropriations, an 689 
interdistrict public school attendance program. The purpose of the 690 
program shall be to: (1) Improve academic achievement; (2) reduce 691 
racial, ethnic and economic isolation or preserve racial and ethnic 692 
balance; and (3) provide a choice of educational programs. The 693 
Department of Education shall provide oversight for the program, 694 
including the setting of reasonable limits for the transportation of 695 
students participating in the program, and may provide for the 696 
incremental expansion of the program for the school year commencing 697 
in 2000 for each town required to participate in the program pursuant 698 
to subsection (c) of this section. 699 
(c) The program shall be phased in as provided in this subsection. (1) 700 
For the school year commencing in 1998, and for each school year 701 
thereafter, the program shall be in operation in the Hartford, New 702 
Haven and Bridgeport regions. The Hartford program shall operate as 703 
a continuation of the program described in section 10-266j. Students 704 
who reside in Hartford, New Haven or Bridgeport may attend school in 705 
another school district in the region and students who reside in such 706 
other school districts may attend school in Hartford, New Haven or 707 
Bridgeport, provided, beginning with the 2001-2002 school year, the 708 
proportion of students who are not minority students to the total 709  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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number of students leaving Hartford, Bridgeport or New Haven to 710 
participate in the program shall not be greater than the proportion of 711 
students who were not minority students in the prior school year to the 712 
total number of students enrolled in Hartford, Bridgeport or New 713 
Haven in the prior school year. The regional educational service center 714 
operating the program shall make program participation decisions in 715 
accordance with the requirements of this subdivision. (2) For the school 716 
year commencing in 2000, and for each school year thereafter, the 717 
program shall be in operation in New London, provided beginning with 718 
the 2001-2002 school year, the proportion of students who are not 719 
minority students to the total number of students leaving New London 720 
to participate in the program shall not be greater than the proportion of 721 
students who were not minority students in the prior year to the total 722 
number of students enrolled in New London in the prior school year. 723 
The regional educational service center operating the program shall 724 
make program participation decisions in accordance with this 725 
subdivision. (3) The Department of Education may provide, within 726 
available appropriations, grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, 727 
to the remaining regional educational service centers to assist school 728 
districts in planning for a voluntary program of student enrollment in 729 
every priority school district, pursuant to section 10-266p, which is 730 
interested in participating in accordance with this subdivision. For the 731 
school year commencing in 2003, and for each school year thereafter, the 732 
voluntary enrollment program may be in operation in every priority 733 
school district in the state. Students from other school districts in the 734 
area of a priority school district, as determined by the regional 735 
educational service center pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, may 736 
attend school in the priority school district, provided such students 737 
bring racial, ethnic and economic diversity to the priority school district 738 
and do not increase the racial, ethnic and economic isolation in the 739 
priority school district. (4) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, 740 
there shall be a pilot program in operation in Danbury and Norwalk. 741 
The pilot program shall serve (A) up to fifty students who reside in 742 
Danbury, and such students may attend school in the school districts for 743 
the towns of New Fairfield, Brookfield, Bethel, Ridgefield and Redding, 744  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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and (B) up to fifty students who reside in Norwalk, and such students 745 
may attend school in the school districts for the towns of Darien, New 746 
Canaan, Wilton, Weston and Westport. School districts which receive 747 
students from Danbury and Norwalk under the pilot program during 748 
the school year commencing July 1, 2022, shall allow such students to 749 
attend school in the district until they graduate from high school. 750 
(d) School districts which received students from New London under 751 
the program during the [2000-2001] school year commencing July 1, 752 
2000, shall allow such students to attend school in the district until they 753 
graduate from high school. The attendance of such students in such 754 
program shall not be supported by grants pursuant to subsections (f) 755 
and (g) of this section but shall be supported, in the same amounts as 756 
provided for in said subsections, by interdistrict cooperative grants 757 
pursuant to section 10-74d to the regional educational service centers 758 
operating such programs. 759 
(e) Once the program is in operation in the region served by a 760 
regional educational service center pursuant to subsection (c) of this 761 
section, the Department of Education shall provide an annual grant to 762 
such regional educational service center to assist school districts in its 763 
area in administering the program and to provide staff to assist students 764 
participating in the program to make the transition to a new school and 765 
to act as a liaison between the parents of such students and the new 766 
school district. Each regional educational service center shall determine 767 
which school districts in its area are located close enough to a priority 768 
school district to make participation in the program feasible in terms of 769 
student transportation pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, 770 
provided any student participating in the program prior to July 1, 1999, 771 
shall be allowed to continue to attend the same school such student 772 
attended prior to said date in the receiving district until the student 773 
completes the highest grade in such school. If there are more students 774 
who seek to attend school in a receiving district than there are spaces 775 
available, the regional educational service center shall assist the school 776 
district in determining attendance by the use of a lottery or lotteries 777  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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designed to preserve or increase racial, ethnic and economic diversity, 778 
except that the regional educational service center shall give preference 779 
to siblings and to students who would otherwise attend a school that 780 
has lost its accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and 781 
Colleges or has been identified as in need of improvement pursuant to 782 
the No Child Left Behind Act, P.L. 107-110. The admission policies shall 783 
be consistent with section 10-15c and this section. No receiving district 784 
shall recruit students under the program for athletic or extracurricular 785 
purposes. Each receiving district shall allow out-of-district students it 786 
accepts to attend school in the district until they graduate from high 787 
school. 788 
(f) The Department of Education shall provide grants to regional 789 
educational service centers or local or regional boards of education for 790 
the reasonable cost of transportation for students participating in the 791 
program. For the fiscal [years ending June 30, 2015, to June 30, 2017, 792 
inclusive] year ending June 30, 2022, and each fiscal year thereafter, the 793 
department shall provide such grants within available appropriations, 794 
provided the state-wide average of such grants does not exceed an 795 
amount equal to three thousand two hundred fifty dollars for each 796 
student transported, except that the Commissioner of Education may 797 
grant to regional educational service centers or local or regional boards 798 
of education additional sums from funds remaining in the 799 
appropriation for such transportation services if needed to offset 800 
transportation costs that exceed such maximum amount. The regional 801 
educational service centers shall provide reasonable transportation 802 
services to high school students who wish to participate in supervised 803 
extracurricular activities. For purposes of this section, the number of 804 
students transported shall be determined on October first of each fiscal 805 
year. 806 
(g) (1) Except as provided in [subdivision] subdivisions (2) and (3) of 807 
this subsection, the Department of Education shall provide, within 808 
available appropriations, an annual grant to the local or regional board 809 
of education for each receiving district in an amount not to exceed two 810  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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thousand five hundred dollars for each out-of-district student who 811 
attends school in the receiving district under the program. 812 
(2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, and each fiscal year 813 
thereafter, the department shall provide, within available 814 
appropriations, an annual grant to the local or regional board of 815 
education for each receiving district if one of the following conditions 816 
are met as follows: (A) Three thousand dollars for each out-of-district 817 
student who attends school in the receiving district under the program 818 
if the number of such out-of-district students is less than two per cent of 819 
the total student population of such receiving district, (B) four thousand 820 
dollars for each out-of-district student who attends school in the 821 
receiving district under the program if the number of such out-of-822 
district students is greater than or equal to two per cent but less than 823 
three per cent of the total student population of such receiving district, 824 
(C) six thousand dollars for each out-of-district student who attends 825 
school in the receiving district under the program if the number of such 826 
out-of-district students is greater than or equal to three per cent but less 827 
than four per cent of the total student population of such receiving 828 
district, (D) six thousand dollars for each out-of-district student who 829 
attends school in the receiving district under the program if the 830 
Commissioner of Education determines that the receiving district has an 831 
enrollment of greater than four thousand students and has increased the 832 
number of students in the program by at least fifty per cent from the 833 
previous fiscal year, or (E) eight thousand dollars for each out-of-district 834 
student who attends school in the receiving district under the program 835 
if the number of such out-of-district students is greater than or equal to 836 
four per cent of the total student population of such receiving district. 837 
(3) (A) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, the department shall 838 
provide a grant to the local or regional board of education for each 839 
receiving district described in subdivision (4) of subsection (c) of this 840 
section in an amount of four thousand dollars for each out-of-district 841 
student who resides in Danbury or Norwalk and attends school in the 842 
receiving district under the pilot program. 843  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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(B) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, and each fiscal year 844 
thereafter, the department shall provide an annual grant to the local or 845 
regional board of education for each receiving district described in 846 
subdivision (4) of subsection (c) of this section for each out-of-district 847 
student who resides in Danbury or Norwalk and attends school in the 848 
receiving district under the pilot program in accordance with the 849 
provisions of subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection. 850 
[(3)] (4) Each town which receives funds pursuant to this subsection 851 
shall make such funds available to its local or regional board of 852 
education in supplement to any other local appropriation, other state or 853 
federal grant or other revenue to which the local or regional board of 854 
education is entitled. 855 
(h) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, each sending 856 
district and each receiving district shall divide the number of children 857 
participating in the program who reside in such district or attend school 858 
in such district by two for purposes of the counts for subdivision (22) of 859 
section 10-262f and subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 10-261. 860 
(i) In the case of an out-of-district student who requires special 861 
education and related services, the sending district shall pay the 862 
receiving district an amount equal to the difference between the 863 
reasonable cost of providing such special education and related services 864 
to such student and the amount received by the receiving district 865 
pursuant to subsection (g) of this section and in the case of students 866 
participating pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, the per pupil 867 
amount received pursuant to section 10-74d. The sending district shall 868 
be eligible for reimbursement pursuant to section 10-76g, as amended 869 
by this act. 870 
(j) Nothing in this section shall prohibit school districts from charging 871 
tuition to other school districts that do not have a high school pursuant 872 
to section 10-33. 873 
(k) On or before March first of each year, the Commissioner of 874  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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Education shall determine if the enrollment in the program pursuant to 875 
subsection (c) of this section for the fiscal year is below the number of 876 
students for which funds were appropriated. If the commissioner 877 
determines that the enrollment is below such number, the additional 878 
funds shall not lapse but shall be used by the commissioner in 879 
accordance with this subsection. 880 
(1) Any amount up to five hundred thousand dollars of such 881 
nonlapsing funds shall be used for supplemental grants to receiving 882 
districts on a pro rata basis for each out-of-district student in the 883 
program pursuant to subsection (c) of this section who attends the same 884 
school in the receiving district as at least nine other such out-of-district 885 
students, not to exceed one thousand dollars per student. 886 
(2) Any amount of such nonlapsing funds equal to or greater than 887 
five hundred thousand dollars, but less than one million dollars, shall 888 
be used for supplemental grants, in an amount determined by the 889 
commissioner, on a pro rata basis to receiving districts that report to the 890 
commissioner on or before March first of the current school year that the 891 
number of out-of-district students enrolled in such receiving district is 892 
greater than the number of out-of-district students enrolled in such 893 
receiving district from the previous school year. 894 
(3) Any remaining nonlapsing funds shall be used by the 895 
commissioner to increase enrollment in the interdistrict public school 896 
attendance program described in this section. 897 
(l) For purposes of the state-wide mastery examinations under 898 
section 10-14n, students participating in the program established 899 
pursuant to this section shall be considered residents of the school 900 
district in which they attend school. 901 
(m) Within available appropriations, the commissioner may make 902 
grants to regional education service centers which provide summer 903 
school educational programs approved by the commissioner to students 904 
participating in the program. 905  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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(n) The Commissioner of Education may provide grants for children 906 
in the Hartford program described in this section to participate in 907 
preschool and all day kindergarten programs. In addition to the subsidy 908 
provided to the receiving district for educational services, such grants 909 
may be used for the provision of before and after-school care and 910 
remedial services for the preschool and kindergarten students 911 
participating in the program. 912 
(o) Within available appropriations, the commissioner may make 913 
grants for academic student support for programs pursuant to this 914 
section that assist the state in meeting [the goals of the 2008 stipulation 915 
and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as extended, 916 
or the goals of the 2013 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. 917 
William A. O'Neill, et al., as extended, as determined by the 918 
commissioner] its obligations pursuant to the decision in Sheff v. 919 
O'Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related stipulation or order in effect, 920 
as determined by the Commissioner of Education.  921 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 July 1, 2021 10-262u(d) 
Sec. 2 from passage New section 
Sec. 3 July 1, 2021 10-51(d)(2) 
Sec. 4 July 1, 2021 10-262j 
Sec. 5 July 1, 2021 10-262i(d) 
Sec. 6 July 1, 2021 New section 
Sec. 7 July 1, 2021 10-264i(a)(4) 
Sec. 8 July 1, 2021 10-66ee(d)(1) 
Sec. 9 July 1, 2021 10-17g 
Sec. 10 July 1, 2021 10-76d(e)(2) 
Sec. 11 July 1, 2021 10-76g(d) 
Sec. 12 July 1, 2021 10-253(b) 
Sec. 13 July 1, 2021 10-217a(i) 
Sec. 14 July 1, 2021 10-66j(e) 
Sec. 15 July 1, 2021 10-71(d) 
Sec. 16 July 1, 2021 10-266aa 
  Substitute Bill No. 6618 
 
 
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ED  Joint Favorable Subst. C/R 	APP 
APP Joint Favorable Subst.