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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 231
AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATE EDUCATION RESOURCE
CENTER.
SUMMARY
By law, the purpose of the State Education Resource Center (SERC),
a quasi-public agency, is to help the State Board of Education provide
programs and activities that promote educational equity and excellence.
The bill makes the following changes in the education statutes relating
to SERC:
1. expands SERC’s specific list of required programs and activities;
2. removes the requirement that SERC’s real estate leases be subject
to Department of Administrative Services’ approval, review, or
regulation;
3. requires, rather than allows, the education commissioner to
allocate funds to SERC, including operational funds; and
4. earmarks the first $500,000 of lapsed Open Choice program
funding for SERC to use for professional development for
teachers in districts that receive Open Choice students.
The bill also makes various technical and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2022
§ 1 — SERC PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
In addition to specific programs and activities in current law, the bill
requires SERC to support local education agencies (public school
districts) serving families’, communities’, and service providers’ needs.
Also, the bill requires, rather than allows, SERC to support programs
and activities for early childhood education, school performance
improvement, and opportunity gap closure. Lastly, it requires SERC to 2022SB-00231-R000648-BA.DOCX
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support and collaborate with other state agencies when performing any
of the programs and activities listed in current law or the bill.
§ 1 — DAS APPROVAL OF REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS
The bill removes SERC leases from DAS oversight but maintains the
requirement that their terms be necessary or incidental to SERC and its
board of directors carrying out their duties under state law. Under
current law, the following SERC real estate transactions are subject to
DAS approval, review, or regulations: investments, acquisitions, leases,
purchases, ownership, management, holding, disposal, conveyances,
deals, or agreements.
§ 2 — FUND ALLOCATION TO SERC
Current law allows the education commissioner to allocate funds to
SERC so that it may provide professional development services,
technical assistance and evaluation activities, policy analysis, and other
forms of assistance to the following entities: (1) local and regional boards
of education, (2) the State Department of Education, (3) state and local
charter schools, (4) the Technical Education and Career System, (5)
school readiness program providers, and (6) other education entities
and providers.
The bill makes the commissioner’s fund allocation to SERC required
rather than optional. Additionally, it broadens the allocation’s purpose
to include operating funds in general, specifying that the funds must be
allocated in an amount sufficient for SERC to operate.
§ 3 — OPEN CHOICE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Existing law specifies how the education commissioner must use
excess funds from the Open Choice program (see BACKGROUND) in
years when fewer students enroll than appropriated funds anticipated.
By March 1 each year, current law requires the commissioner to first
use up to $500,000 of these nonlapsing funds for Open Choice receiving
districts to provide grants on a pro-rata basis for each student who is
one of at least nine other students attending the same school. Instead,
the bill repurposes these excess funds, requiring the commissioner to 2022SB-00231-R000648-BA.DOCX
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pay them to SERC so the center may provide (1) professional
development to certified employees of Open Choice receiving districts
and (2) training for other school personnel in these districts.
BACKGROUND
Open Choice Program
This program aims to (1) improve academic achievement; (2) reduce
racial, ethnic, and economic isolation; and (3) provide a choice of
educational programs for public school students (CGS § 10-266aa).
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference - APP
Yea 39 Nay 0 (03/25/2022)
Appropriations Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 50 Nay 0 (04/07/2022)