Connecticut 2022 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00231 Compare Versions

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7	7		General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 231
8	8		February Session, 2022
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14	14		AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATE EDUCATION RESOURCE
15	15		CENTER.
16	16		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
17	17		Assembly convened:
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19	19		Section 1. Section 10-357b of the 2022 supplement to the general 1
20	20		statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
21	21		(Effective July 1, 2022): 3
22	22		(a) The purposes of the State Education Resource Center, established 4
23	23		pursuant to section 10-357a, shall be to assist the State Board of 5
24	24		Education in the provision of programs and activities that will promote 6
25	25		educational equity and excellence. Such activities shall be limited to: 7
26	26		Training, technical assistance and professional development for local 8
27	27		and regional boards of education, school leaders, teachers, families and 9
28	28		community partners in the form of seminars, publications, site visits, on-10
29	29		line content and other appropriate means; maintaining a state education 11
30	30		resource center library; publication of technical materials; research and 12
31	31		evaluation; writing, managing, administering and coordinating grants 13
32	32		for the purposes described in this subsection; and any other related 14
33	33		activities directly related to the purposes described in this subsection. 15
34	34		The center shall support local educational agencies serving the needs of 16
35	35		families, communities and service providers. The center [may] shall 17
36	36		support programs and activities concerning early childhood education, 18 Substitute Bill No. 231
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43	43		in collaboration with the Office of Early Childhood, improving school 19
44	44		and district academic performance, and closing [academic achievement] 20
45	45		opportunity gaps between socio-economic subgroups, and other related 21
46	46		programs and activities. The center shall support and collaborate with 22
47	47		other state agencies for the purposes described in this subsection. For 23
48	48		such purposes the center is authorized and empowered to: 24
49	49		(1) Have perpetual succession as a body politic and corporate and to 25
50	50		adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its 26
51	51		business; 27
52	52		(2) Adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure; 28
53	53		(3) Maintain an office at such place or places as it may designate; 29
54	54		(4) Sue and be sued in its own name and plead and be impleaded; 30
55	55		(5) (A) Employ such assistants, agents and other employees as may 31
56	56		be necessary or desirable who shall not be employees, as defined in 32
57	57		subsection (b) of section 5-270; (B) establish all necessary or appropriate 33
58	58		personnel practices and policies, including those relating to hiring, 34
59	59		promotion, compensation, retirement and collective bargaining, which 35
60	60		need not be in accordance with chapter 68, and the center shall not be 36
61	61		an employer as defined in subsection (a) of section 5-270; and (C) engage 37
62	62		consultants, attorneys and appraisers as may be necessary or desirable 38
63	63		to carry out its purposes in accordance with this section and sections 10-39
64	64		357a, 10-357c and 10-357d; 40
65	65		(6) Receive and accept aid or contributions from any source of money, 41
66	66		property, labor or other things of value, to be held, used and applied to 42
67	67		carry out the purposes of this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 43
68	68		10-357d, subject to such conditions upon which such grants and 44
69	69		contributions may be made, including, but not limited to, gifts or grants 45
70	70		from any department, agency or instrumentality of the United States or 46
71	71		this state for any purpose consistent with this section and sections 10-47
72	72		357a, 10-357c and 10-357d; 48 Substitute Bill No. 231
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79	79		(7) Make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or 49
80	80		incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its 50
81	81		powers under this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, 51
82	82		including contracts and agreements for such professional services as the 52
83	83		center deems necessary, including, but not limited to, those services 53
84	84		provided by financial consultants, underwriters and technical 54
85	85		specialists; 55
86	86		(8) Acquire, lease, purchase, own, manage, hold and dispose of 56
87	87		personal property, and lease, convey or deal in or enter into agreements 57
88	88		with respect to such property on any terms necessary or incidental to 58
89	89		the carrying out of these purposes; 59
90	90		(9) Invest in, acquire, [lease,] purchase, own, manage, hold and 60
91	91		dispose of real property and [lease,] convey or deal in or enter into 61
92	92		agreements with respect to such property on any terms necessary or 62
93	93		incidental to carrying out the purposes of this section and sections 10-63
94	94		357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, provided such transactions shall be subject 64
95	95		to approval, review or regulation by any state agency pursuant to title 65
96	96		4b or any other provision of the general statutes; 66
97	97		(10) Lease real property on any terms necessary or incidental to 67
98	98		carrying out the purposes of this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c 68
99	99		and 10-357d; 69
100	100		[(10)] (11) Procure insurance against any liability or loss in connection 70
101	101		with its property and other assets, in such amounts and from such 71
102	102		insurers as it deems desirable and to procure insurance for employees; 72
103	103		[(11)] (12) Account for and audit funds of the center and funds of any 73
104	104		recipients of funds from the center; 74
105	105		[(12)] (13) Hold patents, copyrights, trademarks, marketing rights, 75
106	106		licenses, or any other evidences of protection or exclusivity as to any 76
107	107		products as defined in this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-77
108	108		357d, issued under the laws of the United States or any state or any 78
109	109		nation; 79 Substitute Bill No. 231
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116	116		[(13)] (14) Establish advisory committees to assist in accomplishing 80
117	117		its duties under this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, 81
118	118		which may include one or more members of the board of directors and 82
119	119		persons other than members; and 83
120	120		[(14)] (15) Do all acts and things necessary or convenient to carry out 84
121	121		the purposes of this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, 85
122	122		and the powers expressly granted by this section and sections 10-357a, 86
123	123		10-357c and 10-357d. 87
124	124		(b) The State Education Resource Center shall establish a Connecticut 88
125	125		School Reform Resource Center either within the State Education 89
126	126		Resource Center or by contract through a regional educational service 90
127	127		center, established pursuant to section 10-66a. The Connecticut School 91
128	128		Reform Resource Center shall operate year-round and shall focus on 92
129	129		serving the needs of all public schools. The Connecticut School Reform 93
130	130		Resource Center shall (1) publish and distribute reports on the most 94
131	131		effective practices for improving student achievement by successful 95
132	132		schools; (2) provide a program of professional development activities 96
133	133		for (A) school leaders, including curriculum coordinators, principals, 97
134	134		superintendents and board of education members, and (B) teachers to 98
135	135		educate students that includes research-based child development and 99
136	136		reading instruction tools and practices; (3) provide information on 100
137	137		successful models for evaluating student performance and managing 101
138	138		student data; (4) develop strategies for assisting such students who are 102
139	139		in danger of failing; (5) develop culturally relevant methods for 103
140	140		educating students whose primary language is not English; and (6) 104
141	141		provide other programs and materials to assist in the improvement of 105
142	142		public schools. 106
143	143		(c) The State Education Resource Center shall be subject to (1) rules, 107
144	144		regulations and restrictions on purchasing, procurement, personal 108
145	145		service agreements and the disposition of assets generally applicable to 109
146	146		Connecticut state agencies, including those contained in titles 4, 4a and 110
147	147		4b and section 4e-19, and (2) audit by the Auditors of Public Accounts 111
148	148		under chapter 12 and section 2-90. 112 Substitute Bill No. 231
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155	155		Sec. 2. Section 10-357e of the general statutes is repealed and the 113
156	156		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2022): 114
157	157		The Commissioner of Education [may] shall allocate funds to [allow] 115
158	158		the State Education Resource Center, established pursuant to section 10-116
159	159		357a, in an amount that is sufficient for the center to operate and to 117
160	160		provide professional development services, technical assistance and 118
161	161		evaluation activities, policy analysis and other forms of assistance to 119
162	162		local and regional boards of education, the Department of Education, 120
163	163		state and local charter schools, as defined in section 10-66aa, the 121
164	164		Technical Education and Career System, established pursuant to section 122
165	165		10-95, providers of school readiness programs, as defined in section 10-123
166	166		16p, and other educational entities and providers. The State Education 124
167	167		Resource Center shall expend such funds in accordance with procedures 125
168	168		and conditions prescribed by the commissioner. 126
169	169		Sec. 3. Subsection (k) of section 10-266aa of the 2022 supplement to 127
170	170		the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 128
171	171		thereof (Effective July 1, 2022): 129
172	172		(k) On or before March first of each year, the Commissioner of 130
173	173		Education shall determine if the enrollment in the program pursuant to 131
174	174		subsection (c) of this section for the fiscal year is below the number of 132
175	175		students for which funds were appropriated. If the commissioner 133
176	176		determines that the enrollment is below such number, the additional 134
177	177		funds shall not lapse but shall be used by the commissioner in 135
178	178		accordance with this subsection. 136
179	179		(1) Any amount up to and including five hundred thousand dollars 137
180	180		of such nonlapsing funds shall be [used for supplemental grants to 138
181	181		receiving districts on a pro rata basis for each out-of-district student in 139
182	182		the program pursuant to subsection (c) of this section who attends the 140
183	183		same school in the receiving district as at least nine other such out-of-141
184	184		district students, not to exceed one thousand dollars per student] paid 142
185	185		to the State Education Resource Center, established pursuant to section 143
186	186		10-357a, to provide professional development to certified employees, in 144 Substitute Bill No. 231
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193	193		accordance with the provisions of section 10-148a, and training for other 145
194	194		school personnel in receiving districts. 146
195	195		(2) Any amount of such nonlapsing funds [equal to or] greater than 147
196	196		five hundred thousand dollars, but less than one million dollars, shall 148
197	197		be used for supplemental grants, in an amount determined by the 149
198	198		commissioner, on a pro rata basis to receiving districts that report to the 150
199	199		commissioner on or before March first of the current school year that the 151
200	200		number of out-of-district students enrolled in such receiving district is 152
201	201		greater than the number of out-of-district students enrolled in such 153
202	202		receiving district from the previous school year. 154
203	203		(3) Any remaining nonlapsing funds shall be used by the 155
204	204		commissioner to increase enrollment in the interdistrict public school 156
205	205		attendance program described in this section. 157
206	206		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
207	207		sections:
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209	209		Section 1 July 1, 2022 10-357b
210	210		Sec. 2 July 1, 2022 10-357e
211	211		Sec. 3 July 1, 2022 10-266aa(k)
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213	213		ED Joint Favorable Subst. C/R APP
214		-	APP Joint Favorable
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