Researcher: JM Page 1 4/3/24
OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 5
AN ACT CONCERNING SCHOOL RESOURCES.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
SUMMARY
§ 1 — EXCESS COST GRANT
Requires the state, starting with FY 25, to fully reimburse school districts for any costs for
special education in excess of four and a half times their net current expenditures per
pupil; repeals the existing language creating a tiered reimbursement structure used when
grant amounts exceed the appropriation; decouples two other special education grants
from the tiered reimbursement approach
§ 2 — ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
Requires SDE to select and utilize an existing AI tool for educators and students to use in
the classroom; requires the tool to be made available to school boards by July 1, 2026
§ 3 — AI TRAINING
Requires SDE, in consultation with the Connecticut Commission for Education
Technology, to develop a professional learning program for educators and students on
proper classroom use of AI
§ 4 — SCHOOL MAPPING DATA GRANT
Creates a new DESPP-administered school mapping data grant for local school districts
beginning in FY 25; allows school boards to apply for a grant provided school mapping
data will be provided to the school board and appropriate public safety agencies at no cost
beyond the initial cost of producing the data; requires DESPP to develop eligibility
criteria, application forms, and deadlines by October 1, 2024
§ 5 — SOCIAL MEDIA CURRICULUM PILOT PROG RAM
Requires SDE, in collaboration with RESCs, to implement a pilot curriculum program in
50 schools that explores the impact of social media to positively impact student
relationships and school climate
§ 6 — INCLUDING MEDICAID CHILDREN IN CARE 4 KIDS
Expands eligibility for the Care 4 Kids program to include parents or guardians of
children who are enrolled in Medicaid and adds them to the priority intake and eligibility
list
§ 7 — SUBMITTING SCHOOL HVAC MAINTENANCE RECORDS TO
DAS
Requires each school board to submit its HVAC systems maintenance records to DAS any
time records have been updated 2024SB-00005-R000201-BA.DOCX
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BACKGROUND
SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes to education law. Among other
things, it does the following:
1. requires the state, starting with FY 25, to fully reimburse school
districts for any special education costs more than four and a half
times their net current expenditures per pupil (§ 1);
2. requires the State Department of Education (SDE) to select and
utilize an existing artificial intelligence (AI) tool for educators
and students to use in the classroom and make it available to
school boards by July 1, 2026 (§ 2);
3. requires SDE, in consultation with the Connecticut Commission
for Education Technology, to develop a professional learning
program for educators and students on proper classroom use of
AI (§ 3);
4. creates a new Department of Emergency Services and Public
Protection (DESPP)-administered school mapping data grant for
local school districts beginning in FY 25 and requires DESPP to
develop eligibility criteria, application forms, and deadlines by
October 1, 2024 (§ 4);
5. requires SDE, in collaboration with regional education service
centers (RESC), to implement a pilot curriculum program in 50
schools that explores the impact of social media to positively
impact student relationships and school climate (§ 5);
6. expands eligibility for the Care 4 Kids program to include parents
or guardians of children who are enrolled in Medicaid and adds
them to the priority intake and eligibility list (§ 6); and
7. requires each school board to submit records for heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system maintenance to 2024SB-00005-R000201-BA.DOCX
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the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) any time
records have been updated (§ 7).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024, except the section on school
mapping data grants is upon passage.
§ 1 — EXCESS COST GRANT
Requires the state, starting with FY 25, to fully reimburse school districts for any costs for
special education in excess of four and a half times their net current expenditures per
pupil; repeals the existing language creating a tiered reimbursement structure used when
grant amounts exceed the appropriation; decouples two other special education grants
from the tiered reimbursement approach
This bill requires the state, starting with FY 25, to fully reimburse
school districts for any special education costs in excess of four and a
half times their net current expenditures per pupil. The bill eliminates
the current tiered reimbursement structure that is used to distribute the
excess cost grants in any year when the total amount of the grant
payable to school districts exceeds the amount of the state appropriation
for the grant. It also eliminates language limiting the grants to within
available appropriations.
The bill repeals the language that creates a related method of
distributing funds that remain after the tiered approach is used.
It also decouples from these distribution methods two smaller special
education grants: (1) excess special education costs for state agency-
placed students under a temporary custody order (CGS § 10-76d(e)(2))
and (2) excess regular education costs for state-placed children educated
at private residential facilities (CGS § 10-253(b)(3)).
Tiered Reimbursement Grants
Under current law, when the state’s fiscal year appropriation for the
special education excess cost grant is less than the amount needed to
completely fund the payable grants according to the calculation, the law
triggers a reduced tiered reimbursement method. This formula groups
towns in three tiers depending upon their respective adjusted equalized
net grand list per capita (AENGLPC). The formula calculates reduced
grants for local boards of education using the three tiers as follows:
boards from towns in the groups that have (1) the lowest AENGLPC 2024SB-00005-R000201-BA.DOCX
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receive 91% of their full excess cost grant, (2) a midrange AENGLPC
receive 88%, and (3) the highest AENGLPC receive 85%.
The bill repeals this method and the corresponding language that
addresses any remaining funds after the tiered method is implemented.
§ 2 — ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
Requires SDE to select and utilize an existing AI tool for educators and students to use in
the classroom; requires the tool to be made available to school boards by July 1, 2026
The bill requires SDE, for FY 25, to select and utilize an existing AI
tool for educators and students that can be used for classroom
instruction and student learning. The tool must comply with laws
governing the use of AI, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
of 1974 (FERPA), the Connecticut student data privacy law (see
BACKGROUND) , and other laws protecting student data and privacy.
SDE must make the tool available for local or regional boards of
education by July 1, 2026 (it’s unclear whether this means at no cost to
the school boards).
Under the bill, AI means any technology, including, but not limited
to, machine learning that uses data to train an algorithm or predictive
model to help a computer system or service autonomously perform any
task, including visual perception, language processing, or speech
recognition, that is normally associated with human intelligence or
perception.
§ 3 — AI TRAINING
Requires SDE, in consultation with the Connecticut Commission for Education
Technology, to develop a professional learning program for educators and students on
proper classroom use of AI
The bill requires SDE, in consultation with the Connecticut
Commission for Education Technology, to develop a professional
learning program for educators and students on proper and safe
classroom instruction using AI. The learning program, which must be
developed by January 1, 2025, must include, at a minimum, (1) how AI
can benefit (a) educators in lesson planning and development and
classroom instruction and (b) students in learning, academic 2024SB-00005-R000201-BA.DOCX
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achievement, and workforce development, and (2) the laws governing
AI use and the protection of student data and privacy, including, at a
minimum, FERPA and Connecticut student data privacy law (see
BACKGROUND) .
§ 4 — SCHOOL MAPPING DATA GRANT
Creates a new DESPP-administered school mapping data grant for local school districts
beginning in FY 25; allows school boards to apply for a grant provided school mapping
data will be provided to the school board and appropriate public safety agencies at no cost
beyond the initial cost of producing the data; requires DESPP to develop eligibility
criteria, application forms, and deadlines by October 1, 2024
The bill creates a new school mapping data grant for local school
districts that DESPP will administer beginning in FY 25, within available
appropriations. Under the bill, a school board may apply for a grant for
services to provide school mapping data for one or more schools under
the board’s jurisdiction, provided school mapping data will be provided
to the school board and appropriate public safety agencies at no cost
beyond the initial cost of producing the mapping data, and permanently
available to the board and public safety agencies.
Additionally, the bill requires the mapping service to provide data
that:
1. is compatible with software platforms of local, state, and federal
public safety agencies that provide emergency services to the
specific school or schools seeking the grant without requiring the
agencies to (a) buy additional software or (b) pay a fee to view or
access the data;
2. is compatible with the school or schools’ security software
platform for which the data is provided without requiring the
law enforcement agencies or school board to (a) buy additional
software or (b) pay a fee to view or access the data;
3. is in a printable format and, if requested, in a digital file format
that can be integrated into interactive mobile platforms in use;
4. is verified for accuracy by the entity producing the data by
conducting a walk-through of the school buildings and grounds 2024SB-00005-R000201-BA.DOCX
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being mapped;
5. is oriented true north and is overlaid with gridded “x” and “y”
coordinates;
6. includes accurate floor plans overlaid on current, verified aerial
imagery of the school campus;
7. contains site-specific labels that match the (a) structure of school
buildings, including room labels, hallway names, door and
stairwell numbers, and the locations of hazards, utility locations,
automated external defibrillators, and trauma kits, and (b) school
grounds, including parking areas, athletic fields, surrounding
roads, and neighboring properties;
8. is provided to the school board and the appropriate public safety
agencies at no cost beyond the initial cost of producing the
mapping data; and
9. cannot be modified or updated independently without
corresponding updates to school mapping data within software
platforms used by local, state, and federal public safety agencies
that provide emergency services to the specific school.
Application Forms, Deadlines, and Report to the Legislature
By October 1, 2024, DESPP must develop program eligibility criteria,
application forms, and deadlines and post a description of the grant
program that includes the criteria, forms, and deadlines in a
conspicuous location on the DESPP website.
By January 1, 2026, and each following year, DESPP must submit a
report to the Education and Public Safety committees with information
for the preceding calendar year on the number of applications received,
the number of grants awarded, and a list of the schools that received
school mapping data services pursuant to the grants.
§ 5 — SOCIAL MEDIA CURRICULUM PILOT PROG RAM 2024SB-00005-R000201-BA.DOCX
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Requires SDE, in collaboration with RESCs, to implement a pilot curriculum program in
50 schools that explores the impact of social media to positively impact student
relationships and school climate
The bill requires SDE, in collaboration with RESCs, to implement a
pilot program to provide 50 schools in the state with a curriculum for
students in grades 6 to 12, inclusive, that explores social media’s impact
through various approaches to positively impact student relationships
and school climate. The bill requires social media’s impact to be
explored through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The bill cites existing law, unchanged by the bill, that defines “school
climate” as the quality and character of school life that (1) focuses on the
quality of the relationships within the school community and (2) is
based on patterns of people’s experiences of school life and that reflects
the norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching, learning,
leadership practices, and organizational structures within the school
community.
It permits SDE to accept gifts, grants, and donations, including in-
kind donations, designated for the implementation of the pilot program
under this section.
§ 6 — INCLUDING MEDICAID CHILDREN IN CARE 4 KIDS
Expands eligibility for the Care 4 Kids program to include parents or guardians of
children who are enrolled in Medicaid and adds them to the priority intake and eligibility
list
The bill expands Care 4 Kids program eligibility to parents or
guardians of children who are enrolled in Medicaid and adds them to
the existing priority intake and eligibility list. Under current law, to be
eligible, a family must have a parent or caretaker who is working or
attending high school or enrolled or participating in (1) a job training or
employment program, (2) a Department of Labor -administered
apprenticeship program, (3) an institution of higher education, or (4)
one of several other education or career pathways. The bill makes the
parents or guardians of a child enrolled in Medicaid eligible without any
of the work, job-training, or education requirements.
Under current law, the maximum income level to be eligible for the 2024SB-00005-R000201-BA.DOCX
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Care 4 Kids program is 60% of the state median income (SMI) and
income eligibility for Medicaid is 155% of the federal poverty level
(FPL). Therefore, on the income criteria, any family that qualified for
Medicaid would also be eligible for Care 4 Kids (see BACKGROUND).
Care 4 Kids provides a child care subsidy to eligible parents and
caretakers.
§ 7 — SUBMITTING SCHOOL HVAC MAINTENANCE RECORDS TO
DAS
Requires each school board to submit its HVAC systems maintenance records to DAS any
time records have been updated
By law, each school board is required to ensure that its schools’
HVAC systems are maintained in accordance with prevailing standards
and the boards must maintain records of the HVAC maintenance. The
bill requires the boards to update the records and submit them to DAS
any time they have been updated after maintenance.
BACKGROUND
Student Data Privacy Law
Connecticut’s student data privacy law restricts how website and
mobile app operators and consultants who contract with boards of
education may process or access student data. It applies to student
records and information and student-generated content. Among other
things, it requires operators and consultants to use reasonable security
practices to safeguard student data and generally prohibits contractors
from selling or disclosing student information (CGS §§ 10-234aa- to -
234gg).
Selected Annual SMI and FPL Table*
Family Size 1 2 3 4
100% (FPL) 15,060 20,440 25,820 31,200
150% (FPL) 22,590 30,660 38,730 46,800
200% (FPL) 30,120 40,880 51,640 62,400
50% (SMI) 34,627 45,282 55,937 66,592 2024SB-00005-R000201-BA.DOCX
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250% (FPL) 37,650 51,100 64,550 78,000
60% (SMI) 41,553 54,338 67,124 79,910
*SMI from CT Department of Social Services, September 2023, and FPL provided for 2024 by U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
Related Bill
sSB 287, favorably voted out by the Education Committee, makes
changes to the school HVAC inspection and evaluation process.
SB 229, favorably voted out by the Public Safety Committee, has the
same school mapping grant as section 4.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 43 Nay 1 (03/18/2024)