HLS 20RS-1314 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 853
BY REPRESENTATIVE TURNER
EDUCATION: Establishes a Digital Content and Curriculum Fund to provide classrooms
with digital content and curriculum
1 AN ACT
2To enact Subpart M of Part II-A of Chapter 1 of Subtitle I of Title 39 of the Louisiana
3 Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised of R.S. 39:100.41, relative to state funds;
4 to create the digital content and curriculum fund; to provide for use of monies in the
5 fund; to provide requirements and limitations; to provide for the duties and authority
6 of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education relative to the fund; and
7 to provide for related matters.
8Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. Subpart M of Part II-A of Chapter 1 of Subtitle I of Title 39 of the
10Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, comprised of R.S. 39:100.41, is hereby enacted to read
11as follows:
12 SUBPART M. DIGITAL CONTENT AND CURRICULUM FUND
13 ยง100.41. Digital Content and Curriculum Fund
14 A. There is hereby established as a special fund in the state treasury the
15 Digital Content and Curriculum Fund, hereinafter referred to in this Section as the
16 "fund". The source of monies deposited into the fund shall be any monies
17 appropriated annually by the legislature including donations, gifts, grants, or any
18 other monies which may be provided by law. All unexpended and unencumbered
19 monies in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. The monies
20 in the fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in
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1 the state general fund, and interest earned on the investment of monies shall be
2 credited to the fund.
3 B.(1) Subject to appropriation, monies in the fund shall be made available
4 by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for public schools to
5 provide Louisiana classrooms with digital content and curriculum that directly
6 impact student achievement and improve performance.
7 (2) Curriculum programs shall be designed to enhance outcomes for students
8 in career technical education, character education, enrichment activities, reading and
9 mathematics, and activities that increase grade-to-grade promotion and enhance
10 career and college readiness.
11 (3) Monies from the fund may also be spent on academic text support
12 systems that include authentic fiction and nonfiction books, provide reader supports,
13 provide teaching tools, and promote parent engagement.
14 C.(1) Subject to availability, monies in the fund shall be distributed at the
15 request of a school board and shall be based on the amount requested. A single
16 request shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars.
17 (2) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall distribute
18 monies from the fund on a first-come, first served basis to school boards that meet
19 the criteria outlined in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection. If a school board meets such
20 criteria but a distribution cannot be made due to lack of available monies, the school
21 board's request shall be prioritized, in the order received, once monies become
22 available. Two or more school boards may jointly request a distribution.
23 (3) To qualify for funding, a school board must meet all of the following
24 criteria:
25 (a) Have technology infrastructure in place to facilitate usage of the digital
26 content and curriculum.
27 (b) Submit an explanation for how the distribution will be used to improve
28 performance and enhance student achievement. The explanation shall include all of
29 the following:
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1 (i) The amount of monies requested.
2 (ii) The type of content or curriculum to be purchased.
3 (iii) How the purchase will assist the school board in meeting its goals for
4 improving student achievement and performance.
5 (iv) How progress toward the goals provided in Item (iii) of this
6 Subparagraph will be measured.
7 (4) Additional distributions shall be granted to a school board only if, after
8 the initial distribution, the school board has met or is making demonstrable progress
9 toward its measurable goals.
10 D. For purposes of this Section, "school board" shall mean each city, parish,
11 or other local public school board and the governing authority of each charter school.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 853 Original 2020 Regular Session Turner
Abstract: Establishes the Digital Content and Curriculum Fund and provides for
distribution of monies in the fund by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education to local public school boards that meet certain criteria.
Proposed law establishes the Digital Content and Curriculum Fund as a special fund in the
state treasury. Provides that subject to appropriation, monies in the fund shall be made
available by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) for public
schools to provide La. classrooms with digital content and curriculum that directly impact
student achievement and improve performance.
Proposed law provides that subject to availability, monies in the fund shall be distributed at
the request of a school board and shall be based on the amount requested. Provides that a
single request shall not exceed $50,000.
Proposed law requires BESE to distribute monies from the fund on a first-come, first served
basis to school boards that meet the following criteria:
(1)Have technology infrastructure in place to facilitate usage of the digital content and
curriculum.
(2)Submit an explanation for how the distribution will be used to improve performance
and enhance student achievement. Proposed law provides certain requirements for
the explanation.
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HB NO. 853
Proposed law defines "school board" for purposes of proposed law as each city, parish, or
other local public school board and the governing authority of each charter school.
(Adds R.S. 39:100.41)
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