Senate Bill 2048

AN ACT TO CODIFY SECTION 37-21-52, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO ENACT THE "MISSISSIPPI MILITARY PREKINDERGARTEN ACT OF 2010"; TO AUTHORIZE PILOT PROGRAMS FOR THE PROVISION OF VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN SERVICES TO MILITARY-CONNECTED CHILDREN HAVING ATTAINED THE AGE OF FOUR IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO PROVIDE THAT PREKINDERGARTEN SERVICES SHALL BE PROVIDED BY CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO ELIGIBLE MILITARY-CONNECTED CHILDREN; TO PROVIDE FOR FUNDING TO DISTRICTS PROVIDING PREKINDERGARTEN SERVICES TO MILITARY-CONNECTED CHILDREN; TO AUTHORIZE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ADMINISTER, MONITOR AND EVALUATE THE PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. The following shall be codified as Section 37-21-52, Mississippi Code of 1972:

37-21-52. (1) This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Mississippi Military Prekindergarten Act of 2010."

(2) For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning respectively ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) "Prekindergarten" means a voluntary developmental readiness program for children who have attained their fourth birthday on or before September 1.

(b) "Military-connected children" means children who have attained their fourth birthday on or before September 1 whose parent(s) or stepparent(s) are serving on active duty for any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, or who are members of the Mississippi National Guard or a reserve component of the Armed Forces and are currently mobilized, or whose parent(s) or stepparent(s) were injured or killed while serving on active duty.

(3) (a) Subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2010-2011 school term, a voluntary prekindergarten pilot program for military-connected children shall be provided by school districts. The prekindergarten programs shall address the total developmental needs of military-connected children, including physical, cognitive, social and emotional needs. The curriculum, learning guidelines, and developmentally appropriate education services provided in the prekindergarten programs shall be in accordance with policies promulgated by the State Board of Education.

(b) The school district that solely shares a common boundary with a military base shall be responsible for the provision of prekindergarten services to military-connected children, unless an agreement is reached between that district and a neighboring district to provide the services at the neighboring district. When two (2) or more school districts share a common boundary with the military base, the school district with the largest enrollment shall provide the prekindergarten services unless an agreement is reached between that district and one (1) of the other districts sharing a common boundary with the military base.

(c) Any military-connected child shall be eligible to attend the prekindergarten programs regardless of where the child resides, except that transportation to and from the prekindergarten program shall be the responsibility of the parent or stepparent.

(4) School districts required to operate a pilot prekindergarten program for military-connected children shall submit a plan for prekindergarten services to the State Department of Education by December 1, 2010, which shall include a description of the services that will be provided beginning in the 2011–2012 school term, including the following:

(a) How those services meet department standards;

(b) The number of military-connected children the district expects to serve;

(d) Budget for prekindergarten pilot programs in accordance with reporting requirements of the department;

(e) A description of the qualifications and experience of the early childhood development staff for each site;

(f) The plan for communicating with and involving parents in the prekindergarten program;

(g) How those services meet the continuum of services to children; and

(h) Other relevant information required to be submitted by the State Department of Education.

Additional criteria for pilot programs shall include the following nationally recognized norms for quality:

(i) The prekindergarten pilot programs must be implemented at least three and one-half (3.5) hours a day, one hundred eighty (180) days a year (following the traditional school year);

(ii) All prekindergarten classrooms must implement a research-based curriculum, as determined and approved by the department;

(iii) Lead teachers must hold at least a bachelor of arts degree and be licensed by the state in early childhood education or similar field;

(iv) Teacher assistants must hold a Child Development Associate (CDA) or equivalent;

(v) Teachers and assistant teachers should receive compensation and benefits equivalent to similarly qualified teachers in the public school;

(vi) Teachers must participate in at least fifteen (15) hours of in-service training annually;

(vii) The teacher:child ratio will be no higher than 1:10; and

(viii) The class size will not exceed twenty (20) children.

(5) Subject to appropriations, a school district operating a pilot prekindergarten program for military-connected children shall receive for each enrolled child the base student cost funding as calculated under Section 37-151-7(1)(b) and (c), Mississippi Code of 1972. The base student cost shall be multiplied by an adjustment factor of 1.15 to arrive at the total base student cost per pupil amount to be received by school districts operating prekindergarten pilot programs. The school district shall also receive the adjustment for at-risk pupils as calculated under Section 37-151-7,(1)(d), Mississippi Code of 1972. In addition, the base student cost per pupil shall not be reduced by a local contribution amount as calculated under 37-151-7,(2), Mississippi Code of 1972. Funding for prekindergarten pilot programs shall be determined according to the following provisions:

(a) The funding estimate shall be based on the projected enrollment, including the projected number of pupils participating in the federal free lunch program, submitted by December 1 preceding the school year in which students are to attend;

(b) Funding for prekindergarten pilot programs shall be paid in twelve (12) installments each fiscal year; and

(c) In January of the school year that the pilot prekindergarten program is in operation, funding allocations will be adjusted based on the average daily attendance for months two (2) and three (3) of the school year that the pilot program is in operation and actual number of pupils participating in the federal free lunch program.

Funds shall not be used for any religious, sectarian or denominational purpose, instruction or material. Any military-connected children participating in a prekindergarten pilot program will attend at no charge, except that transportation of children to and from the pilot program, and associated costs, shall be the responsibility of the parent or stepparent of the child attending.

(6) Subject to appropriation, the State Department of Education shall administer the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the prekindergarten pilot programs. The State Department of Education shall make an annual report to the Legislature regarding the effectiveness of the program.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2010.