House Bill 947

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A PROGRAM IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO MAKE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENHANCING VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM; TO SPECIFY CERTAIN INFORMATION THAT MUST BE INCLUDED IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT'S APPLICATION FOR AN ALLOCATION OF FUNDS UNDER THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ADOPT RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE APPLICATION PROCESS; TO REQUIRE THE LEGISLATURE TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATION IN SUPPORT OF THE PROGRAM FOR THE 2016 FISCAL YEAR; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) There is established within the State Department of Education a program to make funding available to school districts for the purpose of making needed improvements to the vocational and technical education programs in the public school system. Under the program, the State Department of Education may make allocations to eligible school districts that request funding to defray the expense of making certain improvements to the vocational education program in those districts.

(2) Any school district seeking funding under the program established under this section must submit a written application to the State Board of Education. The application must include no less than the following information:

(a) The specific dollar amount of funds being requested;

(b) A detailed description of the improvements for which the funds are needed, which may include, but need not be limited to: expanding vocational and technical education facilities; repairing, upgrading or replacing existing equipment; purchasing new equipment necessary to implement training in skills or a trade previously not taught in the school district, which training is necessitated by new job skill sets required to support new or expanding industry in the vicinity of the school district; providing training to vocational education instructors in the latest applications and advancements in technology and in the use of technology and equipment new to the school district; employing additional vocational and technical education teachers needed to meet the needs of training in a specific technology or due to a documented increase in student enrollment; and such other purposes determined to be appropriate by the State Department of Education;

(c) An explanation of the justifiable need for the funds, supported by documentation reflecting an increase in the number of students enrolled in or desiring to enroll in the particular vocational training program to be enhanced by the expenditures;

(d) Evidence of the vocational and technical education program's success in providing training to students which has enabled those students to be gainfully employed in an industry dependent upon the training received through the vocational education program; and

(e) Any other information that may be required by the State Board of Education.

(3) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules and regulations governing the application process and establishing the criteria under which determinations on requests for allocations under the program will be made.

(4) For the 2016 fiscal year, the Legislature shall appropriate an amount equal to not less than Fifteen Million Dollars ($15,000,000.00) out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated to the State Department of Education for the purposes of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2015.