(a)
(1) Acts 1991, No. 1034, authorizes the Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System to provide a loan to the Department of Education, now known as the “Division of Elementary and Secondary Education”, for a statewide computer system capable of linking all public school systems and the division.
(2) In order to provide alternatives to accomplish the purposes of Acts 1991, No. 1034, the department, now division, is hereby authorized to enter into a contractual agreement with IMPAC Learning Systems, Inc., for the development of a statewide computer system capable of linking all public school systems and the department, now division, from funds provided by a loan from the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.
(b) The State Board of Education shall maintain oversight authority over the approval of all standards, procedures, and specifications determined by the department, now division, regarding the purchase or lease of the statewide computer network in addition to maintaining oversight authority over the operational aspects of the system.
(c) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education may request from the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State a transfer of appropriation authorized for school district management and statewide data collection by the General Assembly to any other line item appropriation authorized for the department, now division, for the same purpose.