(1) No later than November 1, 2019, and, subject to available appropriations, no later than November 1 each year thereafter, the department shall issue a request for proposals inviting local education providers to apply to participate in the pilot program in the following budget year. A local education provider that chooses to apply must submit the application, as described in section 22-35.6-104, to the department no later than the following January 15. Subject to available appropriations, the state board shall select the participating applicants no later than the following March 1.
(2) The department shall review the applications received and recommend to the state board applicants to participate in the pilot program. The state board, taking into account the recommendations of the department, shall select the applicants to participate in the pilot program beginning in the 2020-21 budget year. In recommending and selecting the local education providers to participate in the pilot program, the department and the state board shall consider:
The percentage of students enrolled by the local education provider in grades ninethrough twelve who are reasonably expected to participate in innovative learning opportunities;
The quality of the innovative learning plan and the likelihood that it will result inmeaningful innovative learning opportunities for students that will significantly support them in the transition from high school to postsecondary education or the workforce; and
The degree to which the innovative learning plan aligns with at least two of theprinciples specified in section 22-35.6-104 (2) or meets the research-based design principles described in section 22-35.6-104 (3).
(3) (a) For the 2020-21 budget year, subject to available appropriations, the state board shall select applicants to participate in the pilot program as follows:
Of those applicants in which any of the students enrolled in grades nine throughtwelve in the preceding budget year were enrolled as part-time students, the state board shall select up to five applicants, each of which enrolls fewer than five thousand students in grades nine through twelve; and
Of those applicants in which all of the students enrolled in grades nine through twelve in the preceding budget year were enrolled as full-time students, the state board shall select each applicant that adopts an innovative learning plan that the state board determines:
Is likely to result in meaningful innovative learning opportunities for students thatwill significantly support them in the transition from high school to postsecondary education or the workforce; and
Aligns with at least two of the principles specified in section 22-35.6-104 (2) ormeets the research-based design principles described in section 22-35.6-104 (3).
(b) Beginning in the 2021-22 budget year, it is the intent of the general assembly to increase annually the number of local education providers that participate in the pilot program and, by the 2025-26 budget year, to achieve one hundred percent participation by local education providers that meet the requirements of this article 35.6.
(4) The department shall annually review the information received pursuant to section 22-35.6-106 (1) from the local education providers that participate in the pilot program. The state board shall automatically renew a local education provider's participation in the pilot program if the department finds that the information demonstrates that:
The innovative learning plan and the innovative learning opportunities provided through the plan meet the criteria described in subsection (2) of this section; and
The number of students enrolled in grades nine through twelve who are participatingin innovative learning opportunities increased over the preceding budget year or one hundred percent of the students enrolled in grades nine through twelve are participating in innovative learning opportunities.
(5) (a) By September 1, 2019, the department shall issue a request for proposals to contract with a statewide nonprofit entity that has expertise in system innovation and career and postsecondary readiness to assist in implementing the pilot program. The department shall review the proposals received and contract with the entity by January 1, 2020.
(b) The contract entity, at a minimum, shall:
Provide technical assistance to rural local education providers and small suburbanschool districts that choose to apply to participate in the pilot program individually, as a group, or through a board of cooperative services;
Provide to rural local education providers and small suburban school districts thatparticipate in the pilot program technical assistance in implementing their innovative learning plans;
Facilitate communications among and creation of a network of all local educationproviders that participate in the pilot program to assist in documenting the strategies used in implementing the plans and in providing innovative learning opportunities;
Assist the local education providers that participate in the pilot program and thedepartment in evaluating the effectiveness and measuring the success of each local education provider's innovative learning plan; and
Assist the department in preparing the report required in section 22-35.6-106.
Source: L. 2019: Entire article added, (SB 19-216), ch. 150, p. 1781, § 1, effective May 10.