A. Contingent upon the provision of appropriated funds designated for such purpose, the State Board of Education may award one or more competitive grants for providing academically-oriented programs to students needing or desiring such programs during before-school, after-school, and summer periods.
B. The State Board of Education shall determine pilot program criteria and establish a process for the consideration of proposals. Such proposals for pilot programs shall be considered on a statewide competitive basis. The State Board of Education is authorized to promulgate rules for the operation of such programs.
C. Upon implementation of this subsection as provided for in subsection D of this section, the State Board of Education shall modify the awards process for the competitive grants so that grants are awarded to school districts or nonprofit organizations. In addition, the grants shall be awarded to academically oriented programs which serve students in at-risk or disadvantaged urban school districts.
D. Implementation of subsection C of this section shall be delayed until the current expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance in public elementary and secondary schools in unadjusted dollars for the 1998-99 school year or any school year thereafter for Oklahoma, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics annually in the Digest of Education Statistics, reaches at least ninety percent (90%) of the regional average expenditure for that same year, and funds are provided. For purposes of this subsection, the regional average expenditure shall consist of the current expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance in public elementary and secondary schools in unadjusted dollars for each of the following states: Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, averaged together. By January 1 of each year, the State Board of Education shall report whether or not the ninety-percent expenditure level has been reached based on information reported annually in the Digest of Education Statistics by the National Center for Education Statistics. Subsection C of this section shall be implemented on July 1 after the first January 1 report verifies that the ninety-percent expenditure level has been reached and funds have been provided for the specific purposes of this section.
Added by Laws 1989, c. 335, § 17, eff. July 1, 1989. Amended by Laws 1999, c. 320, § 48, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 2001, c. 201, § 8.