(a) "ADMw" means weighted average daily membership, as calculated under ORS 327.013.
(b) "Eligible public charter school" means a public charter school that is not a virtual public charter school, as defined in ORS 338.005, and that has a student population of which at least 65 percent of the total student population is composed of students from the following combined student groups:
(A) Racial or ethnic groups that have historically experienced academic disparities, as described in ORS 327.180 (2)(b)(B); and
(B) Students with disabilities, as described in ORS 327.180 (2)(b)(C).
(2) In addition to those moneys distributed through the State School Fund, the Department of Education shall award grants under this section to eligible public charter schools from the Statewide Education Initiatives Account.
(3) The amount of a grant awarded to an eligible public charter school under this section = the public charter school’s ADMw ´ the difference between:
(a) The amount of the General Purpose Grant per ADMw for the school district that has contractually established payment for the provision of educational services to the public charter school’s students under ORS 338.155 (2) or (3); and
(b) The amount of the General Purpose Grant per ADMw that the public charter school receives under a contract for the provision of educational services to the public charter school’s students under ORS 338.155 (2) or (3).
(4) The purpose of grants distributed under this section shall be to increase academic achievement, including reducing academic disparities, for:
(a) Students from racial or ethnic groups that have historically experienced academic disparities, as determined under rules adopted by the State Board of Education; and
(b) Students with disabilities.
(5) Any eligible public charter school may apply for and receive a grant as provided by this section. A grant application must:
(a) Describe how grant moneys will be used to advance the purpose described in subsection (4) of this section.
(b) Specify the supports that will be:
(A) Provided to students with a disability; or
(B) Used to enhance special education and related services that are provided by a school district under ORS 338.165 to the students of the public charter school.
(c) Identify any applicable longitudinal performance growth targets for the public charter school that have been established:
(A) Under contract between the public charter school and the sponsor of the public charter school; or
(B) By the public charter school or the school district in which the public charter school is located for purposes of grants from the Student Investment Account, as provided by ORS 327.190.
(d) Be submitted based on the timelines and forms prescribed by the department.
(6)(a) If the department determines that a grant application complies with the requirements prescribed under this section, the department shall enter into a grant agreement with the eligible public charter school.
(b) A grant agreement must include longitudinal performance growth targets for the public charter school. If the grant application identified longitudinal performance growth targets, those targets shall be included in the grant agreement. If the grant application did not identify longitudinal performance growth targets, the public charter school shall collaborate with the department to develop longitudinal performance growth targets. Longitudinal performance growth targets must:
(A) Be based on data available for longitudinal analysis; and
(B) Use the following applicable metrics:
(i) Third-grade reading proficiency rates, as defined in ORS 327.190;
(ii) Regular attendance rates, as defined in ORS 327.190; and
(iii) Any other metrics identified by the department in collaboration with the public charter school.
(7) After the department and the public charter school have entered into a grant agreement, the department shall award a grant to the public charter school in the amount calculated under subsection (3) of this section. A grant recipient shall deposit grant moneys received under this section into a separate account and shall apply the amounts in that account as provided by the grant agreement.
(8)(a) Each year, each grant recipient must submit to the department a description of:
(A) How grant moneys received under this section were used to advance the purpose described in subsection (4) of this section and to meet performance growth targets in the grant agreement; and
(B) Progress made by the grant recipient toward meeting the performance growth targets in the grant agreement.
(b) A grant recipient shall provide the information required under this subsection based on the timelines and forms prescribed by the department. To the greatest extent practicable, the department shall accept the information described in this subsection in the manner that it is made available by a public charter school to the sponsor of the public charter school.
(9) To the greatest extent practicable, any requirements prescribed by the department or the board under this section in relation to an application, a grant agreement or the submission of information under subsection (8) of this section shall reduce any redundancies between a grant awarded under this section and a grant awarded from the Student Investment Account. Reduction in redundancies includes accepting for the purposes of grants awarded under this section any applicable forms or information submitted by the public charter school to the department or a school district for the purposes of a grant awarded from the Student Investment Account.
(10) A public charter school and a school district may not consider moneys received by the public charter school under this section when establishing payment for the provision of educational services to the public charter school’s students under ORS 338.155 (2) or (3).
(11) Prior to November 1 of each odd-numbered year, the department shall submit to the appropriate interim legislative committees a report related to the grants awarded under this section. The report must describe:
(a) The public charter schools that applied for the grants and the public charter schools that received the grants;
(b) The longitudinal performance growth targets included in grant agreements, as provided by subsection (6)(b) of this section; and
(c) Progress made toward meeting longitudinal performance growth targets, as reported under subsection (8)(a) of this section.
(12) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules necessary for the distribution of grants under this section. [2021 c.518 §16]
Note: 327.362 becomes operative July 1, 2022. See section 18, chapter 518, Oregon Laws 2021.