SECTION 1A - H630 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION-EIA

1A.1. (SDE-EIA: Prohibition on Appropriation Transfers) The amounts appropriated herein for aid to subdivisions or allocations to school districts shall not be transferred or reduced and must be expended in accordance with the intent of the appropriation. However, transfers are authorized from allocations to school districts or special line items with projected year-end excess appropriations above requirements, to allocations to school districts or special line items with projected deficits in appropriations.

1A.2. (SDE-EIA: African-American History) Funds provided for the development of the African-American History curricula may be carried forward into the current fiscal year. Funds that are currently a salary line item will be reallocated for the development of instructional materials and programs and the implementation of professional learning opportunities that promote African American history and culture. For Fiscal Year 2017-18 not less than seventy percent of the funds carried forwarded must be expended for the development of additional instructional materials by nonprofit organizations selected through a grant process by the Department of Education.

1A.3. (SDE-EIA: Teacher Evaluations, Implementation/Education Oversight) The Department of Education is directed to oversee the evaluation of teachers at the School for the Deaf and the Blind, the John de la Howe School and the Department of Juvenile Justice under the ADEPT model.

1A.4. (SDE-EIA: Teacher Salaries/State Agencies) Each state agency which does not contain a school district but has instructional personnel shall receive an appropriation as recommended by the Education Oversight Committee and funded by the General Assembly for teacher salaries based on the following formula: Each state agency shall receive such funds as are necessary to adjust the pay of all instructional personnel to the appropriate salary provided by the salary schedules of the school district in which the agency is located. Instructional personnel may include all positions which would be eligible for EIA supplements in a public school district, and may at the discretion of the state agency, be defined to cover curriculum development specialists, educational testing psychologists, psychological and guidance counselors, and principals. The twelve-month agricultural teachers located at Clemson University are to be included in this allocation of funds for base salary increases. The South Carolina Governors School for the Arts and Humanities and the South Carolina Governors School for Science and Mathematics are authorized to increase the salaries of instructional personnel by an amount equal to the percentage increase given by the School District in which they are both located.

Teacher salary increases recommended by the Education Oversight Committee and funded in this Act shall be incorporated into each agencys EIA appropriation contained in Section 1, VIII.E.

1A.5. (SDE-EIA: Work-Based Learning) Of the funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.A.1. for the Work-Based Learning Program, $75,000 shall be used by the State Department of Education to provide for regional professional development in contextual methodology techniques and integration of curriculum, and professional development in career guidance for teachers and guidance counselors and training mentors. Pilot-site delivery of contextual methodology training in mathematics will be supported by technology and hands-on lab activities. In addition, $500,000 shall be allocated for Regional Career Specialists. Each Regional Career Specialist shall (1) be housed within the regional centers/WIA geographic areas, (2) provide career development activities throughout all schools within the region, (3) be under the program supervision of the Office of Career and Technology Education, State Department of Education, and (4) adhere to an accountability and evaluation plan created by the Office of Career and Technology Education, State Department of Education. The Office of Career and Technology Education, State Department of Education, shall provide a report, in February of the current fiscal year to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee on accomplishments of the Career Counseling Specialists. Of the funds appropriated in the prior fiscal year, unexpended funds may be carried forward to the current fiscal year and expended for the same purposes.

1A.6. (SDE-EIA: CHE/Teacher Recruitment) Of the funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.E. for the Teacher Recruitment Program, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education shall distribute a total of ninety-two percent to the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA-South Carolina) for a state teacher recruitment program, of which at least seventy-eight percent must be used for the Teaching Fellows Program specifically to provide scholarships for future teachers, and of which twenty-two percent must be used for other aspects of the state teacher recruitment program, including the Teacher Cadet Program and $166,302 which must be used for specific programs to recruit minority teachers: and shall distribute eight percent to South Carolina State University to be used only for the operation of a minority teacher recruitment program and therefore shall not be used for the operation of their established general education programs. Working with districts with an absolute rating of At-Risk or Below Average, CERRA will provide shared initiatives to recruit and retain teachers to schools in these districts. CERRA will report annually by October first to the Education Oversight Committee and the Department of Education on the success of the recruitment and retention efforts in these schools. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education shall ensure that all funds are used to promote teacher recruitment on a statewide basis, shall ensure the continued coordination of efforts among the three teacher recruitment projects, shall review the use of funds and shall have prior program and budget approval. The South Carolina State University program, in consultation with the Commission on Higher Education, shall extend beyond the geographic area it currently serves. Annually, the Commission on Higher Education shall evaluate the effectiveness of each of the teacher recruitment projects and shall report its findings and its program and budget recommendations to the House and Senate Education Committees, the State Board of Education and the Education Oversight Committee by October first annually, in a format agreed upon by the Education Oversight Committee and the Department of Education.

With the funds appropriated CERRA shall also appoint and maintain the South Carolina Teacher Loan Advisory Committee. The Committee shall be composed of one member representing each of the following: (1) Commission on Higher Education; (2) State Board of Education; (3) Education Oversight Committee; (4) Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement; (5) South Carolina Student Loan Corporation; (6) South Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators; (7) a local school district human resources officer; (8) a public higher education institution with an approved teacher education program; and (9) a private higher education institution with an approved teacher education program. The members of the committee representing the public and private higher education institutions shall rotate among those intuitions and shall serve a two-year term on the committee. The committee must be staffed by CERRA, and shall meet at least twice annually. The committees responsibilities are limited to: (1) establishing goals for the Teacher Loan Program; (2) facilitating communication among the cooperating agencies; (3) advocating for program participants; and (4) recommending policies and procedures necessary to promote and maintain the program.

1A.7. (SDE-EIA: Disbursements/Other Entities) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 2-7-66 and 11-3-50, South Carolina Code of Laws, it is the intent of the General Assembly that funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.E. Other State Agencies and Entities shall be disbursed on a quarterly basis by the Department of Revenue directly to the state agencies and entities referenced except for the Teacher Loan Program, Centers of Excellence, the Education Oversight Committee and School Technology, which shall receive their full appropriation at the start of the fiscal year from available revenue. The Comptroller Generals Office is authorized to make necessary appropriation reductions in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.E. to prevent duplicate appropriations. If the Education Improvement Act appropriations in the agency and entity respective sections of the General Appropriations Act at the start of the fiscal year do not agree with the appropriations in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.E. Other State Agencies and Entities, the other funds appropriations in the respective agency and entity sections of the General Appropriations Act will be adjusted by the Comptroller Generals Office to conform to the appropriations in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.E. Other State Agencies and Entities. Further, the Department of Revenue is directed to provide the full appropriation of the funding appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.C.2. Teacher Supplies to the Department of Education at the start of the fiscal year from available revenue. The Department of Revenue is also directed to provide the first quarter appropriation of the funding appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.G. Charter School District to the Department of Education at the start of the fiscal year from available revenue.

1A.8. (SDE-EIA: Arts in Education) Funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.A.1. Arts Curricula shall be used to support innovative practices in arts education curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the visual and performing arts including dance, music, theatre, and visual arts which incorporates strengths from the Arts in Education sites. They shall also be used to support the advancement of the implementation of the visual and performing arts academic standards. These funds shall be distributed to schools and school districts under a competitive grants program; however, up to thirty-three percent of the total amount of the grant fund shall be made available as Aid to Other Agencies to facilitate the funding of professional development arts institutes that have been approved by the State Department of Education for South Carolina arts teachers, appropriate classroom teachers, and administrators. Arts Curricular Grants funds may be retained and carried forward into the current fiscal year to be expended in accordance with the proposed award.

1A.9. (SDE-EIA: Teacher Supplies) All certified and non-certified public school teachers identified in PCS, certified special school classroom teachers, certified media specialists, certified guidance counselors, and career specialists who are employed by a school district, a charter school, or lead teachers employed in a publically funded full day 4K classroom approved by the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, as of November thirtieth of the current fiscal year, based on the public decision of the school board may receive reimbursement of two hundred seventy-five dollars each school year to offset expenses incurred by them for teaching supplies and materials. Funds shall be disbursed by the department to School districts by July fifteenth based on the last reconciled Professional Certified Staff (PCS) listing from the previous year. With remaining funds for this program, any deviation in the PCS and actual teacher count will be reconciled by December thirty-first or as soon as practicable thereafter. Based on the public decision of the school district and no later than May fifteenth annually, the district shall notify all individuals entitled to receive these funds the manner in which the funds will be dispersed. Funds may be disbursed to each teacher via check in a manner separate and distinct from their payroll check on the first day teachers, by contract, are required to be in attendance at school for the current contract year, or the funds may be disbursed to each teacher via direct deposit as long as the funds are handled in a manner to be separate and distinct from their payroll check. This reimbursement shall not be considered by the state as taxable income. Special schools include the Governors School for Science and Math, the Governors School for the Arts and Humanities, Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, John de la Howe School, School for the Deaf and the Blind, Felton Lab, Department of Juvenile Justice, and Palmetto Unified School District. Funds distributed to school districts or allocated to schools must not supplant existing supply money paid to teachers from other sources. If a school district requires receipts for tax purposes the receipts may not be required before December thirty-first. Districts that do not wish to require receipts may have teachers retain the receipts and certify for the district they have received the allocation for purchase of teaching supplies and/or materials and that they have purchased or will purchase supplies and/or materials during the fiscal year for the amount of the allocation. Districts shall not have an audit exception related to non-retention of receipts in any instances where a similar instrument is utilized. Any district requiring receipts must notify any teacher from whom receipts have not been submitted between November twenty-fifth and December sixth that receipts must be submitted to the district. Districts may not add any additional requirement not listed herein related to this reimbursement.

Any classroom teacher, including a classroom teacher at a South Carolina private school, that is not eligible for the reimbursement allowed by this provision, may claim a refundable income tax credit on the teachers 2017 tax return, provided that the return or any amended return claiming the credit is filed prior to the end of the fiscal year. The credit is equal to two hundred seventy-five dollars, or the amount the teacher expends on teacher supplies and materials, whichever is less. If any expenditures eligible for a credit are made after December thirty-first, the teacher may include the expenditures on his initial return or may file an amended 2017 return claiming the credit, so long as the return or amended return is filed in this fiscal year. The Department of Revenue may require whatever proof it deems necessary to implement the credit provided by this part of this provision. Any person receiving the reimbursement provided by this proviso is ineligible to take the income tax credit allowed by this proviso.

1A.10. (SDE-EIA: Teacher of the Year Awards) Of the funds provided herein for Teacher of the Year Awards, each district Teacher of the Year shall receive an award of $1,000. In addition, the State Teacher of the Year shall receive an award of $25,000, and each of the four Honor Roll Teachers of the Year will receive an award of $10,000. To be eligible, districts must participate in the State Teacher of the Year Program sponsored by the State Department of Education. These awards shall not be subject to South Carolina income taxes.

1A.11. (SDE-EIA: EOC) The Education Oversight Committee may collect, retain and expend revenue from conference registration and fees; charges for materials supplied to local school districts or other entities not otherwise mandated to be provided by state law; and from other activities or functions sponsored by the committee including public awareness campaign activities. Any unexpended revenue from these sources may be carried forward into the current fiscal year and expended for the same purposes.

1A.12. (SDE-EIA: Technical Assistance) In order to best meet the needs of underperforming schools, funds appropriated for technical assistance must be used to provide intensive support to schools and districts with an absolute rating of below average or at-risk on the most recent annual school report card or with the lowest percentages of students meeting state standards on state assessments on the most recent state assessments or with the lowest high school graduation rates. The department will create a system of tiers of technical assistance for low-performing schools and districts that will receive technical assistance. The tiers will be determined by factors that include, but are not limited to, length of time performance of the school or district has been at-risk/below average, annual achievement ratings, annual growth ratings, school or district accreditation, and/or financial risk status. The tiers of technical assistance may include a per student allocation, placement of a principal mentor, transformation coach, instructional leader, replacement of the principal, reconstitution of a school, and declaration of a state of emergency. Low-performing schools and districts shall be placed within the tiered technical assistance framework not later than December fifteenth.

Low-performing schools shall receive a diagnostic review through the department. In addition, newly identified low-performing schools and districts must be reviewed by an External Review Team in the year of designation, and every third year thereafter. These reports shall be made available on the Department of Educations website; any information pertaining to personnel matters or containing personally identifiable information shall be exempted. Based upon the recommendations in the review(s), low-performing schools and districts must develop and submit to the Department of Education an updated school renewal or district strategic plan outlining goals for improvements. The amended plans must address specific strategies designed to increase student achievement and must include measures to evaluate the success of implementation of the plan.

With the funds appropriated to the Department of Education, and any experts placed in the school or district for technical assistance services, the department will assist low-performing schools and districts in designing and implementing the strategies and measurement identified in the amended plans and in brokering for technical assistance personnel as stipulated in the plan. In addition, the department must monitor student academic achievement and progress on implementation and report their findings to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee, the local legislative delegation, and the Governor in the fall following the school or district designation as low-performing. If the school or school district does not provide the evaluation information necessary to determine effective use, the principal of the school or the district superintendent may be subject to receiving a public reprimand by the State Board of Education if it is determined that those individuals are responsible for the failure to provide the required information.

Funds must be used by the department for implementation and delivery of technical assistance services. Using previous report card data and monitoring reports on the status of implementation of the school renewal plan, the department shall identify priority schools. Funds appropriated for technical assistance shall be used by the department to work with those schools identified as low-performing and to support priority schools under the tiered system. These funds shall not be transferred to any other funding category by the school district without prior approval of the State Superintendent of Education and funds are not subject to agency flexibility provisions.

Reconstitution means the redesign or reorganization of the school, which may include the declaration that all positions in the school are considered vacant. Certified staff currently employed in priority schools must undergo an evaluation in the spring following the schools identification as a priority school and must meet determined goals to be rehired and continue their employment at that school. Educators who were employed at a school that is being reconstituted prior to July 2009, and to whom the employment and dismissal laws apply will not lose their rights in the reconstitution. If they are not rehired or are not assigned to another school in the school district they have the opportunity for a hearing. However, employment and dismissal laws shall not apply to educators who are employed in the district and assigned to the priority schools July 1, 2009, in the event of a reconstitution of the school in which the educator is employed. Those rights are only suspended in the event of a reconstitution of the entire school staff. Additionally, the rights and requirements of the employment and dismissal laws do not apply to educators who on July 1, 2009, were on an induction or annual contract, that subsequently were offered continuing contract status after the effective date of this proviso, and are employed at a school that is subject to reconstitution under this proviso.

The reconstitution of a school could take place if the school has been identified as a priority school that has failed to improve satisfactorily. The decision to reconstitute a school shall be made by the State Superintendent of Education in consultation with the principal the school board of trustees, and the district superintendent. The decision to reconstitute a school shall be made by April first, at which time notice shall be given to all employees of the school. The department, in consultation with the district superintendent, shall develop a staffing plan and a budget for each reconstituted school.

The State Superintendent of Education may declare a state of emergency in a district if the accreditation status is probation or denied, if a majority of the schools fail to show improvement, if the district is classified as being in high risk status financially, or for financial mismanagement resulting in a deficit. The State Superintendent of Education may declare a state of emergency in a school if the accreditation status is probation or denied, or if the school fails to show improvement. Upon declaration of a state of emergency, the Superintendent may take over management of the school or district. Management of the school or district may include direct management, consolidation with another district, charter management, public/private management, or contracting with an educational management organization or another school district.

1A.13. (SDE-EIA: Proviso Allocations) In the event an official EIA revenue shortfall is declared by the Board of Economic Advisors, the Department of Education may reduce any allocation in Section 1A specifically designated by proviso in accordance with the lower Board of Economic Advisors revenue estimate as directed by the Executive Budget Office. No allocation for teacher salaries shall be reduced as a result of this proviso.

1A.14. (SDE-EIA: School Districts and Special Schools Flexibility) All school districts and special schools of this State may transfer and expend funds among appropriated state general fund revenues, Education Improvement Act funds, Education Lottery Act funds, and funds received from the Childrens Education Endowment Fund for school facilities and fixed equipment assistance, to ensure the delivery of academic and arts instruction to students. However, a school district may not transfer funds allocated specifically for state level maintenance of effort requirements under IDEA, funds allocated specifically for state level maintenance of effort requirement for federal program, funds provided for the Education and Economic Development Act, funds provided for Career and Technology Education, nor required for debt service or bonded indebtedness. All school districts and special schools of this State may suspend professional staffing ratios and expenditure regulations and guidelines at the sub-function and service area level, except for four-year old programs and programs serving students with disabilities who have Individualized Education Programs.

In order for a school district to take advantage of the flexibility provisions, at least seventy-five percent of the school districts per pupil expenditures must be utilized within the In$ite categories of instruction, instructional support, and only transportation, food service, and safety within non-instruction pupil services. No portion of the seventy-five percent may be used for facilities, business services, debt service, capital outlay, program management, and leadership services, as defined by In$ite. The school district shall report to the Department of Education the actual percentage of its per pupil expenditures used for classroom instruction, instructional support, and transportation, food service, and safety within non-instruction pupil services for the current school year ending June thirtieth. Salaries of on-site principals must be included in the calculation of the districts per pupil expenditures.

In$ite means the financial analysis model for education programs utilized by the Department of Education.

School districts are encouraged to reduce expenditures by means, including, but not limited to, limiting the number of low enrollment courses, reducing travel for the staff and the school districts board, reducing and limiting activities requiring dues and memberships, reducing transportation costs for extracurricular and academic competitions, restructuring administrative staffing, and expanding virtual instruction.

School districts and special schools may carry forward unexpended funds from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year.

Prior to implementing the flexibility authorized herein, school districts must provide to Public Charter Schools the per pupil allocation due to them for each categorical program.

Quarterly throughout the current fiscal year, the chairman of each school districts board and the superintendent of each school district must certify where non-instructional or nonessential programs have been suspended and the specific flexibility actions taken. The certification must be in writing, signed by the chairman and the superintendent, delivered electronically to the State Superintendent of Education, and an electronic copy forwarded to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee. Additionally, the certification must be presented publicly at a regularly called school board meeting, and the certification must be conspicuously posted on the internet website maintained by the school district.

For the current fiscal year, Section 59-21-1030 is suspended. The foreign language program assessment, and the physical education assessment must be suspended. School districts and the Department of Education are granted permission to purchase the most economical type of bus fuel.

For the current fiscal year, savings generated from the suspension of the assessments enumerated above must be allocated to school districts based on weighted pupil units.

School districts must maintain a transaction register that includes a complete record of all funds expended over one hundred dollars, from whatever source, for whatever purpose. The register must be prominently posted on the districts internet website and made available for public viewing and downloading. The register must include for each expenditure:

(i) the transaction amount;

(ii) the name of the payee; and

(iii) a statement providing a detailed description of the expenditure.

The register must not include an entry for salary, wages, or other compensation paid to individual employees. The register must not include any information that can be used to identify an individual employee. The register must be accompanied by a complete explanation of any codes or acronyms used to identify a payee or an expenditure. The register must be searchable and updated at least once a month.

Each school district must also maintain on its internet website a copy of each monthly statement for all of the credit cards maintained by the entity, including credit cards issued to its officers or employees for official use. The credit card number on each statement must be redacted prior to posting on the internet website. Each credit card statement must be posted not later than the thirtieth day after the first date that any portion of the balance due as shown on the statement is paid.

The Comptroller General must establish and maintain a website to contain the information required by this section from a school district that does not maintain its own internet website. The internet website must be organized so that the public can differentiate between the school districts and search for the information they are seeking.

School districts that do not maintain an internet website must transmit all information required by this provision to the Comptroller General in a manner and at a time determined by the Comptroller General to be included on the internet website.

The provisions contained herein do not amend, suspend, supersede, replace, revoke, restrict, or otherwise affect Chapter 4, Title 30, the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act. Nothing in this proviso shall be interpreted as prohibiting the State Board of Education to exercise its authority to grant waivers under Regulation 43-261.

1A.15. (SDE-EIA: Teacher Salary Supplement) The department is directed to carry forward prior year unobligated teacher salary supplement and related employer contribution funds into the current fiscal year to be used for the same purpose. Any unexpended funds in teacher salary supplement may be used to fund shortfalls in the associated employer contribution funding in the current fiscal year.

1A.16. (SDE-EIA: Dropout Prevention and High Schools That Work Programs) The Department of Education must report annually by December first, to the Governor, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, and the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee on the effectiveness of dropout prevention programs funded by the Education and Economic Development Act and on the High Schools that Work Programs progress and effectiveness in providing a better prepared workforce and student success in post-secondary education. The department, school districts, and special schools may carry forward unexpended funds from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal that were allocated for High Schools That Work.

1A.17. (SDE-EIA: Assessment) The department is authorized to carry forward into the current fiscal year, prior year state assessment funds for the same purpose. Reimbursements shall resume in the current fiscal year for PSAT, pre-ACT or 10th grade Aspire.

1A.18. (SDE-EIA: Report Card Information) The percentage each school district expended on classroom instruction as defined by the Department of Educations In$ite classification for Instruction must be printed on the Annual School and District Report Card.

1A.19. (SDE-EIA: Core Curriculum Materials) The funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.A.3 for instructional materials for core curriculum shall be expended consistent with the requirements of Section 59-31-600 of the 1976 Code requiring the development of higher order thinking skills and critical thinking which should be integrated throughout the core curriculum instructional materials. Furthermore, the evaluation criteria used to select instructional materials with funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.A.3 shall include a weight of up to ten percent of the overall criteria to the development of higher order thinking skills and critical thinking.

1A.20. (SDE-EIA: Certified Staff Technology Proficiency) To ensure the effective and efficient use of the funding provided by the General Assembly in Part IA, Section 1 VIII.D. for school technology in the classroom and internet access, the State Department of Education shall approve district technology plans that specifically address and incorporate certified staff technology competency standards and local school districts must require certified staff to demonstrate proficiency in these standards as part of each certified staffs Professional Development plan. District adopted technology proficiency standards and plans should be, at minimum, aligned to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) teacher standards. Evidence that districts are meeting the requirement is a prerequisite to expenditure of a districts technology funds.

1A.21. (SDE-EIA: Accountability Program Implementation) To support implementation of the accountability program, the Education Oversight Committee may carry forward unexpended Education Accountability Act funds authorized specifically for the administration of the Education Oversight Committee. For the current fiscal year the Education Oversight Committee may carry forward prior year EIA South Carolina Community Block Grants for Education Pilot Program funds not awarded by the grant committee. These funds must be used for an independent common evaluation of each awarded grant to ensure high quality programs that maximize a return on the states investment.

1A.22. (SDE-EIA: 4K Targeting) EIA funds allocated for the provision of four-year-old kindergarten shall be utilized for the provision of services to age-eligible children qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch or Medicaid. Children with developmental delays documented through state approved screening assessments or children with medically documented disabilities who do not already qualify for special need services should also be considered for enrollment. In the event that more students seek to enroll than available space permits, districts shall prioritize students (at the time of acceptance) on the basis of family income expressed as a percentage of the federal poverty guidelines, with the lowest family incomes given the highest enrollment priority.

1A.23. (SDE-EIA: Reading) Of the funds appropriated for reading/literacy, the Department of Education, schools, and districts shall ensure that resources are utilized to improve student achievement in reading/literacy. To focus on the importance of early reading and writing skills and to ensure that all students acquire reading/literacy skills by the end of grade three, fifty percent of the appropriation shall be directed toward acquisition of reading proficiency to include, but not be limited to, strategies in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Forty percent of the appropriation shall be directed toward classroom instruction and intervention to focus on struggling readers and writers in grades four through eight. Ten percent of the appropriation should be directed toward acceleration to provide additional opportunities for deepening and refinement of literacy skills.

Fifty percent of the funds shall be allocated to school districts based on the number of weighted pupil units in each school district in proportion to the statewide weighted pupil units using the one hundred thirty-five day count of the prior school year. Fifty percent of the funds shall be allocated to the Department of Education to provide districts with research-based strategies and professional development and to work directly with schools and districts to assist with implementation of research-based strategies. When providing professional development the department and school districts must use the most cost effective method and when able utilize ETV to provide such services throughout the state. The department shall provide for an evaluation to review first year implementation activities and to establish measurements for monitoring impact on student achievement.

1A.24. (SDE-EIA: Students at Risk of School Failure) For the current fiscal year, EIA funds appropriated for students at academic risk of school failure, must be allocated to school districts based upon two factors: (1) poverty as determined for the poverty add on weight in Proviso 1.3; and (2) the number of weighted pupil units identified in the prior fiscal year as in need of academic assistance. At least eighty-five percent of the funds must be spent on instruction and instructional support for students at academic risk. Instructional support may include family literacy and parenting programs to students at-risk for school failure and their families. Students at academic risk are defined as students who are not meeting grade level standards in English language arts/reading and mathematics as evidenced by summative state assessments in grades three through eight or students who are not on track to meeting or exceeding English language arts/reading or mathematics standards by the end of third grade. Public charter schools, the Palmetto Unified School District, and the Department of Juvenile Justice must also receive a proportionate per pupil allocation based on the number of students at academic risk of school failure served.

1A.25. (SDE-EIA: Professional Development) Of the funds appropriated for professional development, up to $500,000 may be expended for gifted and talented teacher endorsement and certification activities. The balance of EIA funds appropriated for professional development must be allocated to districts based on the number of weighted pupil units in each school district in proportion to the statewide weighted pupil units using the one hundred thirty-five day count of the prior school year. The funds must be expended on professional development for certificated instructional and instructional leadership personnel in grades kindergarten through twelve across all content areas, including teaching in and through the arts and using technology in classroom instruction. No more than twenty-five percent of the funds appropriated for professional development may be retained by the Department of Education for the administration and provision of other professional development services which must be targeted to districts who are or were the original trial and plaintiff school districts in the Abbeville law suit to increase the capacity of educators and leaders in those districts. The Department of Education must provide professional development on assessing student mastery of the content standards through classroom, formative and end-of-year assessments. The Department of Education also must post on the agencys website the South Carolina Professional Development Standards and provide training through telecommunication methods to school leadership on the professional development standards. The department is authorized to carry forward and expend professional development funds for the same purpose.

1A.26. (SDE-EIA: Assessments-Gifted & Talented, Advanced Placement, & International Baccalaureate Exams) Funds appropriated and/or authorized for assessment shall be used for assessments to determine eligibility of students for gifted and talented programs and for the cost of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

1A.27. (SDE-EIA: Adult Education) A minimum of thirty percent of the funds appropriated for adult education must be allocated to school districts to serve adult education students between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one who are enrolled in programs leading to a state high school diploma, state high school equivalency diploma (GED), or career readiness certificate (WorkKeys). The remaining funds will be allocated to districts based on a formula which includes factors such as target populations without a high school credential, program enrollment the previous school year, number of students making an educational gain the previous school year, and performance factors such as number of high school credentials and career readiness certificates awarded the previous school year. Overall levels of state funding must meet the federal requirement of state maintenance of effort. Each school district must collect information from both the student and the school including why the student has enrolled in Adult Education and whether or not the student is pursuing a GED or Diploma. The school district must then provide a quarterly report to the Department of Education and must include the unique student identifier. The department, in turn, will provide summary information to the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Education and Public Works Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Education Committee on the information. Up to a maximum of $300,000, of funds may be used to establish an initiative by which qualifying adult education students may qualify for a free high school equivalency test. The Department of Education shall establish guidelines for the free high school equivalency testing initiative.

1A.28. (SDE-EIA: Clemson Agriculture Education Teachers) The funds appropriated in Part IA, Section VIII.E. for Clemson Agriculture Education Teachers must be transferred to Clemson University PSA to fund summer employment of agriculture teachers and to cover state-mandated salary increases on that portion of the agriculture teachers salaries attributable to summer employment. If sufficient funds remain, Clemson University PSA may utilize such funds for a Regional Coordinator.

1A.29. DELETED

1A.30. (SDE-EIA: Full-Day 4K) Eligible students residing in a school district that met the poverty level for participation in the prior school year are eligible to participate in the South Carolina Early Reading Development and Education Program in the current school year. Public and private providers shall be funded for instructional costs at a rate of $4,422 per student enrolled. Eligible students enrolling during the school year or withdrawing during the school year shall be funded on a pro rata basis determined by the length of their enrollment. Private providers transporting eligible children to and from school shall also be eligible for a reimbursement of $563 per eligible child transported. All providers who are reimbursed are required to retain records as required by their fiscal agent. New providers participating for the first time in the current fiscal year and enrolling between one and six eligible children shall be eligible to receive up to $1,000 per child in materials and equipment funding, with providers enrolling seven or more such children eligible for funding not to exceed $10,000. Providers receiving equipment funding are expected to participate in the program and provide high-quality, center-based programs as defined herein for a minimum of three years. Failure to participate for three years will require the provider to return a portion of the equipment allocation at a level determined by the Department of Education and the Office of First Steps to School Readiness. Funding to providers is contingent upon receipt of data as requested by the Department of Education and the Office of First Steps. The Department of Education shall only provide funding for public school students whose complete records have been entered into PowerSchool and end of year adjustments shall be based on the one hundred and thirty-five day student average daily membership.

Annually, the Department of Education is directed to audit the annual allocations to public providers to ensure that allocations are accurate and aligned to the appropriate pro rata per student allocation, materials, and equipment funding. In the event the department, during the audit process determines that the annual allocations of the prior fiscal year are not accurate, the department must adjust the allocations for the current fiscal year to account for the audit findings. The department must provide the results of the annual audit findings to the General Assembly no later than December first. Likewise, in the event the Office of First Steps determines that the annual allocations of the prior fiscal year to private providers are not accurate, the Office of First Steps must adjust the allocations for the current fiscal year to account for the findings.

Of the funds appropriated, $300,000 shall be allocated to the Education Oversight Committee to conduct an annual evaluation of the South Carolina Child Development Education Pilot Program and to issue findings in a report to the General Assembly by January fifteenth of each year. To aid in this evaluation, the Education Oversight Committee shall determine the data necessary and both public and private providers are required to submit the necessary data as a condition of continued participation in and funding of the program. This data shall include developmentally appropriate measures of student progress. Additionally, the Department of Education shall issue a unique student identifier for each child receiving services from a private provider. The Department of Education shall be responsible for the collection and maintenance of data on the public state funded full day and half-day four-year-old kindergarten programs. The Office of First Steps to School Readiness shall be responsible for the collection and maintenance of data on the state funded programs provided through private providers. The Education Oversight Committee shall use this data and all other collected and maintained data necessary to conduct a research based review of the programs implementation and assessment of student success in the early elementary grades.

1A.31. (SDE-EIA: Aid to Districts) Funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.A.1. Aid to Districts shall be dispersed to school districts based on the number of weighted pupil units.

1A.32. (SDE-EIA: Centers of Excellence) Of the funds appropriated for Centers of Excellence, $350,000 must be allocated to the Francis Marion University Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty to expand statewide training for individuals who teach children of poverty through weekend college, nontraditional or alternative learning opportunities.

1A.33. (SDE-EIA: IDEA Maintenance of Effort) Prior to the dispersal of funds appropriated in Section VIII.A.1. Aid to Districts according to Proviso 1A.31 for the current fiscal year, in the event that there is a reduction in state funds or there are changes in the Education Finance Act/Base Student Cost formula that would reduce support for children with disabilities, the Department of Education is authorized to utilize funds appropriated in Section VIII.A.1. Aid to Districts to ensure maintenance of state financial support for the IDEA. The department shall distribute these funds using the current fiscal year one hundred thirty-five day Average Daily Membership or as directed by the United States Department of Education. Funds provided for these purposes may not be transferred to any other purpose and therefore are not subject to flexibility. For continued compliance with the federal maintenance of state financial support requirements of the IDEA, funding for children with disabilities must, to the extent practicable, be held harmless to budget cuts or reductions to the extent those funds are required to meet federal maintenance of state financial support requirements under the IDEA. In the event cuts to funds that are needed to maintain fiscal effort are necessary, when administering such cuts, the department must not reduce funding to support children with disabilities who qualify for services under the IDEA in a manner that is disproportionate to the level of overall reduction to state programs in general. By December first, the department must submit an estimate of the IDEA maintenance of state financial support requirement to the General Assembly and the Governor. For the current fiscal year, the department may carry forward IDEA Maintenance of Effort funds from the prior fiscal year and expend them in the same manner.

1A.34. (SDE-EIA: Career Cluster Industry Partnerships) From the funds appropriated to the Department of Education, $800,000 must be provided as direct grants to the private sector statewide trade association or educational foundation providing nationally certified programs in career and technology education representing the automotive, construction, engineering, healthcare, mechanical contracting/construction, and hospitality tourism career clusters. Organizations applying for a grant must do so by July thirty-first and the Department of Education must award a minimum of one grant of at least $150,000 in at least four of these specified career clusters to be used exclusively for career and technology education. The recipient industry organization must conduct end-of-course exams graded by a national industry organization and must include in their grant request how the money will be spent in direct support of students to further industry-specific career technology education; a description and history of their program nationally and within South Carolina; estimates of future employment growth in their industry; and the national scope of their program. By August first of the following year, the organization must submit to the department a report detailing how the grant increased industry/employer awareness; the number of increased schools using the industry-based curriculum and partnered with the industry organization; the increased number of students in the program; and an overview and analysis of the organizations statewide student competition. The grant must be used for career awareness programs for that industry cluster; statewide student competitions leading to national competitions; teacher development and training; post-secondary scholarships in industry-specific degree programs; student recruitment into that career cluster programs; programs to educate middle and high school Career or Guidance Counselors about the industry; service to disadvantaged youth; and administering business/employer awareness and partnerships which help lead to experience-based, career-oriented experiences including internships, apprenticeships, mentoring, co-op education and service learning. The Office of Career and Technology Education of the department will develop goals with each career cluster on the number of new schools using the industry-based curriculum and partnered with that career cluster organization. These funds may not be used to supplant or replace, in whole or in part, other existing resources/assets sourced outside the present grant being used to provide the same services or programs. Organizations may carry-over grants for up to three years when a large project is identified in the grant application to be used at a future date; otherwise excess funds must be returned to the state. Organizations awarded must submit a semi-annual programmatic and financial report on the last day of December in addition to the final report due August first that has been audited by a third party accounting firm.

1A.35. (SDE-EIA: Partnerships/Other Agencies & Entities) For the current fiscal year, agencies and other entities receiving funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.E. will continue to report annually to the Education Oversight Committee (EOC). Any entity receiving funds that must flow through a state agency will receive those funds through the EOC. The EOC will make funding recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly as part of the agencys annual budget request.

1A.36. (SDE-EIA: ETV Teacher Training/Support) Of the funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.E. South Carolina Educational Television must provide training and technical support on the educational resources available to teachers and school districts.

1A.37. (SDE-EIA: Teacher Salaries/SE Average) The projected Southeastern average teacher salary shall be the average of the average teachers salaries of the southeastern states as projected by the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office. For the current school year the Southeastern average teacher salary is projected to be $51,966. The General Assembly remains desirous of raising the average teacher salary in South Carolina through incremental increases over the next few years so as to make such equivalent to the national average teacher salary.

The statewide minimum teacher salary schedule used in Fiscal Year 2016-17 will continue to be used in Fiscal Year 2017-18.

Additionally, for the current fiscal year, a local school district board of trustees must increase the salary compensation for all eligible certified teachers employed by the district by no less than one year of experience credit using the district salary schedule utilized the prior fiscal year as the basis for providing the step. Application of this provision must be applied uniformly for all eligible certified teachers.

Funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.C.2. for Teacher Salaries must be used to increase salaries of those teachers eligible pursuant to Section 59-20-50(4)(b), to include classroom teachers, librarians, guidance counselors, psychologists, social workers, occupational and physical therapists, school nurses, orientation/mobility instructors, and audiologists in the school districts of the state.

For purposes of this provision teachers shall be defined by the Department of Education using the Professional Certified Staff (PCS) System.

1A.38. (SDE-EIA: PowerSchool Dropout Recovery Data) With the funds appropriated to the Department of Education for PowerSchool and data collection, the department will begin in the current fiscal year to collect data from schools and school districts on the number of students who had previously dropped out of school and who reenrolled in a public school or adult education to pursue a high school diploma. The Education Oversight Committee working with the Department of Education will determine how to calculate a dropout recovery rate that will be reflected on the annual school and district report cards.

1A.39. (SDE-EIA: Assisting, Developing and Evaluating Professional Teaching -ADEPT) With funds appropriated in the current fiscal year, the Department of Education, school districts, the Department of Juvenile Justice and special schools of the state may continue implementation of the ADEPT program. Governing boards of public institutions of higher education may provide by policy or regulation for a tuition waiver for the tuition for one three-hour course at that institution for those public school teachers who serve as supervisors for full-time students completing education degree requirements. Unexpended funds appropriated for this purpose may be carried forward from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year and expended for the same purposes.

1A.40. DELETED

1A.41. (SDE-EIA: Educational Partnerships) The funds provided to the Center for Educational Partnerships at the College of Education at the University of South Carolina will be used to create a consortium of educational initiatives and services to schools and communities. These initiatives will include, but are not limited to, professional development in writing, geography and other content areas; training; research; advocacy; and practical consultancy. The Center will establish collaborative educational enterprises with schools, school districts, parents, communities, and businesses while fulfilling the responsibilities of the School Improvement Council Assistance. The Center will focus on connecting the educational needs and goals of communities to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

1A.42. (SDE-EIA: STEM Centers SC) All EIA-funded entities that provide professional development and science programming to teachers and students should be included in the states science, technology, engineering and mathematics education strategic plan.

1A.43. (SDE-EIA: EOC Partnerships for Innovation) Of the funds appropriated or carried forward from the prior fiscal year, the Education Oversight Committee is directed to participate in public-private partnerships to promote innovative ways to transform the assessment of public education in South Carolina that support increased student achievement in reading and college and career readiness. The Education Oversight Committee may provide financial support to districts and to public-private partnerships for planning and support to implement, sustain and evaluate the innovation and to develop a matrix and measurements of student academic success based on evidence-based models. These funds may also be used to support the innovative delivery of science, technology, and genetic education and exposure to career opportunities in science, including mobile science laboratory programs, to students enrolled in the Abbeville equity school districts and students in high poverty schools. These funds may also focus on creating public-private literacy partnerships utilizing a 2:1 matching funds provision when the initiative employs research-based methods, has demonstrated success in increasing reading proficiency of struggling readers, and works directly with high poverty schools and districts. The committee will work to expand the engagement of stakeholders including state agencies and boards like the Educational Television Commission, businesses, and higher education institutions. The committee shall annually report to the General Assembly on the measurement results.

The Education Oversight Committee and the Department of Education shall recommend to the Senate Finance Committee and to the House Ways and Means Committee a plan to develop and implement a strategic grants process for reviewing, awarding, and monitoring innovative education strategies in schools and districts. The plan would identify the process and priority areas for funding that address the educational needs of the state. The plan must be submitted by January 15, 2018.

1A.44. (SDE-EIA: Aid to Districts Draw Down) For the current fiscal year, in order to draw down funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.A.1, Aid to Districts, school districts, Palmetto Unified District and the Department of Juvenile Justice must work with local law enforcement agencies, and when necessary, state law enforcement agencies in order to ensure that the district has an updated school safety plan in place. The safety plan must include safety directives in the classroom, a safe student and staff exit strategy and necessary safety staff. Notice of completion of the updated plan must be submitted to the Department of Education no later than September first, of the current fiscal year. The department must report to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee by September thirtieth, of the current fiscal year, on any districts that failed to submit an updated plan.

1A.45. (SDE-EIA: Education and Economic Development Act Carry Forward) Funds provided for the Education and Economic Development Act may be carried forward into the current fiscal year to be expended for the same purposes by the department, school districts, and special schools.

1A.46. (SDE-EIA: EEDA Regional Education Centers) Funds appropriated from the EEDA for Regional Education Centers must not be less than $108,500.

1A.47. (SDE-EIA: Teach for America SC) Because Teach For America SC receives EIA funds in the current fiscal year, school districts that partner with Teach For America SC are required to provide to Teach For America SC by September first annually, information on the prior years academic achievement of students who were directly taught by Teach For America corps members. The information must be in a format that protects the identity of individual students and must include state assessment data as appropriate.

1A.48. (SDE-EIA: EOC-South Carolina Autism Society) Of the funds appropriated in Section 1A, VIII.E. Partnerships, Education Oversight Committee (A85), $500,000 must be transferred in quarterly installments from the Education Oversight Committee to the South Carolina Autism Society for the Autism Parent-School Partnership Program. Beginning October 10, 2015, the South Carolina Autism Society shall provide a quarterly accounting report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Education Oversight Committee.

1A.49. (SDE-EIA: CHE/CERRA) The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA) must complete periodic evaluations of the institutions currently hosting a Teaching Fellows (TF) program and ensure that the TF programs at the current host institutions continue to meet the requirements for a TF program as set forth by the CERRA Board of Directors. Further, CERRA will continue implementing a long-range plan for approving additional TF programs at other public, four-year institutions who wish to be considered to host a TF program, provided the proposed programs meet the requirements set forth by the CERRA Board of Directors. CERRA will publish TF program criteria and requirements prominently on its website. Any institution who applies but is not selected to host a TF program will be informed in writing of the basis for the selection decision and be offered technical support if the institution elects to reapply. Any institution that applies but is not selected to host a TF program may appeal to the Commission on Higher Education.

1A.50. (SDE-EIA: Surplus) For Fiscal Year 2017-18, EIA cash funds from the prior fiscal year and EIA funds not otherwise appropriated or authorized must be carried forward and expended on the following items in the order listed:

1. Computer Science Task Force - $400,000;

2. EOC-Partnerships - $6,281,500;

3. Industry Certification - $3,000,000;

4. SDE-School Districts Capital Improvement Plan - $55,828,859;

5. SDE-Technical Assistance - $1,308,500; and

6. SDE-K-12 Funding Gap - $450,000.

The Department of Education shall disburse the funds for the K-12 Funding Gap proportionately to school districts that, in the current fiscal year, are cumulatively appropriated and allocated at least eight percent less state funds than the school district was appropriated and allocated in Fiscal Year 2016-17. For purposes of this proviso, state funds includes Education Improvement Act funds. Further, the amounts appropriated and allocated in Part IA and Sections 1 and 1A of this Part IB, shall be considered for purposes of determining whether a school district received less state funds.

1A.51. (SDE-EIA: Public Charter Pupil Counts) With funds appropriated to the South Carolina Public Charter School District, the district must require each charter school to submit a student attendance report for the 5th, 45th, 90th and 135th days. Reporting requirements shall include both Average Daily Membership and Weighted Pupil Unit membership. The South Carolina Public Charter School District shall then provide the data for each charter school to the Department of Education. Quarterly, the department will submit the information to the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Education and Public Works Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Education Committee.

The South Carolina Public Charter School District must also require each virtual charter school to collect the following information: (1) the reason or reasons why each student enrolled in the virtual charter school district from both the parent(s) and the referring school district; and (2) the reason or reasons why a student withdrew from the virtual charter school district. This data must be provided to the Department of Education quarterly and must include the unique student identifier. The department, in turn, will provide summary information to the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Education and Public Works Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Education Committee on the enrollment and withdrawal information.

1A.52. (SDE-EIA: South Carolina Public Charter School District Funding) The funds appropriated in Part IA, Section VIII.G. - South Carolina Public Charter School District must be allocated in the following manner to students at charter schools within the South Carolina Public Charter School District: Pupils enrolled in virtual charter schools sponsored by the South Carolina Public Charter School District shall receive $1,900 per weighted pupil and pupils enrolled in brick and mortar charter schools sponsored by the South Carolina Public Charter School District shall receive $3,600 per weighted pupil. Any unexpended funds, not to exceed ten percent of the prior year appropriation, must be carried forward from the prior fiscal year and expended for the same purpose. Any unexpended funds exceeding ten percent of the prior year appropriation must be transferred to the Charter School Facility Revolving Loan Program established in Section 59-40-175. For Fiscal Year 2017-18, the timelines set forth for ruling on charter school applications are extended for sixty calendar days for all applications submitted to the South Carolina Public Charter School District if the district determines that an applicant should be permitted to amend its application to meet the requirements of Section 59-40-60 and Section 59-40-70, of the 1976 Code, based on an applicants proposal to address an existing achievement gap utilizing an evidence-based educational program in an underserved geographical area of the state including, but not limited to, charter schools proposed to be located in any school district that is a plaintiff in the Abbeville law suit. The South Carolina Public Charter School District shall report to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee on the outcomes of this extended time for a hearing at the end of the application cycle.

1A.53. (SDE-EIA: Low Achieving Schools) Of the funds appropriated to the Education Oversight Committee for Partnerships for Innovation, $500,000 must be allocated to support up to three low-achieving schools in designing and planning for implementation innovative, research-based strategies focused on recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers and on increasing time-on-task through the amount of time, the quality of instruction and the engagement of students. The committee will assist the schools in determining the evidence that will be collected to measure the effectiveness of the initiative and in identifying resources to support the initiative and in collaborating with TransformSC.

1A.54. (SDE-EIA: TransformSC) Of the funds appropriated to the Education Oversight Committee for Partnerships for Innovation, at least $400,000 shall be allocated to the TransformSC public-private project.

1A.55. (SDE-EIA: CDEPP Student Information and Reporting) For the current fiscal year, the Department of Education and the Office of First Steps to School Readiness must acquire unique student identifiers or SUNS numbers for each student enrolled in the CDEPP program no later than the 45th day and must provide a report of such to the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Education Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Education Committee and the Education Oversight Committee by November first. The Department of Education and the Office of First Steps to School Readiness must provide any information required by the Education Oversight Committee for the annual CDEPP report no later than November thirtieth.

1A.56. DELETED

1A.57. (SDE-EIA: Charter School Funding-Chartered by Institution of Higher Education) Pupils enrolled in a brick and mortar charter school authorized by an approved institution of higher education located in this state shall receive $3,600 per weighted pupil and pupils enrolled in a virtual charter school authorized by an approved institution of higher education located in this state shall receive $1,900 per weighted pupil from the funds appropriated in Part IA, Section VIII.G. - South Carolina Public Charter School - Institution of Higher Education. Any unexpended funds, not to exceed ten percent of the prior year appropriation, must be carried forward from the prior fiscal year and expended for the same purpose. Any unexpended funds exceeding ten percent of the prior year appropriation must be transferred to the Charter School Facility Revolving Loan Program established in Section 59-40-175, of the 1976 Code.

1A.58. DELETED

1A.59. (SDE-EIA: Rural Teacher Recruiting Incentive) (A) There is created a program within the South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) to recruit and retain classroom educators in rural and underserved districts experiencing excessive turnover of classroom teachers on an annual basis.

(B) During the current fiscal year CERRA shall publish eligibility requirements and applications for individual educators, school districts, and institutions of higher education not inconsistent with existing licensure requirements for each, but also including:

(1) Eligible districts identified by CERRA as experiencing greater than eleven percent average annual teacher turnover, as reported on the districts five most recent district report cards issued by the South Carolina Department of Education, may make application to participate in the program.

(2) Individuals eligible for incentives shall be willing to provide instructional services in an eligible district in exchange for participation in an incentive detailed in item (C) of this section, pursuant to the obligations and restrictions stated for each.

(3) Institutions of higher education eligible to receive education funding as a component of recruiting incentives created pursuant to item (C) of this section shall not be excluded from participation in Teaching Fellows Program.

(4) Any incentives requiring individuals to relocate into an eligible district to provide instructional services shall not be made available to individuals providing instructional services in other eligible districts.

(C) Pursuant to item (A), CERRA shall develop a set of incentives including, but not limited to, salary supplements, education subsidies, loan forgiveness, professional development, and mentorship to be provided to classroom educators that offer instructional services in eligible districts and shall provide incentive options for eligible individuals at all stages of their careers, including high-school and college or university students interested in entering the teaching profession and including individuals entering the field through an alternative certification pathway to include, but not limited to, PACE, ABCTE, Teach for American and CATE Work-Based Certification.

At a minimum, the incentives shall include:

(1) South Carolina Teachers Loan forgiveness at a rate of one year for every two years of service as a teacher in an eligible district, unless otherwise eligible for a greater forgiveness rate under the guidelines of the South Carolina Teachers Loan Program.

(2) Development of a program for forgiveness of undergraduate student loans, not to exceed $5,000 per year, for up to 7 years, for teachers participating in this incentive that achieve certification through an alternative pathway or who have a loan from an institution other than the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation or program other than the South Carolina Teachers Loan Program.

(3) Development of a forgivable loan program for individuals pursuing graduate coursework in furtherance of a teaching career, including enrollment in graduate-level coursework necessary to seek additional credentialing or certification relevant to the participants teaching practice, or individuals seeking an alternative pathway to certification as a teacher.

(4) Support for the establishment and maintenance of a teaching mentorship program, including salary supplements for teaching mentors not to exceed $2,500 per year.

(5) Other technical support and recruiting incentives as developed by CERRA in conjunction with the Department of Education and the Education Oversight Committee consistent with the objectives of this section.

(D) In addition to eligibility and application requirements, CERRA shall develop a process for recovering an amount equal to the incentives given to individual participants who fail to comply with the obligations associated with a relevant incentive in which they participate including, but not limited to, failure to complete a prescribed course of study, failure to obtain a relevant certification or licensure upon completion of a course of study, or failure to provide instructional services in an eligible district for a prescribed period of time.

(E) CERRA shall report by July thirty-first of the current fiscal year to the Governor, President pro Tempore of the Senate, and Speaker of the House on the incentives developed pursuant to item (C) of this section and make recommendations for attracting and retaining high quality teachers in rural and underserved districts. The report shall contain at a minimum eligibility requirements and application processes for districts and individuals, descriptions of and proposed budgets for each incentive program and an analysis of the number and demographics of individuals potentially eligible for each.

(F) Funds appropriated or transferred for use in the Rural Teacher Recruiting Incentive may be carried forward from prior fiscal years and used for the same purpose.

1A.60. (SDE-EIA: Project Read) Of the funds appropriated in Section 1A. VIII.A.3. for Reading, $500,000 must be used for teacher in-service training and professional development related to Project Read. The department may set accountability guidelines to ensure that funds are spent in accordance with the proviso.

1A.61. (SDE-EIA: Reading/Literacy Coaches) (A) Funds appropriated for Reading/Literacy Coaches must be allocated to school districts by the Department of Education as follows:

(1) for each elementary school in which twenty percent or more of the students scored below meets expectations on the reading sub score of the English language arts test in the most recent year for which such data are available, the school district shall be eligible to receive the lesser of up to $62,730 or the actual cost of salary and benefits for a full-time reading/literacy coach; and

(2) for each elementary school in which fewer than twenty percent of the students scored as referenced in (A)(1), the school district shall be eligible to receive the lesser of up to $31,365 or fifty percent of the actual cost of salary and benefits for a full-time reading/literacy coach. A school district must provide local support for state funds provided under this paragraph. School districts may use existing local funds currently used for reading assistance as the local support.

(B) By accepting these funds, a school district warrants that they will not be used to supplant existing school district expenditures, except for districts that either are currently, or in the prior fiscal year, were paying for reading/literacy coaches with local funds. A district may, however, assign a reading/literacy coach to a primary school rather than to the elementary school to improve the early literacy skills of young children.

(C) Funds appropriated for reading/literacy Coaches are intended to be used to provide elementary schools with reading/literacy coaches who shall serve according to the provisions in Chapter 155 of Title 59.

(D) Schools and districts accepting funding to support a coaching position agree that the reading/literacy coach must not serve as an administrator. If the department finds that school districts are using these funds for administrative costs as defined in statute they must withhold that districts remaining balance of funds allocated pursuant to this proviso.

(E) The Department of Education must publish guidelines that define the minimum qualifications for a reading/literacy coach. These guidelines must deem any licensed/certified teacher qualified if, at a minimum, he or she:

(1) holds a bachelors degree or higher and an add-on endorsement for literacy coach or literacy specialist; or

(2) holds a bachelors degree or higher and is actively pursuing the literacy coach or literacy specialist endorsement; or

(3) holds a masters degree or higher in reading or a closely-related field.

Within these guidelines, the Department of Education must assist districts in identifying a reading/literacy coach in the event that the school is not successful in identifying and directly employing a qualified candidate. The provisions of subsection (A), including the local support requirements, shall also apply to any allocations made pursuant to this paragraph.

(F) The Department of Education must develop procedures for monitoring the use of funds appropriated for reading/literacy coaches to ensure they are applied to their intended uses and are not redirected for other purposes. The Department of Education may receive up to $100,000 of the funds appropriated for reading/literacy coaches in order to implement this program, provided that this allocation does not exceed the departments actual costs.

(G) Prior to the close of the current fiscal year, any unspent or unallocated funds for reading/literacy coaches shall be used to fund Summer Reading Camps.

(H) The Department of Education shall require:

(1) any school district receiving funding under subsection (A) to identify the name and qualifications of the supported reading/literacy coach; as well as the school in which the coach is assigned; and

(2) any school district receiving funding under subsection ( G) to account for the specific amounts and uses of such funds.

(I) With the data reported by the school districts, the department shall report by January fifteenth of the current fiscal year on the hiring of and assignment of reading/literacy coaches by school. The department shall also report the amount of funds that will be used for Summer Reading Camps.

(J) Funds appropriated for reading/literacy coaches shall be retained and carried forward to be used for the same purpose but may not be flexed.

(K) For Fiscal Year 2017-18, if increased funding for reading/literacy coaches is not sufficient to provide additional reading/literacy coaches at each elementary school then the funding must be targeted to the areas of greatest need based on the number of students substantially failing to demonstrate reading proficiency as indicated on the prior years state assessment.

1A.62. (SDE-EIA: Digital Instructional Materials) The Department of Education shall create an instructional materials list composed of those items (print and/or digital) that have received State Board of Education approval through the normal adoption process. The department shall continue to work with the publishers of instructional materials to ensure that districts who wish to receive both the digital version and class sets of textbooks may be awarded that option. Funds appropriated for the purchase of textbooks and other instructional materials may be used for reimbursing school districts to offset the costs of refurbishing science kits on the state-adopted textbook inventory, purchasing new kits from the central textbook depository, or a combination of refurbishment and purchase. The refurbishing cost of kits may not exceed the cost of the state-adopted refurbishing kits plus a reasonable amount for shipping and handling. Costs for staff development, personnel costs, equipment, or other costs associated with refurbishing kits on state inventory are not allowable costs. Funds provided for Instructional Materials may be carried forward from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year to be expended for the same purposes by the department, school districts, and special schools. These funds are not subject to flexibility. Digital Instructional Materials shall include the digital equivalent of materials and devices.

1A.63. (SDE-EIA: 4K Early Literacy Competencies Assessments) Of the funds carried forward from the full-day 4K program from the previous fiscal year, the Department of Education is authorized to expend up to $800,000 on assessments and professional development to analyze the early literacy competencies of children in publicly funded prekindergarten. The department shall manage the administration of assessments that analyze the early literacy and language development of children in publicly funded prekindergarten as done in the prior fiscal year. Each school district and private provider participating in a publicly funded prekindergarten program will administer one of the formative assessments selected by the department to each child eligible for and enrolled in a publicly funded prekindergarten program during the first forty-five days of the school year and during the last forty-five days of the school year. Accommodations that do not invalidate the results of these assessments must be provided in the manner set forth by the students Individualized Education Program or 504 Accommodations Plan. The department will provide the assessment data to the Education Oversight Committee. The results of the assessment and the developmental intervention strategies recommended or services needed to address the childs identified needs must also be provided, in writing, to the parent or guardian. The assessment may not be used to deny a student to admission to prekindergarten.

Furthermore, up to $2,000,000 of the funds appropriated for half-day programs for four-year-olds and funds carried forward from assessment must be expended by the Department of Education to administer the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) to each child entering kindergarten in the public schools. The assessment of kindergarten students must be administered at a minimum of once during the first forty-five days of the school year with the results collected by the department. The results of the assessments and the developmental intervention strategies recommended or services needed to address each childs identified needs must also be provided, in writing, to the parent or guardian. The assessment may not be used to deny a student admission to kindergarten. Accommodations that do not invalidate the results of these assessments must be provided in the manner set forth by the students Individualized Education Program or 504 Accommodations Plan. Districts are given the option of designating up to two days of the one hundred eighty day school calendar to administer the assessment to kindergarten students. The department will also provide the results of the assessment of kindergarten students to the Education Oversight Committee. With available funds, the department will also provide or secure training for appropriate educators in how to administer the assessment.

For all students assessed with the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA), the Department of Education is required to collect data from schools and school districts on the prior early learning experience of each student. The data would include whether the kindergartener had attended in the prior school year a Head Start program, a South Carolina Early Reading Development and Education Program in a public school or a private center, a half-day 4K program in a public school, a full-day 4K program in a public school, a child care center (registered faith-based, registered family home, group home, or exempt provider) or informal child care.

*1A.64. (SDE-EIA: Teacher Supply Study) With funds appropriated to the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA), in concert with the Commission on Higher Education, the Department of Education, and the Education Oversight Committee, CERRA shall initiate and conduct a study to identify and project the number of additional teachers needed annually in public school classrooms for grades K5 through 12, for school years beginning 2017 through 2027. The purpose of the study shall be to: (1) provide specific data and projections on the number of teachers expected to be needed as compared to the number available, by Subject Areas Taught as indicated in CERRAs annual Supply and Demand Report, and with a focus on critical need subject areas; (2) determine whether, individually and collectively, teaching programs at applicable institutions of higher learning in South Carolina have the capacity and infrastructure to fulfill projected needs in item (1); and (3) provide data for general use in estimating the fiscal impact of any new or revised programs being considered to incent more talented individuals to enter teacher training programs and more highly qualified teachers to remain in the profession for longer periods of time.

1A.65. (SDE-EIA: CDEPP Unexpended Funds) For Fiscal Year 2017-18, the Office of First Steps to School Readiness is permitted to retain the first $1,000,000 of any unexpended CDEPP funds of the prior fiscal year and expend these funds to enhance the quality of the full-day 4K program in private centers and provide professional development opportunities.

By August first, the Office of First Steps is directed to allocate any additional unexpended CDEPP funds from the prior fiscal year and any CDEPP funds carried forward from prior fiscal years that were transferred to the restricted account for the following purpose: Education Oversight Committee - $1,000,000 for the South Carolina Community Block Grants for Education Pilot Program.

If carry forward funds are less than the amounts appropriated, funding for the items listed herein shall be reduced on a pro rata basis.

If by August first, the Department of Education or the Office of First Steps determines there will be funds available, funds shall be allocated on a per pupil basis for districts eligible for participation first, who have a documented waiting list, then to districts to increase the length of the program to a maximum of eight and a half hours per day or two hundred and twenty days per year or to fund summer programs. If a district chooses to fund summer enrollment the program funding shall conform to the funding in this act for full year programs, however shall be reduced on a pro rata basis to conform with the length of the program. A summer program shall be no more than eight and a half hours per day and shall be not more than ten weeks in length. The per pupil allocation and classroom grant must conform with the appropriated amount contained in this Act and end of year adjustments shall be based on the one hundred and thirty five day student average daily membership or later student average daily membership for districts choosing to extend the program past one hundred and eighty days. Funds may also be used to provide professional development and quality evaluations of programs.

No later than April first, the Department of Education and the Office of First Steps must report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee on the expenditure of these funds to include the following information: the amount of money used and specific steps and measures taken to enhance the quality of the 4K program and the amount of money used for professional development as well as the types of professional development offered and the number of participants.

1A.66. (SDE-EIA: College and Career Readiness) Funds appropriated to the Department of Education for District College and Career Readiness Assistance must first be used to increase the capacity of districts that are or were the original trial and plaintiff school districts in the Abbeville law suit. Funds shall be used by the department to provide assistance to districts using appropriately experienced educators with demonstrated effectiveness in instructional leadership. Support shall include professional development, standards and learning support, instructional support, data analysis and leadership development resources to ensure that educators are equipped with the tools to provide students with high quality, personalized learning that supports the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. The department shall report to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee on how these funds were expended.

1A.67. (SDE-EIA: Industry Certifications/Credentials) Of the funds appropriated for Industry Certifications/Credentials, $3,000,000 must be allocated to school districts based upon the number of national industry exams administered in the prior school year with each district receiving a base amount of $10,000. The department will identify the national industry exams that will be funded based upon the job availability in the state. School districts may carry forward funds from the prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year and expend the funds for the cost of national industry exams. The department shall work with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Employment and Workforce, state and local chambers of commerce and economic development offices and the Tech Board to ensure that students are aware of the industry required credentials for current job availability in the state organized by region. Any additional funds appropriated must be allocated to school districts based upon the number of national industry exams/credentials earned in the prior school year, and districts must expend these funds to pay for the cost of industry exams or to support students in preparing for the exams in the current fiscal year.

1A.68. (SDE-EIA: Career and Technology Education) Funds appropriated for Career and Technology Education will be distributed to school districts and multi-district career centers based on the prior year actual student enrollment for career and technology education courses, with no district or multi-district career center receiving less than $50,000. Funds may be expended for the purchase of career and technical equipment, the up fitting of facilities and the purchase of consumables, regional career specialists, and such evidence-based initiatives like High Schools that Work and Project Lead the Way. Each district must include in the district plan submitted to the Office of Career and Technology Education information on other career and technical equipment available. The district must include, at a minimum, equipment located at the career center and at the technical college, information on the alignment of equipment to current industry jobs and needs in the state as recommended by career and technical program advisory committees. District plans must include charter schools within the school district offering at least one career and technical education completer program. School districts and career centers may carry forward unexpended funds to be used for the same intended purposes to up fit career and technical facilities and replace career and technical program consumables. In addition, $125,000 of the funds appropriated shall be allocated to the Palmetto Partners for Science and Technology for robotics competition, curriculum, and support.

1A.69. (SDE-EIA: Digital Learning) Of the funds appropriated to the Education Oversight Committee for Partnerships for Innovation, $1,300,000 must be authorized for schools or school districts that have poverty indices of eighty percent or greater based on the poverty index utilized the prior fiscal year that was student eligibility for the free or reduced price lunch program and Medicaid, or are a trial or plaintiff district in the Abbeville equity lawsuit. In these districts, the EOC will pilot a program that provides school districts with digital learning tools, digital resources, the curriculum foundry, technical support, and professional development.

1A.70. (SDE-EIA: South Carolina IT Academy) Of the funds appropriated for the South Carolina IT Academy, the Department of Education shall procure an IT Academy for public schools statewide in the coming school year. The IT Academy must offer certification opportunities for educators to receive Teacher Certification Exams and for students to receive certifications in an office suite of products in the middle grades and programming credentials in high school. The procurement shall include official curriculum, e-learning, E-books, exams, software and lesson plans.

1A.71. (SDE-EIA: Family Connection South Carolina) Funds appropriated in Part IA, Section 1, VIII.E, Partnerships, for Family Connection South Carolina (H63), shall be transferred in quarterly installments from the Department of Education to Family Connection South Carolina. Funds shall be used to provide support to families of children with disabilities. Support shall include, home visits, transition assistance, education assistance, parent support and parent training. The department shall establish guidelines through which Family Connection South Carolina shall provide planning documents to the department not later than July fifteenth of the current fiscal year, and quarterly reporting of expenditures thereafter; and a performance report submitted annually.

1A.72. (SDE-EIA: Low Achieving Schools) Of the funds appropriated to the Education Oversight Committee for Partnerships for Innovation, $500,000 shall be allocated to parent support initiatives and afterschool programs in historically underachieving communities.

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1A.75. (SDE-EIA: EOC Military-Connected Children) Of the funds allocated for Partnerships for Innovation, the Education Oversight Committee is directed to expend $300,000 to initiate in at least two school districts with high military density, a pilot program that will provide training, services, resources and research to teachers, counselors, mental health professionals, school nurses, service providers and military parents. The objective of the pilot is to increase the level of educational quality and support for military-connected children. The training and services must be provided by a non-profit entity that is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider and is an authorized provider by the international Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). Pursuant to its responsibilities under Act 289 of 2014, the Education Oversight Committee will report on the expenditure of these funds and post-training evaluations in its annual report on the educational performance of military-connected children.

1A.76. (SDE-EIA: STEM Labs) Of the funds allocated for Partnerships for Innovation, the Education Oversight Committee is directed to expend $300,000 for customized STEM labs. The Education Oversight Committee shall work with the Department of Education, Office of Standards and Learning to solicit interested middle schools from the Abbeville trial and plaintiff districts to participate in implementing a STEM based curriculum. The pilot sites will receive a customized 6th - 8th grade STEM curriculum designed to address the needs of local industry. The curriculum provided will be aligned to state standards and certified by ACT WorkKeys and will include hands-on, problem based student labs. The curriculum will also be certified by ACT WorkKeys. Teachers in the pilot sites will receive ongoing, year-long professional development on cross curricular STEM implementation that will be aligned to state standards as well and the district strategic plan.

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1A.78. (SDE-EIA: Assistance Funding) For the current fiscal year, any funds appropriated to the Department of Education to assist districts that are or were Plaintiffs in the Abbeville law suit and funding appropriated to the department to provide technical assistance to underperforming districts may not be transferred to any other program, are not subject to flexibility, and may be carried forward and expended for the same purposes.

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1A.80. (SDE-EIA: National Board Certification Incentive) Public school classroom teachers, to include teachers employed at the special schools or classroom teachers who work with classroom teachers, to include teachers employed at the special schools who are certified by the State Board of Education and who have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or completed the application process prior to July 1, 2010 shall be paid a $7,500 salary supplement beginning July first in the year following the year of achieving certification, beginning with 2009 applicants. The special schools include the Governors School for Science and Math, Governors School for the Arts and Humanities, Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, John de la Howe School, School for the Deaf and the Blind, Department of Juvenile Justice and Palmetto Unified School District 1. The $7,500 salary supplement shall be added to the annual pay of the teacher for the length of the national certificate. However, the $7,500 supplement shall be adjusted on a pro rata basis for the teachers FTE and paid to the teacher in accordance with the districts payroll procedure. In addition, teachers who have applied prior to July 1, 2010 and are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards shall enter a recertification cycle for their South Carolina certificate consistent with the recertification cycle for national board certification. National board certified teachers who have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or completed the application process prior to July 1, 2010 moving to this State who hold a valid standard certificate from their sending state are exempted from initial certification requirements and are eligible for a professional teaching certificate and continuing contract status. Their recertification cycle will be consistent with national board certification.

For the current fiscal year the salary supplement will be $5,000 for public school classroom teachers, to include teachers employed at the special schools or classroom teachers who work with classroom teachers, to include teachers employed at the special schools who are certified by the State Board of Education and who complete the application process on or after July 1, 2010, beginning in the year of achieving certification and applies uniformly to all teachers covered under Section 59-26-85(A)(2) of the 1976 Code. The special schools include the Governors School for Science and Math, Governors School for the Arts and Humanities, Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, John de la Howe School, School for the Deaf and the Blind, Department of Juvenile Justice and Palmetto Unified School District 1. The $5,000 salary supplement shall be added to the annual pay of the teacher, not to exceed the lesser of, the length of one national certificate cycle. However, the $5,000 supplement shall be adjusted on a pro rata basis for the teachers FTE and paid to the teacher in accordance with the districts payroll procedure.

Fiscal Year 2017-18 shall be the final year for eligible teachers to submit the initial application and fee for NBPTS and be eligible to receive the state supplement upon achieving certification. Appropriations in excess of applicable expenditures shall be distributed to school districts based on the EFA formula.

1A.81. (SDE-EIA: Revolving Student Loan Program Transfer) The State Treasurer shall transfer $16,000,000 from the EIA Revolving Student Loan Program, Fund 41L1, to the Department of Education. The department shall utilize these funds for the School Districts Capital Improvement Plan as set forth in this act.

1A.82. (SDE-EIA: Abbeville Equity School Districts Capital Improvement Plan) The funds appropriated for the Abbeville Equity School Districts Capital Improvement Plan in Part IA, Section 1, VIII, I, Abbeville Equity School Districts Capital Improvements and by provisos 1.89, 1A.50, 1A.81, and 1A.85 shall be allocated by the Department of Education to eligible school districts for the purpose of funding school facility upgrades. Eligible school districts include any school district that is a plaintiff in the Abbeville law suit or districts with a poverty index of eighty percent or higher. For the purpose of this provision, school facility means only facilities necessary for instructional and related supporting purposes including, but not limited to, classrooms, libraries, media centers, laboratories, cafeterias, physical education spaces, related interior and exterior facilities, and the conduit, wiring, and powering of hardware installations for classroom computers or for area network systems. Eligible school facility projects shall include: (a) health and safety upgrades; (b) technology upgrades inside school facilities; (c) upgrades associated with career and technology education programs; and (d) deferred maintenance needs as described in the districts capital improvement plan. For purposes of this provision, school facilities shall not include unimproved real property, centralized district administration facilities, or other facilities, including those normally identified with interscholastic sports activities.

The department shall develop and maintain an application process for school districts to request funding for qualified school projects and establish policies, procedures, and priorities for the making of grants pursuant to this provision. At least twice a year and upon receipt of applications pursuant to the application process adopted by the department, the department shall prioritize the eligible projects with the greatest need and shall submit a list of recommended grant awards to the State Board of Education. Grants shall be awarded upon an affirmative vote of the State Board.

The financial assistance provided to school districts pursuant to this provision must be used for the eligible school facility project. The department is responsible for establishing policies and procedures to ensure that funds are expended in a manner consistent with this provision.

Following the close of the fiscal year, the department shall submit an annual report of its Abbeville Equity School Districts Capital Improvement Plan activities for the preceding year to the Governor, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, and the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee.

1A.83. (SDE-EIA: Value-Added Accountability) With the funds appropriated for School Value Added Instrument in the current fiscal year the Department of Education shall use the education value-added assessment system that was procured and administered in the prior fiscal year to calculate the magnitude of student progress or growth at the school level for purposes of state and federal accountability. At the discretion of the local school district, a district may use the education value-added assessment system to evaluate classroom teachers using student progress or growth. The estimates of specific teacher effects on the educational progress of students will not be a public record and shall be made available only to the specific teacher, principal and superintendent. In the current fiscal year, the Department of Education is directed to procure a value-added assessment system, which calculates student growth and includes the measurement of magnitude of growth, to be used in future school years that meets the requirements of the state and federal accountability system as defined in Chapter 18 of Title 59 of the 1976 Code.

1A.84. (SDE-EIA: Aid to Districts-Technology) Funds appropriated to the Department of Education for Aid to Districts - Technology shall be distributed to the public school districts of the state, the special schools of the state and the South Carolina Public Charter School District, per pupil, based on the previous years one hundred thirty-five day average daily membership, according to the below calculations: (1) For a school district with a poverty index of less than 75: $35 per ADM; (2) For a school district with a poverty index of at least 75 but no more than 85: $50 per ADM; or (3) For a school district with a poverty index of greater than 85 or a special school with no defined poverty index: $70 per ADM. Poverty will be defined as determined for the poverty add on weight in Proviso 1.3 of this Act.

The Department of Education may adjust the per-ADM rates for each of the three classes defined above in order to conform to actual levels of student attendance and available appropriations, provided that the per-ADM rate for each class is adjusted by the same percentage.

Funds distributed to a school district may only be used for the following purposes: (1) To improve external connections to schools, with a goal of reaching at least 100 kilobits per second, per student in each school by 2017; (2) To improve internal connections within schools, with a goal of reaching at least 1 megabit per second, per student in each school by 2017; or (3) To develop or expand one-to-one computing initiatives.

A school district that has achieved each of the above goals may submit a plan to the K-12 Technology Committee for permission to expend its allocation on other technology-related uses; such permission shall not be unreasonably withheld and the K-12 Technology Committee must permit districts to appeal any process should a district not receive approval and must provide technical assistance to districts in developing plans should the district request such.

Funds appropriated may not be used to supplant existing school district expenditures on technology. By June 30, 2018, each school district that receives funding during Fiscal Year 2017-18 must provide the K-12 Technology Committee with an itemized report on the amounts and uses of these funds, using a form developed by the Education Oversight Committee. In this report, a school district must provide information on its efforts to obtain reimbursements through the "E-Rate" Schools and Libraries Program administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company. Within its available resources, the K-12 Technology Committee shall support school districts efforts to obtain these reimbursements.

1A.85. (SDE-EIA: Carry Forward) For Fiscal Year 2017-18, the Department of Education is directed to allocate $30,000,000 from carry forward or unencumbered or unobligated cash balances for the School Districts Capital Improvement Plan as set forth in this Act.

1A.86. (SDE-EIA: Instructional Materials Adoption) The Department of Education and the State Board of Education are directed to review the current process for the adoption and appropriation of instructional materials and establish an updated process that will include both print and digital instructional materials no later than December 1, 2017, and make corresponding funding recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly according to the new process.

1A.87. (SDE-EIA: Educator Preparation Provider) Of the funds carried forward from the prior fiscal year, the department is authorized to use up to $300,000 to develop a data system to house post-certification data and employment for Education Preparation Provider (EPP) completers in accordance with S.C. Code Reg. 43-90. The system must provide the department with the ability to collect, store, and disseminate data elements needed for national accreditation of providers. Such data shall be exempted from disclosure under Section 30-4-40 of the 1976 Code, the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.

1A.88. (SDE-EIA: Teacher Academy Pilot) Of the funds appropriated to the Education Oversight Committee for Partnerships for Innovation, $100,000 shall be utilized to pilot a Teacher Academy project to improve teacher recruitment and retention. The academy shall provide intensive professional development to beginning, novice, and struggling teachers during the summer prior to the current school year. The Education Oversight Committee shall evaluate the impact of the academy using the state observation tool Effective Learning Environments Observation Tool (ELEOT).

1A.89. (SDE-EIA: Kinesthetic Learning Platform) Of the funds appropriated to the Education Oversight Committee for Partnerships for Innovation, $250,000 must be used to pilot a kinesthetic learning platform using physical activity to teach South Carolinas Math, English/Language Arts and Literacy standards for the Pre K through 3rd grade learner to improve academic performance.

1A.90. (SDE-EIA: Algebra) Of the funds appropriated to the Education Oversight Committee for Partnerships for Innovation, $1,500,000 must be used to pilot and evaluate a program that provides students with statewide access to: (a) algebra videos, online practice tools, and tutoring; (b) algebra videos taught by at least 5 different instructors. The instructors must be from diverse backgrounds and have different teaching styles so students may differentiate their learning; (c) algebra videos, specifically aligned with South Carolina state standards; (d) algebra study guides/notes that follow along explicitly with the algebra videos. Each student must have access to a workbook version of these study guides; (e) algebra practice tool that provides instant feedback to students, as well as solution videos and guidance to review; and (f) online, collaborative discussion wall where students can ask questions and receive assistance from both peers and instructors. The discussion wall must be accessible after school and on weekends.

The pilot must also provide teachers with statewide access to: (a) a professional learning community and discussion wall, where teachers can share best practices and resources; (b) reports on student usage and progress; and (c) teacher materials, answer keys, and resources accessible within the same platform.

1A.91. (SDE-EIA: Kindergarten Readiness Program) Of the funds appropriated to the Education Oversight Committee for Partnerships for Innovation, $300,000 must be allocated to support a home based, technology delivered kindergarten readiness program with software aligned with NAEYCs 12 Principles of Child Development and Learning that Inform Practice and with Head Starts Early Learning Outcomes framework and with demonstrated RCT results.

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