(1) There is created in the department of education the retaining teachers grant program to assist local education providers in retaining teachers by implementing one or more of the initiatives described in subsection (2) of this section. The department shall administer the grant program by reviewing grant applications and recommending grant recipients and the amount of each grant to the state board. Subject to available appropriations, the state board, taking into account the recommendations of the department, shall award the grants from money appropriated to the fund. Each grant continues for up to three years, subject to review by the department as provided in subsection (6) of this section.

(2) The state board shall award grants through the grant program to implement one or more of the following initiatives that are designed to improve the ability of a local education provider to retain teachers:

(a) Job-sharing for teachers;

(b) Providing on-site early childhood care services for family members of educators;

(c) Robust teacher induction programs for new teachers;

(d) Peer review and mentorship programs and other career development and advancement strategies;

(e) Programs to provide professional development for the creation and implementation of career advancement pathways for master teacher and teacher leadership positions for effective teachers;

(f) Incentive programs to recognize and retain highly effective teachers;

(g) Reduced teacher-student contact hours and increased planning, mentoring, and collaboration time for new teachers and mentor teachers; and

(h) Increased use of technology in blended learning initiatives to create opportunities and financial incentives for teacher development and career advancement and cost savings to support salary increases.

(3) (a) A local education provider may apply to the grant program by submitting an application to the department in accordance with the rules adopted by the state board. At a minimum, the application must include:

(I) Evidence describing the level of difficulty that the applicant encounters in retaining teachers, the specific reasons for the difficulty, and a specific accounting of the grade levels and subjects for which the applicant is unable to retain teachers;

(II) An accounting of the existing monetary or other resources available to the applicant to use in implementing initiatives to retain teachers;

(III) A description of the initiative to retain teachers that the applicant intends to implement using the grant and how the initiative is designed to address the specific issues causing the difficulty with retaining teachers;

(IV) The specific, measurable goals that the applicant expects to achieve in implementing the initiative and how the applicant expects to measure attainment of the goals; and

(V) The cost of implementing the initiative and the applicant's plan for sustaining the initiative after the grant money is no longer available.

(b) A local education provider is encouraged to partner with other local education providers or with one or more postsecondary institutions to apply for a grant. At the request of a local education provider, the department shall provide technical assistance in writing the grant application and in complying with the annual review requirements described in subsection (6) of this section.

(4) In recommending and selecting grant recipients, the department and the state board shall prioritize the applicants based on the demonstration of a high number of positions for which an applicant is unable to retain teachers and evidence of a high rate of teacher turnover if the applicant is a low-performing school or within the low-performing schools operated by the applicant. In addition, the department and the state board, at a minimum, shall consider:

(a) The applicant's capacity to successfully implement the proposed initiative and the likelihood that the proposed initiative will increase the applicant's ability to retain teachers;

(b) The cost-effectiveness and quality of the proposed initiative; and

(c) The applicant's plan for sustaining implementation of the initiative after the grant money is no longer available.

(5) Each grant recipient shall use the grant money to supplement, not supplant, resources that the grant recipient applies to teacher retention initiatives before receiving the grant. It is the intent of the general assembly that each grant recipient use the grant money for new teacher retention initiatives or to expand existing teacher retention initiatives, as described in this section.

(6) (a) Each grant awarded through the grant program continues for three budget years, subject to annual review by the department and renewal by the state board. The department shall annually review the progress achieved by each grant recipient in attaining the goals of the initiative funded by the grant and recommend to the state board that the grant be extended or revoked. Taking into consideration the recommendations of the department, the state board shall extend the grant only if the state board determines that the grant recipient is making adequate progress toward achieving the goals of the initiative.

(b) The department shall monitor and, if necessary, audit, each grant recipient's use of the grant money to implement the funded initiative. The grant recipient shall submit information concerning the use of the grant money to the department as required by state board rule.

(c) The department shall provide information to the local education providers concerning the grant program, the requirements for applying for a grant, the initiatives that a local education provider may implement using grant money, and the availability of assistance in writing grant applications.

(7) The state board shall promulgate rules in accordance with the "State Administrative Procedure Act", article 4 of title 24, as necessary to implement the grant program. In promulgating rules for reporting information concerning the use of grant money, the state board shall ensure that the reporting requirements are as minimal and efficient for grant recipients as possible to implement the grant program.