(a) The amount of appropriations to fund the grants specified in this chapter shall be as determined by the annual Appropriations Act. The Department may allocate available federal funds to fund the grants specified in this chapter. School districts and schools shall not be required to provide a local match to these funds but shall be required in the process established by § 803 of this title to consider and incorporate in their district transition plan the appropriate level of local budget support for such purposes.

(b) Each school district shall be entitled to receive a grant to conduct structured conversations and activities and to design a shared decision-making transition plan. This grant may be used over a period set forth in the annual Appropriations Act. Upon written request to the Department of Education on or before April 1, 1998, a district may use and be awarded up to one third of its grant to conduct its required structured conversations and activities.

(c) Districts meeting the requirements for approval of a transition grant as specified by § 803(a) and (b) of this title and the guidelines developed by the Department of Education with the approval of the State Board of Education for such grants may be awarded the balance of their grants for development of a district transition plan; provided, that no such funding shall be available for award after June 30, 1998, and that any application for such funding shall be made to the Department on or before May 1, 1998.

(d) Each school in a district which has adopted a district transition plan for shared decision-making, as specified in § 803(d) of this title, shall be entitled to receive a grant to conduct structured conversations and activities and to develop a school transition plan which incorporates shared decision-making. The amount of such grants shall be established in the annual Appropriations Act or by allocation of available federal funds. Such grants shall be made available starting July 1, 1997, and shall not be available for award after June 30, 2000. Any application for such a grant shall be made on or before May 1, 2000. The grants awarded may be used over a period set forth in such act or determined by the Department in the case of federal funds. The local boards of such schools shall not reduce the funds otherwise allocated to such schools as a result of such grants or otherwise use such grants to supplant local board expenditures. A school may use and be awarded up to 1/3 of its grant to conduct structured conversations and activities.

(e) Schools meeting the requirements for approval of a transition grant as specified by § 805(a) and (b) of this title and the guidelines developed by the Department of Education with the approval of the State Board of Education for such grants may, if they comply with the deadline set forth in subsection (d) of this section, be awarded the balance of their grants for development of the school’s transition plan.

(f) Upon the adoption of its school transition plan by the local board of education and upon its subsequent approval every 3 years pursuant to § 808 of this title, a school shall be eligible to be awarded annually a school improvement grant to implement its school improvement plan through the application process set forth in § 806(a) of this title. The amount and duration of such grants shall be established by the annual Appropriations Act. The local boards of such schools shall not reduce the funds otherwise allocated to such schools as a result of such grants or otherwise use such grants to supplant local board expenditures.

(g) School committees for school discipline and climate, formed pursuant to Chapter 16 of this title, shall be authorized to continue to receive incentive grants, as provided in Chapter 16 of this title and authorized in the annual state Appropriations Act, until such time as a school transition plan, as defined in § 806 of this title, specifies an alternative governance structure to assume the authority and responsibilities specified in Chapter 16 of this title. Such school improvement plan shall be presented to the Department of Education as evidence upon application for such incentive grants.

70 Del. Laws, c. 457, § 1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 180, § 44.