Sec. 6. (a) The Senator David C. Ford educational technology fund is established to extend educational technologies to elementary and secondary schools. The fund may be used for:

(1) the 4R's technology grant program to assist school corporations (on behalf of public schools) in purchasing technology equipment:

(A) for kindergarten and grade 1 students, to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic using technology;

(B) for students in all grades, to understand that technology is a tool for learning; and

(C) for students in kindergarten through grade 3 who have been identified as needing remediation, to offer daily remediation opportunities using technology to prevent those students from failing to make appropriate progress at the particular grade level;

(2) a school technology program developed by the department. The program may include grants to school corporations for the purchase of:

(A) equipment, hardware, and software;

(B) learning and teaching systems; and

(C) other materials;

that promote student learning, as determined by the department.

(3) providing educational technologies, including computers in the homes of students;

(4) conducting educational technology training for teachers; and

(5) other innovative educational technology programs.

(b) The department may also use money in the fund under contracts entered into with the office of technology established by IC 4-13.1-2-1 to study the feasibility of establishing an information telecommunications gateway that provides access to information on employment opportunities, career development, and instructional services from data bases operated by the state among the following:

(1) Elementary and secondary schools.

(2) Postsecondary educational institutions.

(3) Career and technical educational centers and institutions that are not postsecondary educational institutions.

(4) Libraries.

(5) Any other agencies offering education and training programs.

(c) The fund consists of:

(1) state appropriations;

(2) private donations to the fund; or

(3) any combination of the amounts described in subdivisions (1) through (2).

(d) The fund shall be administered by the department.

(e) Unexpended money appropriated to or otherwise available in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not revert to the state general fund but remains available to the department for use under this chapter.

[Pre-2005 Elementary and Secondary Education Recodification Citation: 20-10.1-25-1.]

As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.4. Amended by P.L.177-2005, SEC.40; P.L.2-2006, SEC.81; P.L.2-2007, SEC.205; P.L.234-2007, SEC.92; P.L.3-2008, SEC.116; P.L.31-2009, SEC.2; P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.305; P.L.133-2012, SEC.185; P.L.244-2017, SEC.16.