Recognizing the needs small school districts have to meet increased high school graduation and college admission requirements, and the difficulty such districts may experience in offering the necessary academic courses, the Legislature hereby states its intent to assist such districts through the creation of incentive grants to fund cooperative programs. Such grants shall be allocated by the State Board of Education on a competitive basis to school districts with an average daily attendance of eight hundred (800) or less, or to any school district participating in the East Central Educational Support Center, to enter into an agreement with one or more districts of any size or an accredited institution of higher education to provide classes in mathematics, science, a foreign language, computer education, visual arts or music to elementary or secondary students. In allocating incentive grants to fund cooperative programs, the State Department of Education shall give priority to those programs that emphasize classes required for high school graduation and college admission. Funding provided in the grants shall be expended for instruction-related personnel, equipment, transportation, materials and telecommunications, including but not limited to telecommunication equipment, instruction and other materials. Funding provided for grants for telecommunication shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the funds provided for all grants specified in this section. No funds provided shall be used for construction of buildings.

Added by Laws 1985, c. 329, § 14, emerg. eff. July 30, 1985. Amended by Laws 1987, c. 204, § 119, operative July 1, 1987; Laws 1993, c. 361, § 8, eff. July 1, 1993; Laws 1999, c. 246, § 31, eff. July 1, 1999.