SENATE BILL NO. 448

A bill to amend 1979 PA 94, entitled

"The state school aid act of 1979,"

(MCL 388.1601 to 388.1896) by adding section 34a.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 34a. (1) From the federal funding appropriated in section 11, there is allocated $55,000,000.00 from the federal funding awarded to this state from the elementary and secondary emergency relief (ESSER) fund under section 2001(f)(1) of the American rescue plan act of 2021, title II, subtitle A, part 1 of Public Law 117-2, to Grand Valley State University for, subject to subsection (8), the purposes described in subsections (2) and (3) to address learning loss among students, including, but not limited to, low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care, by providing information and assistance to parents and families to effectively support students, including in a distance learning environment.

(2) Subject to subsection (8), Grand Valley State University shall use the funding it receives under subsection (1) toward the establishment of a grant program as provided under this subsection. By not later than August 1, 2021, Grand Valley State University shall establish a grant program for reading scholarships to eligible children.

(3) Grand Valley State University shall directly apply funding it receives under subsection (1) for each eligible child as a reading scholarship described in subsection (2) toward the payment of eligible services selected by the eligible child's parent or legal guardian in the application described in subsection (6). Grand Valley State University may apply funding under subsection (1) only toward eligible services, as provided under this subsection, for eligible children who are enrolled in districts that have depleted the funding they designated for purposes of subsection (4) under section 11r(4). Grand Valley State University may apply, from the funding under subsection (1), only an amount not to exceed $1,000.00 for each eligible child.

(4) A district, in consultation with Grand Valley State University, shall determine the number of eligible children enrolled in the district. From the funding a district designated for the purposes of this subsection under section 11r(4), the district shall directly apply funding for each eligible child described in this subsection as a reading scholarship described in subsection (2) toward the payment of eligible services selected by the eligible child's parent or legal guardian in the application described in subsection (6). A district may apply, from the funding described in this subsection, only an amount not to exceed $1,000.00 for each eligible child.

(5) Grand Valley State University shall develop a catalog of eligible services and shall provide this catalog to the parent or legal guardian of each eligible child. The catalog developed under this subsection must be provided to all districts and must be available to the general public through Grand Valley State University's website homepage. The catalog described in this subsection must include only services that provide any of the following that are designed to improve reading or literacy:

(a) Instructional materials or curricula.

(b) Part-time tutoring services.

(c) Specialized summer education programming.

(d) After-school education programming.

(6) Grand Valley State University shall establish an application process for applicants to apply for reading scholarships through the grant program described in subsection (2). The application process must provide for both of the following:

(a) The verification of the identity of the eligible child's parent or legal guardian.

(b) Require the parent or legal guardian of the eligible child who is seeking the reading scholarship to select, from the catalog developed under subsection (5), which services the parent or legal guardian would like his or her child to participate in through the reading scholarship.

(7) A child to whom all of the following apply is an eligible child under this section:

(a) The child is enrolled in kindergarten or any of grades 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 in a district.

(b) The child is less than proficient in reading, based on available assessment data, including benchmark assessment data and state summative assessment data.

(c) The child has applied for a reading scholarship through the grant program described in subsection (2) through the application process described in subsection (6).

(8) From the funding allocated under subsection (1), an amount not to exceed $1,000,000.00 may be utilized by Grand Valley State University for administrative costs associated with the administration of the grant program described in subsection (2). Grand Valley State University may charge a fee not exceeding 3% of the total administrative costs associated with the administration of the grant program described in subsection (2) for each application submitted through the process described in subsection (6).

(9) Each district shall notify the parent and legal guardian of each eligible child enrolled in the district that his or her child meets the criteria of an eligible child under this section.

Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect unless all of the following bills of the 101st Legislature are enacted into law:

(a) Senate Bill No. 265.

(b) Senate Bill No. 268.