SB 612

This bill requires the department of education ("department"") to administer the career and technical education curriculum fund (""fund""), with an annual recurring appropriation of $5 million from the general fund, to provide grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools for the acquisition, retention, or expansion of digital career and technical education curricula t hrough platforms that contain comprehensive courses with lesson plans, media-rich content and activities, and interactive assessments. This bill requires the department to establish procedures for LEAs and public charter schools to apply for such grants. The procedures must include, but are not limited to, all of the following:  Application requirements and deadlines to apply for grants.  Criteria for awarding grants, which allow the department to consider factors such as the LEA's or public charter school's demonstrated need, the potential impact on students, and alignment with workforce development goals.  Reporting requirements for LEAs and public charter schools that receive grants to ensure accountability and measure program effectiveness. This bill provides that any unencumbered moneys and any unexpended balance of the fund remaining at the end of a fiscal year do not revert to the general fund, but must be carried forward until expended in accordance with this bill. Moneys in the fund must not be d iverted to the general fund or any other public fund."