Signed by Governor Gary Herbert

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with Senate amendments and pass a bill that establishes the School Readiness Board and authorizes the board to contract with private entities to fund early education programs.

Highlights:

• Establishes the School Readiness Board, composed of the following members (Sec. 3):
• The director of the Department of Workforce Services;
• 1 member appointed by the State Board of Education;
• 1 member appointed by the chair of the State Charter School Board;
• 1 member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
• 1 member appointed by the President of the Senate.

• Establishes the High Quality School Readiness Grant Program to provide grants in order to upgrade an existing preschool or home-based technology program to a high quality school readiness program (Sec. 6).

• Establishes the School Readiness Restricted Account to fund the High Quality School Readiness Grant Program and results-based school readiness contracts (Sec. 4).

• Authorizes the board to negotiate contracts with private entities to fund high quality preschool programs and home-based education technology programs (Sec. 10).

• Requires a results-based school readiness contract with a private entity to include certain provisions, including, but not limited to, the following requirements (Sec. 10):
• A requirement that the repayment to the private entity is conditioned on specific performance outcome measures;
• A requirement for an independent evaluator to determine if the performance outcomes have been achieved; and
• A requirement that the repayment to a private entity is based upon available money in the School Readiness Restricted Account.

• Requires a high quality school readiness program run by an eligible local education agency or private provider to include, but not be limited to, the following components (Sec. 5):
• An evidence-based curriculum based on the developmental domains and academic content areas adopted by the State Board of Education, including, but not limited to, the following academic content areas:
• The alphabet and word knowledge;
• Numeracy; and
• Creative arts.
• An ongoing assessment of a student’s educational growth and developmental progress; and
• Family engagement, including ongoing communication between home and school and parent education opportunities based on each family’s circumstances.

• Requires the board to consider certain factors when awarding High Quality School Readiness Grants, including, but not limited to, the percentage of a grant recipient’s students who are “economically disadvantaged” (Sec. 6).

• Appropriates $3 million from the General Fund to the School Readiness Restricted Account (Sec. 13).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes the School Readiness Board and authorizes the board to contract with private entities to fund early education programs.

Highlights:

• Establishes the School Readiness Board, composed of the following members (Sec. 3):
• The director of the Department of Workforce Services;
• 1 member appointed by the State Board of Education;
• 1 member appointed by the chair of the State Charter School Board;
• 1 member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
• 1 member appointed by the President of the Senate.

• Establishes the High Quality School Readiness Grant Program to provide grants in order to upgrade an existing preschool or home-based technology program to a high quality school readiness program (Sec. 6).

• Establishes the School Readiness Restricted Account to fund the High Quality School Readiness Grant Program and results-based school readiness contracts (Sec. 4).

• Authorizes the board to negotiate contracts with private entities to fund high quality preschool programs and home-based education technology programs (Sec. 10).

• Requires a results-based school readiness contract with a private entity to include certain provisions, including, but not limited to, the following requirements (Sec. 10):
• A requirement that the repayment to the private entity is conditioned on specific performance outcome measures;
• A requirement for an independent evaluator to determine if the performance outcomes have been achieved; and
• A requirement that the repayment to a private entity is based upon available money in the School Readiness Restricted Account.

• Requires a high quality school readiness program run by an eligible local education agency or private provider to include, but not be limited to, the following components (Sec. 5):
• An evidence-based curriculum based on the developmental domains and academic content areas adopted by the State Board of Education, including, but not limited to, the following academic content areas:
• The alphabet and word knowledge;
• Numeracy; and
• Creative arts.
• An ongoing assessment of a student’s educational growth and developmental progress; and
• Family engagement, including ongoing communication between home and school and parent education opportunities based on each family’s circumstances.

• Requires the board to consider certain factors when awarding High Quality School Readiness Grants, including, but not limited to, the percentage of a grant recipient’s students who are “economically disadvantaged” (Sec. 6).

• Appropriates $3 million from the General Fund to the School Readiness Restricted Account (Sec. 13).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes the School Readiness Board and authorizes the board to contract with private entities to fund early education programs.

Highlights:

• Establishes the School Readiness Board, composed of the following members (Sec. 3):
• The director of the Department of Workforce Services;
• 1 member appointed by the State Board of Education;
• 1 member appointed by the chair of the State Charter School Board;
• 1 member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
• 1 member appointed by the President of the Senate.

• Establishes the High Quality School Readiness Grant Program to provide grants in order to upgrade an existing preschool or home-based technology program to a high quality school readiness program (Sec. 6).

• Establishes the School Readiness Restricted Account to fund the High Quality School Readiness Grant Program and results-based school readiness contracts (Sec. 4).

• Authorizes the board to negotiate contracts with private entities to fund high quality preschool programs and home-based education technology programs (Sec. 10).

• Requires a results-based school readiness contract with a private entity to include certain provisions, including, but not limited to, the following requirements (Sec. 10):
• A requirement that the repayment to the private entity is conditioned on specific performance outcome measures;
• A requirement for an independent evaluator to determine if the performance outcomes have been achieved; and
• A requirement that the repayment to a private entity is based upon available money in the School Readiness Restricted Account.

• Requires a high quality school readiness program run by an eligible local education agency or private provider to include, but not be limited to, the following components (Sec. 5):
• An evidence-based curriculum based on the developmental domains and academic content areas adopted by the State Board of Education, including, but not limited to, the following academic content areas:
• The alphabet and word knowledge;
• Numeracy; and
• Creative arts.
• An ongoing assessment of a student’s educational growth and developmental progress; and
• Family engagement, including ongoing communication between home and school and parent education opportunities based on each family’s circumstances.

• Requires the board to consider certain factors when awarding High Quality School Readiness Grants, including, but not limited to, the percentage of a grant recipient’s students who are “economically disadvantaged” (Sec. 6).

• Appropriates $5 million from the General Fund to the School Readiness Restricted Account (Sec. 12).

Full Bill Text