SECTION 210:40-31-1. Public School Classroom Support Grants

(a)   Purpose. The State Board of Education is authorized to award one or more grants annually to classroom teachers from funds available in the Public School Classroom Support Revolving Fund established pursuant to 70 O.S. § 1-123. A grant awarded under this section shall be used by the grantee teacher for the purpose of purchasing supplies, materials, or equipment for their class or classes. To ensure the continuing availability of the grant program, which is funded by taxpayer donations that vary annually, the full amount available in the Public School Classroom Support Revolving Fund may not be awarded during a single year.

(b)   Eligibility. A public school classroom teacher in Oklahoma is eligible to apply for a Public School Classroom Support Grant. A certified educator employed under Oklahoma Cost Accounting System (OCAS) Job Class Code 210, "Teacher", or OCAS Job Class Code 213, "Resource Teacher", shall be considered a classroom teacher for purposes of the Public School Classroom Support Grant program.

(c)   Limitations. The minimum amount that may be requested for each Public School Classroom Support Grant is $1,000, and the maximum amount that may be requested is $5,000. A classroom teacher may receive an individual Public School Classroom Support Grant only once. A teacher who has previously applied for a grant, but has not received one, is eligible to apply again in subsequent years. A teacher may submit one application per year for an individual Classroom Support Grant, and may also be included in one shared grant application per year, provided that a teacher may not be awarded an individual grant and a shared grant during the same year. A teacher who has been one of the recipients of a shared grant may not apply for another shared grant for a period of two (2) years following the year the shared grant was received.

(d)   Focus areas and focus goals. In order to maximize the efficacy of resources donated by Oklahoma taxpayers to the Public School Classroom Support Revolving Fund, the State Department of Education may designate focus areas and/or focus goals that will apply to the upcoming year's Public School Classroom Support Grant cycle. In the event the State Department of Education designates focus areas and/or focus goals for the following year's Public School Classroom Support Grants, grant applications must be relevant to one or more of the stated focuses to be eligible for consideration. If the State Department of Education does not designate a focus area and/or focus goal prior to the end of the calendar year to apply to the following year's grant cycle, grant applications must articulate a purpose intended to promote student learning in one or more content areas or skills aligned with the Oklahoma Academic Standards to be eligible for consideration.

(e)   Distribution of grants. To the extent possible, subject to the availability of funds, grants will be awarded each year to at least one recipient who represents each of the following categories:

(1)   An early childhood or elementary school.

(2)   A middle or junior high school.

(3)   A high school.

(4)   An alternative school, alternative academy, or alternative education program as defined by 70 O.S. § 1210.568.

(5)   A school in a "small school district" as defined by 70 O.S. § 18-201.1(B)(3).

(6)   A school in a district with an average daily membership of thirty thousand (30,000) or more.

(7)   A school in a district that is not a "small school district" and has an average daily membership lower than thirty thousand (30,000).

(f)   Grant applications. Applications will be accepted from January 1 through March 31 of each year, with grants awarded for the following school year. Each application must contain:

(1)   The amount of the requested grant, with a minimum amount of $1,000 and a maximum amount of $5,000.

(2)   The purpose of the requested grant, which must be intended to promote student learning in one or more content areas or skills, and the supplies, materials, and/or equipment to be funded.

(3)   The applying teacher's plan for using the proposed materials and/or equipment in their classroom to achieve the stated purpose.

(4)   A proposed budget itemizing how grant funds will be spent if awarded, which includes the appropriate Oklahoma Cost Accounting System (OCAS) codes for the planned expenditures. The OCAS manual that lists the expenditure codes is updated annually and is available on the State Department of Education website.

(5)   The name and signature of the applying teacher and the administrator of the school site where the teacher is employed. For shared grants, the names and signatures of all applying teachers should be included along with the name and signature of the site administrator.

(g)   Criteria. Grant applications will be evaluated by an Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) selection committee, which will make recommendations for each year's grant awards to the State Board of Education. The selection committee will include curriculum specialists who have trained on the rubric that will apply to the specific evaluation criteria that have been announced for the grant year. Applications will be evaluated according to the following general criteria, in addition to any specific criteria announced for a grant year with a designated focus:

(1)   An articulated purpose for the requested grant that is intended to promote student learning in one or more content areas or skills.

(2)   A specific plan for incorporating supplies, materials, and/or equipment funded by the requested grant into the applying teacher's course(s) for the stated purpose.

(3)   Alignment of the purpose and plan for the requested grant with:

(A)   The Oklahoma Academic Standards, if a focus area or focus goal has not been designated for the grant year, or

(B)   One or more of the focus area(s) and/or focus goal(s), if the State Department ofEducation has designated focus area(s) and/or focus goal(s) for the grant year.

(h)   Shared grants. Two (2) or more teachers at the same school site may apply for a shared grant to be used for the same purpose in more than one classroom. One application should be submitted for a shared grant. If a shared grant is awarded, the funded amount of the grant will be shared by the participating teachers listed on the application, with appropriate distribution of the grant funds among participating classrooms to be the responsibility of the participating teachers and the site administrator. A teacher who has been one of the recipients of a shared grant is not eligible to apply for another shared grant for two (2) years following the year the shared grant was received.

[Source: Added at 34 Ok Reg 1109, eff 9-11-17]