SECTION 210:40-51-2. Procedures for solicitation and acceptance of district applications

(a)   At such point in the legislative session that state funds are appropriated for competitive grant programs to be awarded by the State Board of Education and administered by the State Department of Education, a notification letter will be sent to each district superintendent or elementary superintendent announcing the availability of application forms.

(b)   The notification will clearly state those grant programs for which applications are being solicited and state the name and telephone number of the contact person at the Department who administers the program.

(c)   Public notice of solicitation of the grant applications will be made simultaneously giving the name and telephone number of the contact person at the Department who administers the program. Nonprofit organizations may obtain grant applications by calling or writing this contact person and requesting an application form.

(d)   Local educational agencies or nonprofit organizations may apply for a grant on a cooperative basis.

(e)   The signature of the Chief Executive Officer of the local educational agency or nonprofit organization must appear on the application.

(f)   In the event of a cooperative application, one district or nonprofit organization will be chosen by the cooperative to serve as the fiscal agent for the grant. The signature of every Chief Executive Officer involved in a cooperative must appear on the grant application form.

(g)   The grant application and five copies will be submitted to the grant administrator. A specific deadline date will be clearly stated in the application solicitation letter. This date may vary from year to year depending on the point in the legislative session that grant funds are appropriated.

(h)   A committee will evaluate applications using identified objectives and criteria.

(i)   After evaluation, the State Superintendent will recommend to the State Board of Education those applications which have been determined to be eligible for funding.

(j)   The State Board of Education will make every effort to assure that grant awards are made before the beginning of the fall term for the school year in which the funds are made available.

(k)   Grant funds shall not supplant programs or activities funded by the United States government pursuant to Chapter 1 of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments of 1988, P.L. 100–297. Neither shall they supplant programs funded by the State Board of Education grants for high challenge or regional summer school programs.

(l)   Each program funded shall agree to establish an objective procedure for documenting how the alternative program is benefiting the children served. Data collected will be compiled and submitted on forms provided by the State Department of Education.

(m)   Alternative approaches grants, which include alternative education grants, shall be awarded to local education agencies or nonprofit organizations for programs serving school districts identified by the State Board of Education as having high percentages of children who are considered to be high challenge students.

(n)   For purposes of this grant, high challenge children and youth are defined as those at risk of failing to complete a satisfactory education. Factors used to determine high challenge schools will include: free and/or reduced lunches, minority enrollment and student achievement. These factors will be combined statistically by the Office of Accountability to determine the rank of each school district. Each school district will then be ranked from the highest to the lowest.

[Source: Amended at 10 Ok Reg 4293, eff 7-15-93 (emergency); Amended at 11 Ok Reg 2003, eff 5-26-94; Amended at 14 Ok Reg 3379, eff 5-5-97 (emergency); Amended at 15 Ok Reg 2337, eff 6-11-98]