Fund STEM Education Grants

Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 16-m of section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968, constituting the New York state urban development corporation act, is amended by adding a new paragraph (o) to read as follows:

(o) Assistance to effectively prepare students for postsecondary education and careers in science and computer science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by providing STEM grants.

(i) The chairman of the corporation, in cooperation with the commissioner of the state education department, shall encourage school districts and other qualified applicants to establish new STEM programs and expand existing STEM programs, and shall establish criteria for the development and submission of grant applications and proposals and for the selection of recipients of STEM grants, as provided in this paragraph.

(ii) Any school district or other qualified applicant that applies for funding under this paragraph, shall work with relevant state and local educational agencies to develop comprehensive plans for identifying, developing, testing, and implementing evidence-based practices to provide STEM learning opportunities for students and support the implementation of such plans by employing a wide range of strategies, including the recruitment, preparation, and professional development of effective STEM educators. Qualified applicants include school districts,

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD02125-02-7

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institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, other public agencies and businesses providing educational services to prepare students for postsecondary STEM education and careers.

(iii) STEM grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis. First priority shall be given to high need school districts and high need schools. Grants shall be awarded based on factors including, but not limited to, the following:

(A) measures of school district need;

(B) measures of the need of students to be served by each applying school districts;

(C) the school district's proposal to target the highest need schools and students;

(D) the extent to which the district's proposal would prioritize funds to maximize the total number of eligible children in the district served in STEM programs; and

(E) the quality of the proposal.

(iv) Recipients of STEM grants shall use the funds to:

(A) promote and develop in-school and out-of-school curricular tools and professional development for STEM educators at the elementary school and secondary school levels;

(B) provide instruction and mentoring services to new teachers in STEM subjects;

(C) promote and develop rigorous undergraduate pre-service teacher programs at institutions of higher education that emphasize STEM contact;

(D) support the participation of elementary school and secondary school students in competitions, out-of-school activities, and field experiences related to STEM subjects;

(E) develop STEM related education and workforce training programs in secondary schools and community colleges to reflect the needs of the local community; and

(F) create after school programs to promote STEM education and careers.

(v) Grants shall be made for a recurrent period of five years, commencing with the two thousand seventeen-two thousand eighteen school year. At the end of the five year period, the chairman of the corporation shall evaluate the effectiveness of the STEM grants based on criteria developed in cooperation with the commissioner of the state education department.

(vi) This grant program will not mandate a testing or evaluative model that is separate from current state testing and evaluative requirements for primary and secondary students.

§ 2. The sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the urban development corporation out of the moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the credit of the empire state economic development fund established pursuant to section 16-m of the New York state urban development corporation act not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, for the purpose of STEM grants and carrying out the provisions of this act. Funds for STEM grants shall be distributed to each qualifying school district in installments upon successful implementation of each phase of the school district's approved proposal. No school district shall receive more than forty percent of the total STEM grant allocation. Within a school district, each individual STEM site shall be limited to a maximum grant of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000). Any portion of funding that is not awarded in a particular school year

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shall remain available for awards in subsequent school years; provided that in the event that the chairman of the urban development corporation elects to discontinue the program after the initial five year period described in section one of this act, and remaining funding shall be returned to the state treasury to the credit of the general fund.

§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amendments to subdivision 1 of section 16-m of section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968, constituting the New York state urban development corporation act made by section one of this act, shall not affect the expiration of such section and shall be deemed to expire therewith.