(1) (a) There is hereby created in the department the parent involvement in education grant program to provide moneys to assist public schools in creating and implementing programs to support greater parent involvement in the schools. The council shall assist the department in implementing the parent involvement grant program as provided in this section and shall provide advice to recipient schools to assist them in creating and implementing programs to ensure that the programs reflect the best practices identified by the council pursuant to section 22-7-304. (b) The school district of a public school, or a board of cooperative services or regional service council that operates a public school, that seeks a grant through the parent involvement grant program shall apply on behalf of the public school; except that, if the public school is a charter school, the public school may apply on its own behalf. To be eligible to receive a grant, a public school shall meet one or more of the following criteria: (I) A significant percentage, as defined by rule of the state board, of the students enrolled in the public school for the three academic years immediately preceding application were: (A) Eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch pursuant to the provisions of the federal "Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act", 42 U.S.C. sec. 1751 et seq.; or (B) English language learners, as defined in section 22-24-103 (4); (II) The dropout rate for the public school for each of the three academic years immediately preceding application exceeded the state average dropout rate for each respective year by a percentage established by rule of the state board; (III) For each of the three academic years immediately preceding application, the statewide assessment scores of students enrolled in the public school demonstrated that: (A) A significant achievement or growth gap, as defined by rule of the state board, existed among identified groups of students; or (B) The school was an academically underperforming school, as defined by rule of the state board. (c) The programs that a recipient school may fund with grant moneys received through the parent involvement grant program shall include, but need not be limited to, programs to establish: (I) Family-to-school liaison positions; (II) Parent leadership training opportunities; (III) Centers to provide parent education programs; and (IV) School-based parent information resource centers. (2) The state board shall promulgate rules pursuant to the "State Administrative Procedure Act", article 4 of title 24, C.R.S., as necessary for implementation of the parent involvement grant program, including but not limited to: (a) Rules as specified in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section and subsection (5) of this section; (b) Rules establishing the time frames for submission and review of applications and selection of recipient schools; (c) Rules specifying the information to be included in grant applications; and (d) Rules identifying any criteria for selection of recipient schools in addition to the criteria specified in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section. (3) The council shall review the grant applications received pursuant to this section and shall recommend recipient schools and the grant amounts to the state board. Subject to available appropriations, the state board shall annually award grants through the parent involvement grant program, which grants shall be paid from the parent involvement grant program fund created in subsection (4) of this section. (4) (a) There is hereby created in the state treasury the parent involvement grant program fund, referred to in this subsection (4) as the "fund", that shall consist of such moneys as may be credited to the fund pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (4). The moneys in the fund shall be subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly for the direct and indirect costs associated with the implementation of the parent involvement grant program. Any moneys in the fund not expended for the purpose of this section may be invested by the state treasurer as provided by law. All interest and income derived from the investment and deposit of moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund. Any unexpended and unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall not be credited or transferred to the general fund or another fund; except that any unexpended and unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund as of June 30, 2019, shall be transferred to the general fund. (b) The council shall seek and may accept gifts, grants, and donations from private or public sources for the purposes of the parent involvement grant program; except that the council shall not accept a gift, grant, or donation if it is subject to conditions that are inconsistent with this part 3 or any other law of the state. The council shall transmit all private and public moneys received through gifts, grants, or donations to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the fund. (c) Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, the state board and the department shall not implement the parent involvement grant program until such time as there is at least twenty thousand dollars credited to the fund. (d) In any fiscal year in which there is at least twenty thousand dollars credited to the fund, the department may use up to one percent of the moneys credited to the fund to offset the costs incurred in implementing the parent involvement grant program. (5) (a) Beginning in the budget year following the first budget year in which the state board awards grants pursuant to this section, each recipient school shall annually submit to the council and the department, in accordance with timelines specified by rule of the state board, a report summarizing the amount of moneys received in the preceding fiscal year from the parent involvement grant program, the manner in which the moneys were used, and the results achieved through the use of the moneys. The report shall include such additional information as may be required by rule of the state board. (b) On or before March 15 of the first year in which the council receives reports pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (5), and on or before March 15 each year thereafter, the council shall summarize the reports received pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (5) and submit the summary, with any additional pertinent information, to the state board and the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees.
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