This bill amends section 79-1054 of the Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska to update the provisions related to grants funded from the State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund. It introduces a new improvement grant program that will focus on areas such as teacher recruitment and retention, school improvement, and enhancing student performance in reading and mathematics. The bill specifies that these grants will be funded using lottery funds and mandates the State Board of Education to submit annual reports on the grant programs, including evaluations of their effectiveness.

Additionally, the bill assigns new responsibilities to the Department of Economic Development regarding grants for learning platforms, which are defined as three-dimensional, game-based platforms for middle and high school students. The department will establish a grant program to procure licenses for preexisting learning platforms, ensuring that grant funds are exclusively used for this purpose and not for research and development. The bill also creates the State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund, detailing how funds will be allocated and managed, and repeals the original section of the statute.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 79-1054