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 establishes a new improvement grant program that focuses on areas such as teacher recruitment and retention, school improvement, and enhancing student performance in reading and mathematics. The bill also 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 transfers certain responsibilities from the State Board of Education to the Department of Economic Development, which will now oversee a grant program for procuring annual licenses for preexisting learning platforms aimed at engaging middle and high school students in STEM education. The bill includes specific criteria for grant applications and requires that any developer receiving a grant must provide access to their learning platform to all Nebraska school districts. The original section of the law is repealed, and the new provisions will take effect starting July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 79-1054