Assembly Bill 645 proposes the establishment of a grant program administered by the Department of Public Instruction to support feasibility studies for school district consolidation or whole grade sharing agreements. The bill allows consortia of two or more school boards to apply for grants of up to $25,000 to cover the costs associated with these studies. Eligible expenses include professional financial analyses, which may encompass population studies to assess the impact of consolidation or whole grade sharing on the involved school districts. To qualify for the grant, each school board in the consortium must adopt a resolution indicating their intent to consider consolidation.

Currently, while there is additional funding for consolidated school districts during the first seven years post-consolidation, there is no provision for funding feasibility studies or related costs for districts contemplating such actions. The bill aims to fill this gap by creating new statutory sections, specifically 20.255 (2) (bt) and 115.448, to facilitate the grant program and outline the eligibility criteria and reimbursement processes for the feasibility studies.