| Account | Description | FY2011 Spending |
FY2012 GAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7061-9600 | Concurrent Enrollment for Disabled Students For a discretionary grant pilot program with the purpose of providing monies to school districts and state public institutions of higher education partnering together to offer inclusive concurrent enrollment programs for students with disabilities as defined in section 1 of chapter 71B of the General Laws between the ages of 18 and 22, inclusive; provided, that the grant program will be limited to students who are considered to have severe disabilities and, in the case of students ages 18 to 19, shall be limited to students with severe disabilities who have been unable to achieve the competency determination necessary to pass the Massachusetts comprehensive assessment system exam; provided further, that said students with disabilities shall be offered enrollment in credit and noncredit courses that include nondisabled students, including enrollment in noncredit courses and credit bearing courses in audit status for students who may not meet course prerequisites and requirements, and that the partnering school districts will provide supports, services and accommodations necessary to facilitate a student's enrollment; provided further, that the department, in consultation with the department of higher education, shall develop guidelines to ensure that the grant program promotes civic engagement and mentoring of faculty in state institutions of higher education, and supports college success, work success, participation in student life of the college community and provision of a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment; provided further, that the department, in consultation with the department of higher education, shall develop strategies and procedures to help sustain and replicate the existing inclusive concurrent enrollment programs initiated through this pilot program, including, but not limited to: provision of funds to retain employment specialists and assist students in meeting competitive employment and other transition-related goals, and adoption of procedures and funding mechanisms to ensure that new partnerships of institutions of higher education and school districts providing inclusive concurrent enrollment programs fully utilize the models and expertise developed in existing partnerships; provided further that the department shall develop a mechanism to encourage existing and new partnerships to expand capacity to respond to individual parents that request an opportunity for their children to participate in the inclusive concurrent enrollment initiative; provided further that tuition for courses shall be waived by the institutes of higher education for students enrolled through this grant program; provided further, that funds may be distributed to the department of higher education in order to increase the capacity of public institutions of higher education to include students with severe disabilities in the concurrent enrollment pilot program; provided further, that funds may be allocated to the department of elementary and secondary education to provide training and technical assistance to school districts for program implementation; provided further, that the department of elementary and secondary education, in consultation with the department of higher education, shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on education and the joint committee on higher education on the discretionary grant program not later than February 15, 2012; provided further, that no funds shall be expended for personnel employed by the department of elementary and secondary education; and provided further, that for the purpose of this item, appropriated funds may be expended through August 31, 2012 |
890,021 | 400,000 |