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Account	Description	FY07 GAA	FY08 GAA
7030-1002	Kindergarten Expansion Grants For kindergarten development grants to provide ongoing grant awards to continue quality enhancement of existing full-day kindergarten classrooms and to encourage the transition of half day classrooms into full-day kindergarten classrooms; provided, that the office of school readiness shall administer a grant program to encourage the voluntary expansion of high quality, full-day kindergarten education throughout the commonwealth; provided further, that grants of not more than $18,000 per classroom shall be made available to public schools for the enhancement of existing full-day kindergarten classrooms and for the transition of existing half-day kindergarten classrooms into full-day kindergarten classrooms; provided further, that said grants shall be awarded pursuant to guidelines established by the department relative to the application and award process which shall include eligibility criteria, allowable grant expenditures and grant recipient obligations; provided further, that guidelines for transition grants shall require applicants for such grants to identify obstacles that impede the transition to full-day kindergarten; provided further, that the guidelines shall require grant recipients to identify the anticipated date by which the implementation of quality enhancement or transition projects shall commence; provided further, that the guidelines shall detail the range of permissible grant expenditures which shall include, but not be limited to, the expenditure of funds for facility improvements or other expenses necessary to provide adequate space for the transition from half-day kindergarten classrooms into full-day kindergarten classrooms; provided further, that grants funded through this appropriation shall not annualize to more than $18,000 per classroom in subsequent fiscal years; provided further, that preference shall be given to grant applicants with high percentages of students scoring in levels 1 or 2 on the Massachusetts comprehensive assessment system exam, as determined by the department based on available data; provided further, that any grant funds distributed from this item shall be deposited with the treasurer of such city, town or regional school district and held in a separate account and shall be expended by the school committee of such city, town or regional school district without further appropriation, notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary; provided further, that such program shall supplement and shall not supplant currently funded local, state and federal programs at the school or district; provided further, that not less than $6,000,000 shall be expended on grants to expand half-day classrooms to new full-day classrooms; provided further, that not later than January 15, 2008, the department shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means on the total number of grants requested and awarded; provided further, that the report shall detail common factors associated with both successful and unsuccessful applications and shall include the total number of full-day and half-day kindergarten classrooms projected to be in operation in public schools in fiscal year 2009; provided further, that funds appropriated in this item for transition grant awards may be expended through August 31, 2008, for the purposes of transition projects scheduled for the school year beginning in September 2008; provided further, that all kindergarten programs previously funded through community partnership councils at the department for early education and care shall receive grants from this item in amounts not less than they received in fiscal year 2007; and provided further, that no funds shall be expended for personnel costs	27,000,000	33,802,216

 
 

HISTORICAL SPENDING CATEGORIES ($000)

SPENDING CATEGORY	FY04 Spending	FY05 Spending	FY06 Spending	FY07 Spending	FY08 GAA
Wages & Salaries	101	113	78	151	1
Pensions & Benefits	1	4	3	5	3
Operating Expenses	27	13	30	23	20
Aid to Cities & Towns	22,835	22,764	24,870	26,756	33,778
TOTAL	22,964	22,893	24,981	26,935	33,802

* FY07 Projected Spending includes the budget plus nearly $1 billion in spending from FY06 supplemental budgets.

 

 

Earmarks

EARMARK DESCRIPTION	FY08
1/2 day to full-day kindergarten transition grants	6,000,000