Governor Charles D. Baker's Budget Recommendation - House 1 Fiscal Year 2016

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3000-5075 - Universal Pre-Kindergarten




Account Description FY 2015
Spending
FY 2016
House 1
3000-5075 Universal Pre-Kindergarten
For the Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program; provided, that funds from this item shall be expended on grants to improve the quality of and expand access to preschool programs and services to children from the age of 2 years and 9 months until they are kindergarten eligible; provided further, that in awarding grant funds under this program, preference shall be given to establishing preschool classrooms in towns and cities with schools and districts at risk of or determined to be underperforming under sections 1J and 1K of chapter 69 of the General Laws, schools and districts which have been placed in the accountability status of identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under departmental regulations or which have been designated commonwealth priority schools or commonwealth pilot schools under said regulations, schools or districts with a high percentage of students scoring in levels 1 and 2 on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exams or programs which serve children not less than 50 per cent of whom are from families earning at or below 85 per cent of the state median income; provided further, that funds may also be used to enhance community-wide capacity building efforts within statewide parameters established by the board; provided further, that any newly-funded programs designated as Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program participants shall fall within the quality standards established by the QRIS; provided further, that programs receiving grant funds may use the funds to enhance teacher and staff quality and compensation, enhance program quality through participation in the QRIS, enhance program ability to interpret and use assessment data effectively, enhance developmentally-appropriate practices, incorporate ancillary services into the program, facilitate or provide access to wrap-around services for working families or increase capacity to expand access to age-eligible children on the centralized waitlist maintained by the department; provided further, that preference shall be given in awarding grants to those programs which demonstrate affordability for middle class and working class parents according to standards to be developed by the department; and provided further, that any payment made under any such grant with a school district shall be deposited with the treasurer of such city, town or regional school district and held as a separate account and shall be expended by the school committee of such city, town or regional school district without municipal appropriation, notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary
7,400,000 7,400,000

 
 


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