2005 Senate Bill 329 ↩

Senate Roll Call 113: Passed

To allocate $1.0 million from the State School Aid Fund for 18 grants of $40,000 each to school districts to create a five-year pilot program to develop an “early intervening model” program for grades K-3. This would include instruction for teachers and support staff on how to monitor individual student learning and provide extra help to pupils as early as possible in order to reduce the need for special education placement. The balance of the $1 million would for grants of unspecified size for similar purposes. The funding would replace money otherwise directed to reduce class sizes. As passed by the Senate, the bill cannot become law unless a Senate Republican package of targeted tax breaks also does, and unless a teacher-union supported bill mandating public school funding increases also does. See Emerson and Sikkema amendments.