Bill > S327

Introduced Session

This bill directs the Commissioner of Education to establish a dual language immersion program. Under the program, the commissioner will provide grants to school districts and charter schools to develop dual language immersion programs in Chinese, Spanish, French, or any other language approved by the commissioner. Under the bill, a school district or charter school may be eligible to receive funds if it uses an instructional model that provides at least 50 percent of its instruction in Chinese, Spanish, French, or any other language approved by the commissioner. The program would have to begin in kindergarten or in grade one and would need to meet any other requirements established by the commissioner. The bill directs a school district or charter school which wants to apply to participate in the grant program to submit a proposal to the commissioner. The commissioner will select grant recipients in the northern, central, and southern regions of the State and would allocate to each selected recipient a grant in such amount as the commissioner deems necessary to support the dual language immersion program. The bill establishes the Dual Language Immersion Program Fund as a nonlapsing revolving fund in the Department of Education to finance the grant program. The fund will be credited with all moneys appropriated by the Legislature, any gifts, grants, or donations made to the fund, and any other available revenue.

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Patrick Diegnan (D)*,  Teresa Ruiz (D)*,  Nia Gill (D), 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee (on 01/14/2020)

Official Document