PRINTER'S NO. 2077
No. 1642 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY STAIRS, BROWNE, CLYMER, CREIGHTON, FLEAGLE,
HERMAN, R. MILLER, O'NEILL, T. STEVENSON, GRUCELA, KIRKLAND,
SHANER, SURRA, YUDICHAK, BAKER, BARD, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI,
BELFANTI, CAPPELLI, CAUSER, COSTA, CRAHALLA, FAIRCHILD,
FICHTER, GEIST, GEORGE, GERGELY, GOODMAN, GORDNER, HARHAI,
HESS, HORSEY, HUTCHINSON, JAMES, KELLER, KOTIK, LAUGHLIN,
LEACH, LEDERER, LESCOVITZ, MARKOSEK, McNAUGHTON, MELIO,
S. MILLER, NAILOR, PHILLIPS, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROSS,
RUBLEY, SAINATO, SATHER, SCHRODER, SEMMEL, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY,
STERN, WILT, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD, JUNE 17, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JUNE 17, 2003
AN ACT
1 Establishing the Science Technology Partnership Program; and
2 providing for State grants.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Science
7 Technology Partnership Act.
8 Section 2. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11 context clearly indicates otherwise:
12 "Department." The Department of Education of the
13 Commonwealth.
14 "Higher education institution." Any public or private two-
1 year or four-year or higher postsecondary institution in this
2 Commonwealth that has been accredited at the college level by an
3 accrediting agency recognized by the Federal Secretary of
4 Education.
5 "Partnership." A science technology partnership established
6 under section 4.
7 "Program." The Science Technology Partnership Program
8 established in section 3.
9 "Public school." Any school owned or operated by a public
10 school district established under the act of March 10, 1949
11 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949,
12 including any school established pursuant to Article XVII-A of
13 the Public School Code of 1949.
14 "Scientific or technical equipment." Technical or electronic
15 equipment used in teaching science courses, including laboratory
16 equipment. The equipment may include equipment that is not
17 routinely used in the teaching of science but that is commonly
18 used in the workplace and the fields of health, environment,
19 scientific research, biology, chemistry, geology or other earth
20 sciences, physics or any other scientific field.
21 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
22 Section 3. Science Technology Partnership Program.
23 (a) Establishment.--The Science Technology Partnership
24 Program is hereby established. The purpose of the program shall
25 be to improve science education in public schools and school
26 districts that are members of science technology partnerships
27 by:
28 (1) Making scientific or technical equipment available
29 to students.
30 (2) Augmenting the science curriculum.
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1 (3) Providing additional professional development
2 opportunities to educators in the sciences.
3 (b) Administration.--The department shall administer a grant
4 program that awards grants to qualified higher education
5 institutions that are members of the science technology
6 partnerships.
7 (c) Criteria for funding.--To implement the program, the
8 department shall request proposals from higher education
9 institutions that are members of science technology partnerships
10 and may award grants to such institutions that meet all of the
11 following criteria:
12 (1) Have established a partnership as defined in section
13 4 and provided a copy of the partnership agreement to the
14 department.
15 (2) Demonstrate how the partnership will make science
16 technology equipment available to students enrolled in public
17 schools that are partnership members.
18 (3) Demonstrate how the partnership will augment the
19 science curriculum of public schools that are partnership
20 members.
21 (4) Demonstrate how the partnership will provide
22 additional professional development opportunities to
23 educators employed by public schools that are partnership
24 members.
25 (5) Have adopted a proposed budget describing the
26 scientific and technical equipment that will be purchased or
27 leased with grant funds.
28 (d) Grant awards.--The department shall award grants in
29 amounts not to exceed $400,000 for each qualified applicant
30 higher education institution. Grants shall be used for the
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1 purchase or lease of scientific or technical equipment and for
2 the development of programs of instruction for members of a
3 partnership.
4 Section 4. Science technology partnerships.
5 (a) Establishment.--A higher education institution may form
6 a partnership with three or more public schools or school
7 districts.
8 (b) Partnership agreement.--The higher education institution
9 and the public schools or school districts shall enter into a
10 written agreement defining the responsibilities of the
11 partnership members. The agreement shall include all of the
12 following:
13 (1) The responsibilities of the higher education
14 institution in providing services to each partnership member.
15 (2) The responsibilities of the public schools or school
16 districts in coordinating with the higher education
17 institution.
18 (3) A description of the scientific or technical
19 equipment that shall be provided to each partnership member.
20 (4) A description of the program of instruction that
21 will be provided to each partnership member by the higher
22 education institution.
23 (5) The courses of science instruction and grade levels
24 that will be augmented by scientific or technical equipment
25 through the partnership and how scientific or technical
26 equipment will be used to augment such courses of
27 instruction.
28 (6) The manner in which access to scientific or
29 technical equipment will be provided to students and
30 teachers.
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1 (7) The professional development activities that will be
2 provided to science teachers employed by partnership members.
3 (c) Forward to department.--To be eligible to participate in
4 the program, a partnership must forward a certified copy of its
5 partnership agreement to the department.
6 Section 5. Powers and duties of department.
7 The department shall promulgate rules, regulations and
8 procedures necessary to implement the program.
9 Section 6. Annual report.
10 The secretary shall annually submit a report on the program
11 to the Governor, the chairman and minority chairman of the
12 Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority
13 chairman of the Education Committee of the House of
14 Representatives. The report shall include all of the following
15 information:
16 (1) A description of the types of the partnerships
17 created.
18 (2) The number of higher education institutions, public
19 schools and public school districts participating in the
20 program as members of the partnerships.
21 (3) The number of public school students participating
22 in the program.
23 (4) The dollar amount of grants awarded to each higher
24 education institution and a summary of the institution's
25 expenditures on services related to the partnership.
26 (5) An assessment of the impact of the program on the
27 scientific knowledge of students participating in the
28 program.
29 Section 7. Effective date.
30 This act shall take effect immediately.
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