THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY FLECK, ROEBUCK, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF, BEYER, BOBACK, BOYD, BRENNAN, CAUSER, CREIGHTON, DENLINGER, DeWEESE, FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HALUSKA, HELM, HENNESSEY, HESS, HUTCHINSON, JOSEPHS, M. KELLER, W. KELLER, KORTZ, KOTIK, LONGIETTI, MAHONEY, MAJOR, McILVAINE SMITH, MELIO, MILLARD, MILNE, MURT, OBERLANDER, O'NEILL, PICKETT, RAPP, SEIP, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STERN, STEVENSON, THOMAS, VULAKOVICH, WAGNER, WALKO, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, BROOKS, BEAR AND HARHART, MARCH 4, 2009

AS RE-REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MARCH 15, 2010   

AN ACT

Establishing the Science Technology Partnership Program; 

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establishing and the Science Education Innovation Grants

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Program; and providing for State grants.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the Science

Technology Partnership Act.

Section 2.  Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this act shall

have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Department."  The Department of Education of the

Commonwealth.

"Higher education institution."  Any public or private two-

year or four-year or higher postsecondary institution in this

Commonwealth that has been accredited at the college level by an

accrediting agency recognized by the Federal Secretary of

Education.

"Nonpublic school."  A nonpublic kindergarten, elementary

school or secondary school at which the compulsory attendance

requirements of the Commonwealth may be met and which meets the

applicable requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of

1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241).

"Partnership."  A science technology partnership.

"Program."  The Science Technology Partnership Program.

"Public school."  Any school owned or operated by a public

school district established under the act of March 10, 1949

(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949,

including any school established under Article XVII-A of the

Public School Code of 1949.

"Science technology educational organizations."  A nonprofit

corporation as defined in section 510(3) of the Internal Revenue

Code of 1986 (Public Law 99-514, 26 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.) that

provides science, environmental science and technology

instruction to public schools, nonpublic schools and school

districts in this Commonwealth.

"Scientific or technical equipment."  Technical or electronic

equipment used in teaching science courses, including laboratory

equipment. The equipment may include equipment that is not

routinely used in the teaching of science but that is commonly

used in the workplace and the fields of health, environment,

scientific research, biology, chemistry, geology or other earth

sciences, physics or any other scientific field.

"Secretary."  The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.

Section 3.  Science Technology Partnership Program.

(a)  Establishment.--The Science Technology Partnership

Program is established. The purpose of the program shall be to

improve science education in public schools, school districts

and nonpublic schools that are members of science technology

partnerships by:

(1)  Making scientific or technical equipment available

to students.

(2)  Augmenting the science curriculum.

(3)  Providing additional professional development

opportunities to educators in the sciences.

(b)  Administration.--The department shall administer, to the

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extent funds are specifically appropriated for the purpose, a

grant program that awards grants to qualified higher education

institutions that are members of the partnerships.

(c)  Criteria for funding.--To implement administer the

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program, the department shall request proposals from higher

education institutions that are members of partnerships and may

award grants to such institutions that meet all of the following

criteria:

(1)  Have established a partnership as defined in section

4 and provided a copy of the partnership agreement to the

department.

(2)  Demonstrate how the partnership will make science

technology equipment available to students enrolled in public

and nonpublic schools that are partnership members.

(3)  Demonstrate how the partnership will augment the

science curriculum of public and nonpublic schools that are

partnership members.

(4)  Demonstrate how the partnership will provide

additional professional development opportunities to

educators employed by public and nonpublic schools that are

partnership members.

(5)  Have adopted a proposed budget describing the

scientific and technical equipment that will be purchased or

leased with grant funds.

(d)  Grant awards.--The department shall award grants in

amounts not to exceed $200,000 per subject area, including

chemistry, biology, physics, earth and space, for each qualified

applicant higher education institution. Grants shall be used for

the purchase or lease of scientific or technical equipment and

for the development of programs of instruction for members of a

partnership.

Section 4.  Science technology partnerships.

(a)  Establishment.--A higher education institution may form

a partnership with three or more public and nonpublic schools or

school districts.

(b)  Partnership agreement.--The higher education institution

and the public schools, nonpublic schools or school districts

shall enter into a written agreement defining the

responsibilities of the partnership members. The agreement shall

include all of the following:

(1)  The responsibilities of the higher education

institution in providing services to each partnership member.

(2)  The responsibilities of the public schools,

nonpublic schools or school districts in coordinating with

the higher education institution.

(3)  A description of the scientific or technical

equipment that shall be provided to each partnership member.

(4)  A description of the program of instruction that

will be provided to each partnership member by the higher

education institution.

(5)  The courses of science instruction and grade levels

that will be augmented by scientific or technical equipment

through the partnership and how scientific or technical

equipment will be used to augment such courses of

instruction.

(6)  The manner in which access to scientific or

technical equipment will be provided to students and

teachers.

(7)  The professional development activities that will be

provided to science teachers employed by partnership members.

(c)  Forward to department.--To be eligible to participate in

the program, a partnership must forward a certified copy of its

partnership agreement to the department.

Section 5.  Powers and duties of department.

The department shall promulgate rules, regulations and

procedures necessary to implement the program.

Section 6.  Annual report.

The During any year in which grants are awarded under the

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program, the secretary shall annually submit a report on the

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program to the Governor, the chairman and minority chairman of

the Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and

minority chairman of the Education Committee of the House of

Representatives. The report shall include all of the following

information:

(1)  A description of the types of the partnerships

created.

(2)  The number of higher education institutions, public

schools, nonpublic schools and school districts participating

in the program as members of the partnerships.

(3)  The number of public and nonpublic school students

participating in the program.

(4)  The dollar amount of grants awarded to each higher

education institution and a summary of the institution's

expenditures on services related to the partnership.

(5)  An assessment of the educational impact of the

program on the scientific knowledge of students participating

in the program.

Section 7.  Science Education Innovation Grants Program.

(a)  Establishment.--The Science Education Innovation Grants

Program is established. The department shall administer, to the

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extent funds are specifically appropriated for the purpose, the

Science Education Innovation Grants Program.

(b)  Grant recipients.--Science Education Innovation Grants

shall be awarded by the department to school districts, higher

education institutions and science technology educational

organizations that provide innovative science, environmental

science and technology programs with hands-on, inquiry-based

learning for students in public schools, school districts and

nonpublic schools. No more than 10% of the total grant funding

awarded in any one school year may be awarded to a school

district, higher education institution or science technology

educational organization.

(c)  Contents of application.--In its application to the

department for grant funding, an eligible grant recipient under

this section shall include:

(1)  The public schools, school districts and nonpublic

schools where the program of instruction will be provided.

(2)  A description of the program of instruction and

grade levels of students that will be provided instruction.

(3)  A description of any scientific or technical

equipment that will be used to augment instruction.

(4)  If applicable, the manner in which access to

scientific or technical equipment will be provided to

students and teachers.

(5)  If applicable, the professional development

activities that will be provided to science teachers.

(6)  The qualitative and quantitative assessment measures

that will be used to determine whether the program has

improved the academic performance of students receiving the

program of instruction.

(d)  Information.--The department shall disseminate to all

public schools, school districts and nonpublic schools

information about the innovative science, environmental science

and technology programs awarded grants under this section so

that these programs may be replicated by public schools, school

districts and nonpublic schools.

(e)  Annual report.--The During any year in which grants are

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awarded under the program, the secretary shall annually submit a

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report on the Science Education Innovation Grants Program to the

Governor, the chairman and minority chairman of the Education

Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority chairman

of the Education Committee of the House of Representatives. The

report shall include all of the following information:

(1)  The number, names and amounts of grants awarded to

public schools, nonpublic schools and public school

districts, higher education institutions and science

technology educational organizations receiving grants.

(2)  The number of public and nonpublic school students

participating in the program.

(3)  For each grant recipient, a summary description of

its innovative science education program and any qualitative

or quantitative academic results due to the program.

(4)  An assessment of the impact of the grants on the

scientific knowledge of students participating in the

program.

Section 20.  Effective date.

This act shall take effect immediately.