Demonstration grants shall be awarded in accordance with the following requirements and considerations:
(a)
Three categories shall be developed and utilized in which each category represents one of three types of schools, as determined by the achievement performance of pupils as reported by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, including predominantly high-performing pupils, predominantly moderately performing pupils, and predominantly low-performing pupils.
The highest quality proposals from each category shall be funded in the following order:
(1)
Three proposals from the category representing predominantly low-performing pupils.
(2)
Two proposals from the category representing predominantly moderately performing pupils.
(3)
One proposal from the category representing predominantly high-performing pupils.
This sequence shall be repeated until the State Board of Education determines either that the quality of proposals remaining to be funded does not warrant funding, or that available funding has been fully utilized, or both.
If it is necessary to choose between proposals within the same category that are determined to be of equivalent quality, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall recommend to the State Board of Education the funding of proposals in a manner that, to the maximum extent possible, contributes to an overall funding distribution that is representative of the diversity, on a statewide basis, of the racial and ethnic composition of the pupil population, the geographic location of schools, district size, and school configuration.
(b)
It is the intent of the Legislature that demonstration grants be awarded based on the quality and extensiveness of communitywide support for the submitted proposal and to proposals that design new or adapt current restructuring elements specifically to meet the needs of a diverse pupil population and that represent a significant departure in process, organization, or content from the ordinary school or classroom organization, assignment of school staff responsibilities, curriculum development, and instructional methods.
The Legislature believes that communitywide support and schoolsite leadership can best be determined by a state-level selection process that includes an oral presentation given by the applicant to the advisory committee.
(c)
Consideration may be given to each school district that can demonstrate that the district has already achieved success in implementing any of the restructuring elements described.
(d)
Consideration also shall be given to each school district that proposes additional or alternative restructuring options of high quality which are consistent with the goals of this chapter.
(e)
Any school that receives demonstration program funding pursuant to this chapter shall use the funds solely to further the purposes of the demonstration program.