Assigned to ED                                                                                                                           FOR COMMITTEE

 

 

 

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Phoenix, Arizona

 

FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1172

 

schools; character education

 

Purpose

 

            Requires Northern Arizona University’s Arizona K-12 Center to administer the character education matching grant program.  Prohibits schools from using resources obtained from a character education grant as matching monies to obtain a second character education grant.

 

Background

 

            Laws 2000, 44th Legislature, Fifth Special Session, Chapter 1 established the character education matching grant program and appropriated $200,000 annually to administer and maintain the program.  Any public or charter school that teaches a character education curriculum is eligible to receive a state matching grant of up to $1,500 each year.  The Department of Education is responsible for administering the program, including applying for federal grants related to character education, and distributing the grants.

 

            The Arizona K-12 Center was created in 1999 by the Governor’s office to help teachers achieve and maintain the high performance standards created by the state.  Laws 2000, 44th Legislature, Second Regular Session, Chapter 393 allocated money from the temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) block grant to the Arizona K-12 Center to provide character education training through contracted providers for persons less than 19 years of age and who are eligible for receiving TANF or Arizona Works assistance. 

 

Currently, the Arizona K-12 Center is responsible for administering the TANF block grant money for character education training, and the Arizona Department of Education is responsible for administering the character education matching grant program, including applying for federal character education grants and distributing that money.  S.B. 1172 replaces the duties related to the character education matching grant program from the Arizona Department of Education to the Arizona K-12 Center.

 

Provisions

 

1.      Prohibits schools from using resources obtained from a character education grant as 

matching monies to obtain a second character education grant.

 

2.      Requires Northern Arizona University’s Arizona K-12 Center to (a) administer the character education grant program and distribute the state matching grant monies and (b) apply for all applicable character education grants from the federal government.  Removes the Arizona Department of Education from this responsibility.

 

3.      Makes technical changes.

 

4.      Provides for a general effective date.

 

 

Prepared by Senate Staff

January 23, 2001