Page:2013 North Dakota Session Laws.pdf/73

 Appropriations

Chapter 13

3. The committee shall: a. Examine concepts of accountability in elementary and secondary education; b. Examine the performance of North Dakota students in state and national assessments to determine whether recent legislative efforts have effected measurable improvements in student achievement; and c. Examine high school curricular requirements, content standards, and teacher training and qualifications to determine whether North Dakota students are being adequately prepared for the various assessments and for their first year of enrollment in institutions of higher education. 4. The committee shall examine the effectiveness of teacher, principal, and superintendent evaluation systems. 5. The legislative management shall report its findings and recommendations, together with any legislation required to implement the recommendations, to the sixty-fourth legislative assembly. SECTION 59. APPROPRIATION. There is appropriated out of any moneys in the general fund in the state treasury, not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $100,000, or so much of the sum as may be necessary, to the legislative council for the purpose of contracting with consultants and other personnel necessary to complete the study of education funding and accountability, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2013, and ending June 30, 2015. SECTION 60. SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION LOANS - UNCOMMITTED MONEYS - ADDITIONAL PURPOSES. Notwithstanding section 15.1-36-02, if as of December 31, 2014, any portion of the $150,000,000 referenced in subdivision b of subsection 1 of section 15.1-36-02 remains uncommitted for the purpose of providing school construction loans, the state board of university and school lands may authorize up to $50,000,000 of the uncommitted amount for the purpose of providing medical facility infrastructure loans in accordance with Senate Bill No. 2187, as enacted by the sixty-third legislative assembly. SECTION 61. AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER - TECHNOLOGY GRANT TRANSFER. 1. During the 2014-15 school year, the department of career and technical education shall provide a grant to an institution implementing a certificate program that prepares individuals with autism spectrum disorder for employment in the technology sector. 2. The amount of the grant must be determined by multiplying the per student payment rate established in subdivision b of subsection 3 of section 15.1-27-04.1 by the number of students that completed the program, up to a maximum of thirty students. 3. The grant recipient shall provide a report to the legislative management regarding program graduates who found employment in the technology sector, their starting salaries, and their total compensation. 4. Notwithstanding section 15.1-27-22.1, if any moneys remain in the grants state school aid line item after the superintendent of public instruction