Page 207

_ 207 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 125. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 26. Adult Literacy Payments a. Appropriations in this Item include $125,000 the first year and $125,000 the second year from the general fund for the ongoing literacy programs conducted by Mountain Empire Community College. b. Out of this appropriation, the Department of Education shall provide $100,000 the first year and $100,000 the second year from the general fund for the Virginia Literacy Foundation grants to support programs for adult literacy including those delivered by community-based organizations and school divisions providing services for adults with 0- 9th grade reading skills. 27. Governor's School Payments a. Out of the amounts for Governor's School Payments, the Department of Education shall provide assistance for the state share of the incremental cost of regular school year Governor's Schools based on each participating locality's composite index of local ability- to-pay. Participating school divisions must certify that no tuition is assessed to students for participation in this program. b.1) Out of the amounts for Governor's School Payments, the Department of Education shall provide assistance for the state share of the incremental cost of summer residential Governor's Schools and Foreign Language Academies to be based on the greater of the state's share of the composite index of local ability-to-pay or 50 percent. Participating school divisions must certify that no tuition is assessed to students for participation in this program if they are enrolled in a public school. 2) Out of the amounts for Governor's School Payments, $41,000 the first year and $41,000 the second year is provided to support the Hanover Regional Summer Governor's School for Career and Technical Advancement, which was established pursuant to Chapter 425, 2014 Acts of Assembly, and Chapter 665, 2015 Acts of Assembly. c. For the Summer Governor's Schools and Foreign Language Academies programs, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to adjust the tuition rates, types of programs offered, length of programs, and the number of students enrolled in order to maintain costs within the available state and local funds for these programs. d. It shall be the policy of the Commonwealth that state general fund appropriations not be used for capital outlay, structural improvements, renovations, or fixed equipment costs associated with initiation of existing or proposed Governor's schools. State general fund appropriations may be used for the purchase of instructional equipment for such schools, subject to certification by the Superintendent of Public Instruction that at least an equal amount of funds has been committed by participating school divisions to such purchases. e. The Board of Education shall not take any action that would increase the state's share of costs associated with the Governor's Schools as set forth in this Item. This provision shall not prohibit the Department of Education from submitting requests for the increased costs of existing programs resulting from updates to student enrollment for school divisions currently participating in existing programs or for school divisions that begin participation in existing programs. f.1) Regular school year Governor's Schools are funded through this Item based on the state's share of the incremental per pupil cost for providing such programs for each student attending a Governor's School up to a cap of 1,800 students per Governor's School in the first year and a cap of 1,800 students per Governor's School in the second year. This incremental per pupil payment shall be adjusted for the composite index of the school division that counts such students attending an academic year Governor's School in their March 31 Average Daily Membership. It is the intent of the General Assembly that this incremental per pupil amount be in addition to the basic aid per pupil funding provided to the affected school division for such students. Therefore, local school divisions are encouraged to provide the appropriate portion of the basic aid per pupil funding to the Governor's Schools for students attending these programs, adjusted for costs incurred by the school division for transportation, administration, and any portion of the day that the student does not attend a Governor's School.