This section creates a school reward program for academic improvement and requires qualifying schools to use reward money for instructional purposes.
(a) The “Governor’s Academic Achievement Program” is created to encourage and reward academic improvement in the public schools of this state. (b) Pursuant to the State Board of Education Academic Assistance Program, the status of each public school is classified as one of the following: (1) Academic Clear. (2) Academic Caution. (3) Academic Alert. (4) Academic Intervention. (c) Pursuant to the Governor’s Academic Achievement Program, any public school in the state that improves its academic achievement status by one or more steps from the previous year shall receive a financial reward. (1) A two thousand dollar ($2,000) reward shall be paid to any school that improves by one step from Academic Intervention to Academic Alert, from Academic Alert to Academic Caution, or from Academic Caution to Academic Clear. (2) A three thousand dollar ($3,000) reward shall be paid to any school that improves by two steps from Academic Intervention to Academic Caution or from Academic Alert to Academic Clear. (3) A five thousand dollar ($5,000) reward shall be paid to any school that improves by three steps from Academic Intervention to Academic Clear. In addition to the financial reward, the school shall receive a Governor’s Academic Achievement Program trophy signifying outstanding academic achievement. (d) Any school on Academic Clear status that demonstrates annual improvement on the nationally normed achievement test for three consecutive years, as confirmed by the State Superintendent of Education, shall receive a five thousand dollar ($5,000) reward for the third year’s improvement and a five thousand dollar ($5,000) reward for each three-year period of consecutive improvement thereafter. For any year that the school does not demonstrate improvement, the reward shall not be granted and the three-year consecutive improvement time period shall again be required prior to qualifying for the reward. (e) Any school earning a financial reward pursuant to this section shall use the reward money for instructional programs and materials at the school as determined by the teachers of the school. (f) The Legislature shall annually appropriate sufficient funds to the State Department of Education from the Education Trust Fund to meet the requirements of this section. The State Department of Education shall allocate the funds as provided in this section to the respective schools.