Sec. 10-357a. State Education Resource Center. Established. Board of directors. Executive director.
Sec. 10-357b. Duties, powers and restrictions.
Sec. 10-357c. Written procedures.
Sec. 10-357d. Submission of yearly budget, projected revenue statement and financial audit.
Sec. 10-357e. Allocation of funds to State Education Resource Center.
Sec. 10-357g. Calendar re special education learning and training opportunities.
Sec. 10-357a. State Education Resource Center. Established. Board of directors. Executive director. (a) There is hereby established and created a body politic and corporate, constituting a public instrumentality and political subdivision of the state of Connecticut established and created to be a public educational authority acting on behalf of the state of Connecticut, to be known as the State Education Resource Center. The center shall not be construed to be a department, institution or agency of the state.
(b) (1) The powers of the center shall be vested in and exercised by a board of directors, which shall consist of the following members: (A) Four appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of both houses of the General Assembly; (B) two appointed by the State Board of Education, with the advice and consent of both houses of the General Assembly; (C) one appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; (D) one appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; (E) one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; (F) one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; (G) one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; (H) one appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; and (I) the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee. Each member appointed by the Governor or the State Board of Education shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor but not longer than the term of office of the Governor or until the member's successor is appointed and qualified, whichever term is longer. Each member appointed by a member of the General Assembly shall serve in accordance with the provisions of section 4-1a. Any appointed member who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings of the board held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned from the board. Each appointing authority shall make his or her initial appointment to the board not later than August 15, 2014. The first meeting of the board shall take place not later than September 15, 2014.
(2) The Governor shall appoint the chairperson of the board from among the members of such board with the advice and consent of both houses of the General Assembly. Such chairperson shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
(3) The chairperson shall, with the approval of the members of the board of directors, appoint an executive director of the center who shall be an employee of the center and paid a salary prescribed by the board. The executive director shall supervise the administrative affairs and technical activities of the center in accordance with the directives of the board.
(c) A majority of the appointed members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business or the exercise of any power of the State Education Resource Center. For the transaction of any business or the exercise of any power of the center, and except as otherwise provided in this section and sections 10-357b to 10-357d, inclusive, the center may act by a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is in attendance.
(d) Members shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be entitled to reimbursement for such members' actual and necessary expenses incurred during the performance of such members' official duties. Members may engage in private employment, or in a profession or business, subject to any applicable laws, rules and regulations of the state regarding official ethics or conflict of interest. It shall not constitute a conflict of interest for a trustee, director, partner or officer of any person, firm or corporation, or any individual having a financial interest in a person, firm or corporation, to serve as a member of the board of directors of the center, provided such trustee, director, partner, officer or individual shall comply with all applicable provisions of chapter 10.
(P.A. 14-212, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 14-212 effective June 13, 2014.
| (Return to Chapter Table of Contents) |
(Return to List of Chapters) |
(Return to List of Titles) |
Sec. 10-357b. Duties, powers and restrictions. (a) The purposes of the State Education Resource Center, established pursuant to section 10-357a, shall be to assist the State Board of Education in the provision of programs and activities that will promote educational equity and excellence. Such activities shall be limited to: Training, technical assistance and professional development for local and regional boards of education, school leaders, teachers, families and community partners in the form of seminars, publications, site visits, on-line content and other appropriate means; maintaining a state education resource center library; publication of technical materials; research and evaluation; writing, managing, administering and coordinating grants for the purposes described in this subsection; and any other related activities directly related to the purposes described in this subsection. The center shall support local educational agencies serving the needs of families, communities and service providers. The center shall support programs and activities concerning early childhood education, in collaboration with the Office of Early Childhood, improving school and district academic performance, and closing opportunity gaps between socio-economic subgroups, and other related programs and activities. The center shall support and collaborate with other state agencies for the purposes described in this subsection. For such purposes the center is authorized and empowered to:
(1) Have perpetual succession as a body politic and corporate and to adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business;
(2) Adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure;
(3) Maintain an office at such place or places as it may designate;
(4) Sue and be sued in its own name and plead and be impleaded;
(5) (A) Employ such assistants, agents and other employees as may be necessary or desirable who shall not be employees, as defined in subsection (b) of section 5-270; (B) establish all necessary or appropriate personnel practices and policies, including those relating to hiring, promotion, compensation, retirement and collective bargaining, which need not be in accordance with chapter 68, and the center shall not be an employer as defined in subsection (a) of section 5-270; and (C) engage consultants, attorneys and appraisers as may be necessary or desirable to carry out its purposes in accordance with this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d;
(6) Receive and accept aid or contributions from any source of money, property, labor or other things of value, to be held, used and applied to carry out the purposes of this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, subject to such conditions upon which such grants and contributions may be made, including, but not limited to, gifts or grants from any department, agency or instrumentality of the United States or this state for any purpose consistent with this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d;
(7) Make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers under this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, including contracts and agreements for such professional services as the center deems necessary, including, but not limited to, those services provided by financial consultants, underwriters and technical specialists;
(8) Acquire, lease, purchase, own, manage, hold and dispose of personal property, and lease, convey or deal in or enter into agreements with respect to such property on any terms necessary or incidental to the carrying out of these purposes;
(9) Invest in, acquire, purchase, own, manage, hold and dispose of real property and convey or deal in or enter into agreements with respect to such property on any terms necessary or incidental to carrying out the purposes of this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, provided such transactions shall be subject to approval, review or regulation by any state agency pursuant to title 4b or any other provision of the general statutes;
(10) Lease real property on any terms necessary or incidental to carrying out the purposes of this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d;
(11) Procure insurance against any liability or loss in connection with its property and other assets, in such amounts and from such insurers as it deems desirable and to procure insurance for employees;
(12) Account for and audit funds of the center and funds of any recipients of funds from the center;
(13) Hold patents, copyrights, trademarks, marketing rights, licenses, or any other evidences of protection or exclusivity as to any products as defined in this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, issued under the laws of the United States or any state or any nation;
(14) Establish advisory committees to assist in accomplishing its duties under this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, which may include one or more members of the board of directors and persons other than members; and
(15) Do all acts and things necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d, and the powers expressly granted by this section and sections 10-357a, 10-357c and 10-357d.
(b) The State Education Resource Center shall establish a Connecticut School Reform Resource Center either within the State Education Resource Center or by contract through a regional educational service center, established pursuant to section 10-66a. The Connecticut School Reform Resource Center shall operate year-round and shall focus on serving the needs of all public schools. The Connecticut School Reform Resource Center shall (1) publish and distribute reports on the most effective practices for improving student achievement by successful schools; (2) provide a program of professional development activities for (A) school leaders, including curriculum coordinators, principals, superintendents and board of education members, and (B) teachers to educate students that includes research-based child development and reading instruction tools and practices; (3) provide information on successful models for evaluating student performance and managing student data; (4) develop strategies for assisting such students who are in danger of failing; (5) develop culturally relevant methods for educating students whose primary language is not English; and (6) provide other programs and materials to assist in the improvement of public schools.
(c) The State Education Resource Center shall be subject to (1) rules, regulations and restrictions on purchasing, procurement, personal service agreements and the disposition of assets generally applicable to Connecticut state agencies, including those contained in titles 4, 4a and 4b and section 4e-19, and (2) audit by the Auditors of Public Accounts under chapter 12 and section 2-90.
(P.A. 14-212, S. 2; P.A. 15-143, S. 1; P.A. 21-145, S. 15; P.A. 22-80, S. 26.)
History: P.A. 14-212 effective June 13, 2014; P.A. 15-143 made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective June 30, 2015; P.A. 21-145 added reference to Ch. 12; P.A. 22-80 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re center shall support local education agencies serving needs of families, communities and service providers, replacing “may” with “shall” and “academic achievement gaps” with “opportunity gaps”, adding provision re center shall support and collaborate with other state agencies, deleting “lease” in Subdiv. (9), adding new Subdiv. (10) re lease real property and redesignating existing Subdivs. (10) to (14) as Subdivs. (11) to (15), effective July 1, 2022.
| (Return to Chapter Table of Contents) |
(Return to List of Chapters) |
(Return to List of Titles) |
Sec. 10-357c. Written procedures. The members of the board of directors of the State Education Resource Center, established pursuant to section 10-357a, shall adopt written procedures, in accordance with the provisions of section 1-121, for: (1) Adopting an annual budget and plan of operations, including a requirement of board approval before the budget or plan may take effect; (2) hiring, dismissing, promoting and compensating employees of the center, including an affirmative action policy and a requirement of board approval before a position may be created or a vacancy filled; (3) acquiring real and personal property and personal services, including a requirement of board approval for any nonbudgeted expenditure in excess of an amount to be determined by the board; and (4) contracting for financial, legal, consulting and other professional services, including a requirement that the center solicit proposals at least once every three years for each such service which it uses.
(P.A. 14-212, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 14-212 effective June 13, 2014.
| (Return to Chapter Table of Contents) |
(Return to List of Chapters) |
(Return to List of Titles) |
Sec. 10-357d. Submission of yearly budget, projected revenue statement and financial audit. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Education Resource Center shall annually submit a yearly budget, projected revenue statement and financial audit to the State Board of Education and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.
(P.A. 14-212, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 14-212 effective June 13, 2014.
| (Return to Chapter Table of Contents) |
(Return to List of Chapters) |
(Return to List of Titles) |
Sec. 10-357e. Allocation of funds to State Education Resource Center. The Commissioner of Education may allocate funds to allow the State Education Resource Center, established pursuant to section 10-357a, to provide professional development services, technical assistance and evaluation activities, policy analysis and other forms of assistance to local and regional boards of education, the Department of Education, state and local charter schools, as defined in section 10-66aa, the Technical Education and Career System, established pursuant to section 10-95, providers of school readiness programs, as defined in section 10-16p, and other educational entities and providers. The State Education Resource Center shall expend such funds in accordance with procedures and conditions prescribed by the commissioner.
(P.A. 14-212, S. 10; P.A. 17-237, S. 86.)
History: P.A. 14-212 effective June 13, 2014; P.A. 17-237 replaced “technical high school system” with “Technical Education and Career System”, effective July 1, 2017.
| (Return to Chapter Table of Contents) |
(Return to List of Chapters) |
(Return to List of Titles) |
Sec. 10-357f. Transfer of functions, powers, duties, personnel and obligations re State Education Resource Center. On and after June 13, 2014, the State Education Resource Center, established pursuant to section 10-357a, shall assume all responsibilities of the State Education Resource Center, as described in section 10-4q of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2013, pursuant to any provision of the general statutes. The transfer of functions, powers, duties, personnel and obligations, including, but not limited to, contract obligations, the continuance of orders and regulations, the effect upon pending actions and proceedings, the completion of unfinished business, and the transfer of records and property between the State Education Resource Center, as described in section 10-4q of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2013, as said State Education Resource Center existed immediately prior to June 13, 2014, and the State Education Resource Center, established pursuant to section 10-357a, shall be governed by the provisions of sections 4-38d, 4-38e and 4-39.
(P.A. 14-212, S. 11.)
History: P.A. 14-212 effective June 13, 2014.
| (Return to Chapter Table of Contents) |
(Return to List of Chapters) |
(Return to List of Titles) |
Sec. 10-357g. Calendar re special education learning and training opportunities. (a) The State Education Resource Center, established pursuant to section 10-357a, shall accept notices of events submitted to the center by special education advocacy groups, local and regional boards of education, regional education service centers and other providers of special education services for the purpose of maintaining a calendar of learning and training opportunities for the public regarding the provision of special education programs and services, except the center may exclude any notice of an event that the center determines is not a legitimate learning or training opportunity for the public. Such calendar may be made available on the center's Internet web site.
(b) The Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center may reproduce and share the calendar described in subsection (a) of this section.
(c) The Department of Education shall post a link to the calendar described in subsection (a) of this section in a conspicuous location on the department's Internet web site.
(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 273.)
History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 effective July 1, 2015.
| (Return to Chapter Table of Contents) |
(Return to List of Chapters) |
(Return to List of Titles) |