| 8.__Early childhood programs adjustment.__School |
administrative units that offer full-day kindergarten, preschool |
classes and other in-school early childhood programs and services |
that did not offer those programs and services in school year |
1998-99 must receive an adjustment as provided in this |
subsection.__The amount of the adjustment is equal to 1/2 of the |
elementary foundation per pupil operating rate in the year of |
allocation multiplied by the average annual student count of |
kindergarten students in the school administrative unit for the |
calendar year prior to the year of allocation.__The adjustment is |
available for 2 consecutive fiscal years only and school |
administrative units may report the costs of operating full-day |
kindergarten, preschool classes and other in-school early |
childhood programs and services for subsidy allocations under |
this chapter.__A school administrative unit may deposit |
adjustment funds received under this subsection in a capital |
reserve account for up to 2 years to be used for the purpose of |
constructing new school facilities or enlarging existing school |
facilities for use for full-day kindergarten, preschool classes |
or other early childhood programs and services.__The commissioner |
may adopt rules necessary to implement this subsection, including |
but not limited to establishing the definition of the types of |
preschool classes and early childhood programs and services |
covered by the adjustment.__Rules adopted under this subsection |
are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, |
subchapter II-A.__Each school administrative unit that receives |
an adjustment under this subsection shall submit to the |
commissioner an operational plan to establish full-day |
kindergarten and preschool classes for all children who are 4 |
years of age and children who are 5 years of age by the 2001-02 |
school year and to maintain those full-day kindergarten and |
preschool classes thereafter. |