2006 New Hampshire Statutes - Section 198:15-s Eligibility; Administration.

    I. In order to be eligible to receive a 75 percent kindergarten construction grant, a school district shall meet the following criteria:
       (a) The district did not make a public kindergarten program available to all resident, kindergarten-aged children during the 1996-1997 school year.
       (b) The voters of the district or the legislative body of a municipality, as appropriate, have voted to operate a public kindergarten program within an approved public school or schools maintained by the local school district, which operation shall commence on or after August 15, 1997.
       (c) The kindergarten program to be operated by the district shall be offered immediately preceding the other elementary grades, designed primarily for 5-year-olds, and available at district expense to all kindergarten-aged children who reside in the district.
       (d) The district has received notification of approval from the commissioner of education for a kindergarten construction grant.
    II. [Repealed.]
    III. A kindergarten construction grant request shall contain, at a minimum, the following information:
       (a) A set of educational specifications, prepared by district staff.
       (b) Construction plans and cost estimates, prepared by a licensed architect.
       (c) An assurance signed by the superintendent and the chair of the school board that facilities constructed under this subdivision will be used for a public kindergarten program.
    IV. The department of education shall administer the kindergarten construction program and shall be responsible for the following:
       (a) Providing technical assistance relative to kindergarten construction to school districts.
       (b) Developing and maintaining a kindergarten construction guide, including a list of recommended furnishings and equipment for kindergarten classrooms.
       (c) Establishing forms and procedures for school districts to use for the development and submission to the department of education of kindergarten construction grant requests.
       (d) Reviewing grant requests, including educational specifications, kindergarten construction plans, and cost estimates, and forwarding them to the commissioner of education with recommendations relative to their adequacy, educational appropriateness, and cost effectiveness.
       (e) Distributing kindergarten construction grant payments to eligible districts in accordance with the payment schedule specified by the commissioner of education in the district's grant approval notification.
       (f) Assuring that the facilities are used as specified in the grant request.

Source. 1997, 348:5, eff. July 1, 1997. 2001, 287:6, eff. July 1, 2001.