Section 15-1503-A - Basic education grants(a) Grants shall be allocated to school districts and to area career and technical schools by the department from funds appropriated for this purpose. A nonpublic school, an intermediate unit or local library may participate in the grant process through a partnership with a school district.(b) Grants shall be used to: (1) Improve the quality and quantity of educational technology in accordance with minimum standards and specifications developed by the department and the Office of Administration.(2) Equip schools and other entities with the appropriate networking and Internet technologies to build the Pennsylvania Education Network.(3) Provide for the training of teachers and staff in ways to effectively integrate the technology with the curriculum.(4) Begin implementing the regional action plans that were developed as part of the shared vision and action plan project activities.(5) Improve the quality of technology services at the State Library of Pennsylvania.(6) Acquire software systems to assess individual student learning needs, customize instruction for individual students, correlate Pennsylvania's academic standards to local school curriculum resources, automate teachers' administrative responsibilities and track individual student progress through assessments and reports to teachers and parents.(c)(1) Grants shall be allocated through a competitive grant review process established by the Secretary of Education.(2) School districts, charter schools, area career and technical schools and intermediate units are eligible to apply for grants as prescribed by the department. Maximum grant awards will be established by the department based on a formula that considers the market value/income aid ratio and average daily membership. The department may establish matching requirements for grant recipients.(3) The application for a grant shall be made at such time and in such form as the Secretary of Education may require.(4) An applicant may collaborate or form a partnership with one or more of the following: a political subdivision, a school district, an area career and technical school, an intermediate unit, a nonpublic school, a local library, an independent institution of higher education, a State-owned institution, a State-related institution, a community education council or any other entity approved by the Department of Education.Amended by P.L. TBD 2019 No. 76, § 30, eff. 12/30/2019.1949, March 10, P.L. 30, No. 14, art. XV-A, § 1503-A, added 1996, July 11, P.L. 633, No. 107, § 4, imd. effective. Amended 1997, June 25, P.L. 297, No. 30, § 9, effective 7/1/1997; 1998 , April 27, P.L. 270, No. 46, § 9, effective 7/1/1998; 1999, June 26, P.L. 394, No. 36, § 5, effective 7/1/1999; 2000, May 10, P.L. 44, No. 16, § 7, effective 7/1/2000.