Section 11603.3.

Funds for technology implementation grants shall be provided on a matching basis that requires the applicant school district or county office of education to contribute at least 50 percent of the cost of the technology implementation plan submitted to the State Allocation Board pursuant to Section 11603.1. An applicant district or county office of education may count toward its local matching share, in-kind services such as teacher labor, the fair market value of donated equipment raised from local sources, or other services outlined in the plan. The State Allocation Board may waive all or a portion of this local matching requirement if the State Department of Education determines that the requirement would impose a financial hardship on the applicant district. The State Department of Education shall base its determination of financial hardship on factors including, but not necessarily limited to, all of the following:

(a) Whether the objectives and cost of the school district's or county office of education's proposed technology implementation plan are reasonable.

(b) The overall financial condition of the school district or county office of education, including other competing demands for funds.

(c) The extent to which the school district or county office of education has taken advantage of available funding sources, including the per-pupil block grant funds appropriated by Section 54 of Chapter 308 of the Statutes of 1995, that may be used for educational technology purposes.

(d) The extent to which the school district or the county office of education has made reasonable efforts to raise additional cash or in-kind donations from local sources.

(Added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 9, Sec. 1. Effective February 9, 1996. Inoperative on or before February 9, 2001, as prescribed by Section 11609.)