Section 52254.

(a) Within 90 days of the effective date of the act that enacts this chapter, the Education Council for Technology in Learning established pursuant to Section 51872 shall develop and submit to the state board project and application criteria and any other necessary program criteria, including the following:

(1) Criteria that shall establish fixed minimum grant levels for small schools.

(2) Match criteria, including provisions for waiver or modification of the match requirements in special circumstances.

(3) Minimum qualifications for installation grant funding.

(b) In developing criteria pursuant to subdivision (a), the Council for Technology in Learning shall seek input from the department, the president of the state board or his or her designee, the Department of Information Technology, statewide organizations of computer-using educators, institutions of postsecondary education, and the educational technology industry. All criteria, requirements, and qualifications developed pursuant to this section shall be subject to approval by the state board. The Council for Technology in Learning may annually review and revise these criteria, as necessary, and resubmit them to the state board.

(c) All criteria and requirements in Section 52256 shall be neutral with regard to computer manufacturer and technology platform. No project application submitted pursuant to this chapter shall be evaluated or selected based on the applicant's selection of technology manufacturer, supplier, vendor, or platform. It is the intent of the Legislature to promote the broadest possible discretion at the individual high school level with regard to the choice of education technology.

(d) A high school shall receive only one installation grant allocated pursuant to this chapter. Alternative high schools and alternative programs for pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, that include, but are not limited to, continuation schools, opportunity schools, educational centers, community day schools, and special education programs, and are located on the same property as, on a site adjacent to, or across the street from, a comprehensive high school, shall be included, for application and funding purposes, within the comprehensive high school.

(e) Regional consortia established for the purposes of Article 15 (commencing with Section 51870) of Chapter 5 of Part 28 shall provide support and assistance to schools applying for or implementing grants allocated pursuant to this chapter upon the request of the school district or county office of education having jurisdiction over the school. Up to l percent of the total amount of funds appropriated for purposes of this chapter may, upon approval of the Department of Finance, be allocated to regional consortia for support and assistance rendered to schools pursuant to this section.

(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 347, Sec. 28. Effective January 1, 2012.)