PURPOSE: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has the responsibility to establish and fund family literacy programs in school districts declared unaccredited or provisionally accredited by the State Board of Education.

1. (1) School districts declared unaccredited or provisionally accredited by the State Board of Education (board) may apply for funds to establish and operate a family literacy program. Annually, applications are solicited from eligible school districts which shall be due as of a date and in a form established by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

2. (2) The amount to be distributed to establish and fund family literacy programs shall be one and one-half percent (1.5%) of the line 14 distribution. The board determines the appropriation for the program which will be allocated for the purpose authorized and the manner in which the amount will be distributed to eligible school districts. The distribution of family literacy funds will be based on two (2) allocations.

   1. (A) The base allocation will be based on the previous fiscal year’s September membership count.
   2. (B) A separate allocation will be established annually to distribute the remaining funds on a per-pupil basis. The per-pupil rate will be calculated from the total remaining funds divided by the previous fiscal year’s total student membership count from the eligible school districts. Each applicant’s allocation will be based on the previous fiscal year’s total district student membership count multiplied by the per-pupil rate.
3. (3) School districts may apply for a continuation grant, once declared accredited by the board. The continuation grant may be made available for up to two (2) years, contingent upon available funding. However, priority will be given to funding for school districts declared unaccredited or provisionally accredited.

4. (4) Applications for family literacy grants submitted by eligible school districts, to be approvable, must demonstrate that the programs are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours, and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable changes in families. The applicants shall provide family literacy programs and services that include:

   1. (A) Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children;
   2. (B) Training of parents regarding how to be the primary teacher of their children and full partners in the education of their children;
   3. (C) Parent literacy training that leads to high school completion and economic selfsufficiency; and
   4. (D) An age-appropriate education to prepare children of all ages for success in school.

5. (5) Programs shall be evaluated annually by DESE using the Missouri Family Literacy Indicators of Program Quality and Standards of Performance. To ensure delivery of quality programming and services, family literacy programs must:

   1. (A) Establish an advisory council of community stakeholders to assist in planning and coordination;
   2. (B) Be coordinated with other literacy programs in the school district and community;
   3. (C) Be focused on school buildings not meeting student performance goals; and
   4. (D) Provide staff training and professional development.
6. (6) Recipients of grants shall obligate grant funds only during the period which begins on the date DESE approves an application and ends on the following June 30. Obligations are considered to have been incurred as follows: for equipment and supplies, when the recipient makes a binding commitment to acquire the equipment and supplies, usually by issuing a purchase order; and for personal services, when the services are performed. All obligations for the purchase of equipment must be incurred by March 31 of the grant period and liquidated by June 30. Any funds not properly obligated for approvable project costs are refundable to DESE.
7. (7) Each school district receiving a grant under the appropriation shall provide DESE, as part of its statutory independent audit or other independent audit, a report of the results of the audit performed in accordance with DESE’s general policy on audits.

AUTHORITY: sections 160.531 and 161.092, RSMo Supp. 2004.* Original rule filed Sept. 22, 2004, effective April 30, 2005. *Original authority: 160.531, RSMo 2002 and 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 2002, 2003.