PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1687 PRINTER'S NO. 1713
No. 1512 Session of 1993
INTRODUCED BY COWELL, D. R. WRIGHT, BATTISTO, MUNDY, DALEY,
HALUSKA, STAIRS, E. Z. TAYLOR, TULLI, HERMAN, NYCE, RAYMOND,
COY, BELARDI, COLAFELLA, KUKOVICH, PISTELLA, FLICK, MELIO,
FARGO, MIHALICH, TRELLO, HANNA, CAPPABIANCA, ARGALL, JOSEPHS,
CAWLEY, DeLUCA, STABACK, MILLER, ULIANA, LEVDANSKY, SEMMEL,
GORDNER, KENNEY, ROONEY, PRESTON, GERLACH AND CLARK,
MAY 3, 1993
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MAY 5, 1993
AN ACT
1 Reenacting the act of July 9, 1984 (P.L.676, No.145), entitled
2 "An act establishing within the Pennsylvania Higher Education
3 Assistance Agency Regional Computer Resource Centers and
4 Regional Computer Resource Center boards."
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the act of
8 July 9, 1984 (P.L.676, No.145), known as the Information
9 Technology Education Act, are reenacted to read:
10 Section 1. Short title.
11 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Information
12 Technology Education Act.
13 Section 2. Purpose.
14 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
15 (1) It is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to
16 improve and strengthen computer education in its elementary
1 and secondary schools by:
2 (i) Coordinating the activities of the Regional
3 Computer Resource Centers with the existing Science
4 Teachers Education Program administered by the
5 Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
6 (ii) Encouraging orderly planning for the use of
7 microcomputers and for the application of microcomputers
8 to the instructional programs of elementary and secondary
9 schools.
10 (iii) Improving teacher training in computer
11 education.
12 (iv) Encouraging the acquisition of computer
13 hardware.
14 (v) Assisting in the acquisition of appropriate
15 computer software.
16 (2) All areas of the Commonwealth shall have available a
17 Regional Computer Resource Center to assist school districts
18 in developing the computer skills of their students and
19 teachers and to ensure availability of computer equipment,
20 training and programs.
21 (3) There shall be at least eight centers throughout the
22 Commonwealth, each of which shall be established at sites
23 reflecting considerations of demography.
24 (4) Funding shall be made available to the centers from
25 the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
26 (5) The initial priority of this act shall be to
27 equalize the development of computer skills of students and
28 teachers among the school districts.
29 (6) This program is designed as a four-year program.
30 Section 3. Definitions.
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1 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
2 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
3 context clearly indicates otherwise:
4 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
5 Agency.
6 "Center." A Regional Computer Resource Center.
7 "Department." The Department of Education of the
8 Commonwealth.
9 "Intermediate unit." An intermediate unit as defined by the
10 act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public
11 School Code of 1949.
12 Section 4. Responsibility of Pennsylvania Higher Education
13 Assistance Agency.
14 (a) Establish centers.--The Pennsylvania Higher Education
15 Assistance Agency shall establish not less than eight Regional
16 Computer Resource Centers throughout the Commonwealth at sites
17 based on demography.
18 (b) Grant supervision.--The agency shall be responsible for
19 reviewing school district grant proposals submitted by Regional
20 Computer Resource Centers.
21 (c) Power to make grants.--The Higher Education Assistance
22 Agency shall make grants to school districts. Those grants shall
23 reflect at least one of the following:
24 (1) The aid ratio as defined in the Public School Code
25 of 1949.
26 (2) School district enrollment.
27 Each school district applying shall be required to supply the
28 balance of the funding necessary for its program. The balance
29 may be supplied in cash or in kind.
30 Section 5. Regional Computer Resource Centers.
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1 (a) Purpose.--The purposes of each Regional Computer
2 Resource Center are to increase teacher expertise relating to
3 computer information technology and to assist local school
4 districts within the region to acquire, utilize and upgrade
5 computer hardware and software. To this end, it will:
6 (1) Provide teacher training.
7 (2) Help design computer oriented curricula.
8 (3) Assist with the evaluation of software.
9 (4) Review and evaluate proposals for upgrading computer
10 and computer oriented instruction.
11 (5) Coordinate purchase of computer hardware and
12 software.
13 (6) Loan computer hardware and software to nonpublic
14 school students.
15 THE AGENCY OR Regional Computer Resource Centers may contract <--
16 with intermediate units to provide the above services.
17 (b) Regional Computer Resource Center Board.--
18 (1) The Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Higher
19 Education Assistance Agency shall appoint five persons to be
20 members of each Regional Computer Resource Center Board of
21 Directors. The persons appointed shall represent five broad
22 areas: computer technology, teacher education, computer
23 education, elementary education and secondary education. No
24 less than two members of the Regional Computer Resource
25 Center Board shall be classroom teachers or building
26 principals.
27 (2) It shall be the duty of the regional board to
28 receive grant applications from school districts. Such
29 applications shall include plans for upgrading computer
30 education through two related and coordinated actions:
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1 teacher training and computer hardware and software
2 acquisition and utilization.
3 (3) Grant applications from school districts for teacher
4 training in computer education, computer hardware acquisition
5 and computer software acquisition shall be received by the
6 regional board. After reviewing applications, the regional
7 board shall forward each application with their comments to
8 the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
9 Section 6. Loan of computer hardware and software to nonpublic
10 school students.
11 The [Director] PRESIDENT of the Pennsylvania Higher Education <--
12 Assistance Agency through the Regional Computer Resource Centers
13 shall have the power and duty to purchase computer hardware and
14 software and, upon individual request, to loan them to all
15 children residing in the Commonwealth who are enrolled in grades
16 kindergarten through 12 of a nonpublic school. The annual
17 allocation for this purchase shall not exceed 20% of the
18 appropriated funds used for the purchase of computer hardware
19 and software from the total appropriation. Such computer
20 hardware and software shall be loaned free to such children.
21 Section 7. Regulations.
22 The Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Higher Education
23 Assistance Agency shall have the power and its duty shall be to
24 adopt such regulations as may be necessary to implement this
25 act.
26 Section 2. Section 8 of the act, amended March 30, 1988
27 (P.L.303, No.38), is reenacted and amended to read:
28 [Section 8. Sunset provision.
29 The program created under this act shall expire June 30,
30 1992.]
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1 Section 8. Expiration provision.
2 This act shall expire June 30, 1997.
3 Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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