§ 4018. Afterschool and summer learning programs

(a) Education Fund grants in an amount equal to the receipts from the sales and use tax imposed by 32 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 233 on retail sales of cannabis or cannabis products in this State, net of any administrative costs per subdivision (b)(4) of this section, shall be used to fund grant programs for the expansion of summer and afterschool programs with an emphasis on increasing access in underserved areas of the State.

(b) The Secretary of Education shall administer the grant programs, as follows:

(1) Grants shall be used to support a mixed delivery system for afterschool and summer programming. Eligible recipients can be public, private, or nonprofit organizations.

(2) Grants may be used for technical assistance, program implementation, program expansion, program sustainability, and related costs.

(3) Grants may be used to directly target communities with low existing capacity to serve youth in afterschool and summer settings.

(4) The Agency may use up to $500,000 for administrative costs to allow for the support of the grant program and technical assistance to communities. This could include subcontracts to support the grant programs.

(c) An Advisory Committee is created to support the Secretary of Education in administering funds pursuant to this section. The Agency shall provide administrative and technical support to the Committee. The Committee is to be composed of:

(1) the State’s Chief Prevention Officer;

(2) the Commissioner for Children and Families or designee;

(3) the Commissioner of Health or designee;

(4) the Commissioner of Mental Health or designee;

(5) the Secretary of Natural Resources or designee;

(6) the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development or designee;

(7) the Vermont Afterschool Executive Director or designee; and

(8) a representative from the Governor’s Office.

(d) On or before each November 15, the Agency of Education shall submit to the General Assembly a plan to fund grants in furtherance of the purposes of subsection (a) of this section and report outcomes data on the grants made during the previous year. The Agency shall also report on the number of programs, slots, weeks, or hours; geographic distribution; and what is known about costs to families. The report should be inclusive of 21C programming. The amount of grant funds awarded shall be in alignment with the actual revenue collected from the sales and use tax imposed by 32 V.S.A. § 233 on cannabis or cannabis products in this State. Discrepancies between the amount of grant funds awarded and actual revenue shall be reconciled through the budget adjustment process. The provisions of 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) (expiration of required reports) shall not apply to the plan to be made under this subsection. (Added 2023, No. 78, § E.500.1, eff. July 1, 2023.)