37-151-25 - Tech-Prep Fund; purposes; funded community college programs must admit qualifying high school graduates. - Mississippi Statutes

§ 37-151-25. Tech-Prep Fund; purposes; funded community college programs must admit qualifying high school graduates.
 

There is hereby created in the State Treasury a special fund to be designated as the "Tech-Prep Fund." Any unexpended balance in said fund at the end of the fiscal year shall carry over to the succeeding fiscal year and shall not lapse into the State General Fund. The fund shall be credited with any funds appropriated by the Legislature for the implementation of the Tech-Prep program in Grades 7-12 and in the public community colleges and junior colleges through approved programs and from the proceeds of bonds issued under Sections 31 through 51 of Laws, 1997, Chapter 612, and shall be allocated to school districts by the State Board of Education for the following purposes: 
 

(a) Equip labs for hands-on: Career Discovery Course in the 7th grade, Computer Discovery Course in the 8th grade, and Technology Discovery Course in the 9th grade; 

(b) Implement application based teaching methodology in existing academic courses; 

(c) Develop and implement articulation, integration and sequential course study plans in Vocational and Academic courses; 

(d) Administer Occupational Tests; 

(e) Implement and Update Career/Educational Plans for each student; 

(f) Implement Career Centers for each school; 

(g) To provide equipment upgrades to meet technology demands, staff development and teaching materials to implement application based methodology for each of the community college sites. 
 

The State Department of Education is authorized to escalate spending authority based upon the proceeds of bonds issued under Sections 31 through 51 of Laws, 1997, Chapter 612. 
 

No community or junior college shall deny admittance into its Tech-Prep program funded under this section to any student who has graduated from high school with a qualifying grade point average, regardless of the curriculum or course work completed by the student. 
 

Sources: Laws,  1994, ch. 581, § 23; Laws, 1995, ch. 424, § 1; Laws, 1997, ch. 612, § 51; Laws, 2005, ch. 521, § 2, eff from and after passage (approved Apr. 20, 2005).