§18-2-30 Statewide curriculum technology resource center established; distribution of materials by regional educational service agencies.
§18-2-30. Statewide curriculum technology resource center established; distribution of materials by regional educational service agencies.
There shall be established a statewide curriculum technology resource center to facilitate access to, and expedite the acquisition of, audiovisual materials to assist in the continued enrichment of the school curriculum. The state board shall designate the statewide center. The legislative intent is that appropriations for the said resource center be designated primarily for supportive materials to be made available for use by teachers: Provided, That no more than five percent of the moneys allocated for fiscal year one thousand nine hundred eighty-nine -- ninety be used for capital outlay and improvements on any structure used to house said resource center. The center shall develop a program of services for public school teachers in the fields of curricular development, instructional resources and technology. The center shall also undertake projects to describe systematically and evaluate curriculum materials and instruction resources, provide for dissemination of software and programs to teachers, provide leadership in the areas of instructional resources and provide training to increase skills in the use of technology and other instructional resources.
The center shall be a centralized purchasing agent for audiovisual materials requested for use in the public schools. The center shall utilize curriculum teams of classroom teachers and other professional educators representing all regional educational service agency regions to assist in the materials selection process. The center may obtain authorization to duplicate such materials and may duplicate such materials when duplication is justified by cost and need and when appropriate authorization has been obtained. The center shall maintain a central library of all original materials duplicated and shall compile no later than the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety, a statewide catalog of all audiovisual materials available. The center shall make the statewide catalog accessible to teachers through electronic or other means.
Each regional educational service agency shall serve as a depository and distribution center for the audiovisual materials available to the public schools in its region. Each regional educational service agency shall survey audiovisual material currently held in the public schools in its region and submit the list to the statewide center for possible inclusion in the statewide catalog: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed to change ownership by any county board of any materials which are included in the catalog. Whenever the regional educational service agency receives a request for material not listed in the statewide catalog, the agency shall submit a request to the statewide center for review by one of the curriculum teams and, if appropriate, purchase and distribute the material.