(a) For each fiscal year, beginning October 1, 1999, contingent upon the Children First Trust Fund receiving tobacco revenues and upon appropriation by the Legislature, an amount of up to and including two hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($225,000), or equivalent percentage of the total fund, shall be designated for the administration of the fund by the council and the Commissioner of Children's Affairs.
(b) For each fiscal year, beginning October 1, 1999, contingent upon the Children First Trust Fund receiving tobacco revenues, the remainder of the Children First Trust Fund, in the amounts provided for in Section 41-15B-2.1, shall be allocated as follows:
(2) Twenty-two percent of the fund shall be allocated to the State Board of Education to one or more of the following:
a. The operation of alternative schools as defined below:
1. In the initial fiscal year funding after June 9, 1999, the State Board of Education shall distribute a pro rata share of the monies based upon the second month enrollment of the preceding school year to each local board of education which submits a plan that satisfies all of the following criteria:
(i) The local board of education shall provide a 25 percent match of all funds for alternative school programs.
(ii) The local board of education shall provide suitable facilities for housing alternative school programs.
(iii) The plan submitted by each local board of education shall provide multiple tiers of alternative school programs which include, but are not limited to, "in-school suspension," a short-term alternative school program designed to enable children to perform in the traditional classroom setting, and a long-term program which is a true alternative to expulsion.
(iv) The plan as submitted by each local board of education shall outline the educational services which shall be available to each child assigned to the short-term or long-term programs. Those services shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
A. Remedial education where necessary.
B. Counseling, including sessions on conflict resolution.
C. Social skills development.
(v) Each tier of the local plan shall be curriculum-based to address the goal of academic improvement and shall include, to the extent possible, mandatory parental notification and involvement.
(vi) If a local board of education can satisfactorily demonstrate that alternative school programs meeting all of the criteria in this section have been implemented, the allocation to the local board of education for alternative school programs may be directed by the State Board of Education to programs under the School Safety Enhancement Program.
(vii) Each year any monies remaining after distribution by the State Board of Education to the local boards of education which meet the criteria pursuant to subparagraph 1. and qualify for a portion of the monies, shall be allocated to those local boards of education demonstrating innovative programs with measurable improvements in academic achievement, attendance, school behavior, and parental involvement.
2. The State Board of Education shall review the programs of each local board of education receiving monies from the fund and shall annually submit a report to the council by July 1. This report shall include all of the following:
(i) The number of children served in each tier of the program.
(ii) The improvement in academic achievement.
(iii) The improvement in behavior.
(iv) The improvement in parental involvement.
(v) Financial accounting for the state and local monies expended.
3. The State Board of Education shall develop additional criteria for continued state funding of programs initiated pursuant to this chapter.
4. Sufficient safeguards shall be implemented to ensure that the new monies will increase and not supplant or decrease existing state or local support.