INFORMATIONAL

  Additional funding of approximately $1.6 million in each year
  of the 1998-2000 budget was appropriated by the 1998 General
  Assembly to create the school health incentive fund grants.
  This funding is for an incentive-based program to increase the
  number of state-supported nurse hours by 0.523 hours for an
  estimated number of students eligible for the federal free
  lunch program.  This payment is in addition to the 0.954 hours
  funded in Basic Aid for school nurses and is adjusted for the
  composite index.  The budget language from the 1998
  Appropriation Act governing this grant is attached as Appendix
  A.

  To receive this funding, school divisions are required to
  submit a grant application (to be reviewed by their School
  Health Advisory Boards) to the Department of Education
  describing how the funds are to be used.  In addition, the
  division superintendent must certify that the division
  utilized its fiscal year 1997 Standards of Quality (SOQ)
  funding for physical health care services (or provided the
  equivalent level of services through some other arrangement in
  fiscal year 1997).  The amount of state and local fiscal year
  1997 SOQ funds for your division for the provision of physical
  health care services is shown on the assurance statement in
  Appendix B.  The intent of the General Assembly on the use of
  these funds is to increase the amount or quality of physical
  health care services provided directly to students.

  Appendix C shows the 1997 SOQ funds for school health
  services, the reported 1997 expenditures for school health
  services, the difference between funding and expenditures, the
  state grant amount, and the required local share based on the
  composite index.

  The application forms for this grant are attached as Appendix
  B.  Applications must be submitted to the Department of
  Education by September 25, 1998.  The application review and
  approval process will be completed by October 9, 1998.  You
  will be notified by fax of your application approval and grant
  award.

  Please submit completed applications by September 25, 1998, to
  Mrs. Gwen Smith, School Health Specialist, Virginia Department
  of Education, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2120. If
  you have any questions or need additional information, contact
  Mrs. Smith at (804) 786-8671, fax: (804) 371-8796, or e-mail:
  gpsmith@pen.k12.va.us.



  PDS/gs

  Attachments: A hard copy of this memo and its attachments
               will be sent to the superintendent's office.