Chapter 3.66. Latino Heritage Resource Centers of California Education Code >> Division 3. >> Title 2. >> Part 25. >> Chapter 3.66.

In enacting this chapter, it is the intent of the Legislature to foster the establishment of regional Latino heritage resource centers to increase educational opportunities for the teachers and pupils of California. Towards that end, the Legislature intends to provide one-time funding to help establish regional Latino heritage resource centers, in partnership with nonprofit agencies which have demonstrated success in attaining private and governmental support for this purpose on a regional basis.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall designate nonprofit agencies to serve as regional Latino heritage resource centers. In order to be eligible to be designated as a regional Latino heritage resource center, a nonprofit agency shall demonstrate all of the following:
  (a) A sound programmatic and fiscal plan to do all of the following on a regional basis:
  (1) Develop a variety of high-quality permanent and changing exhibits on Latino history, art, and culture encompassing North, Central, and South America.
  (2) Provide teacher training activities.
  (3) Provide educational services for elementary and secondary school pupils.
  (b) Success in attracting private and public financial support for the development of its Latino heritage exhibits and educational programs.
  (c) That it will be providing educational services previously unavailable to pupils and teachers in the region including the development of a referral assistance program for teachers on Latino heritage issues, and the development of publications and audio-visual materials on Latino history, art, and culture.
  (d) That its current efforts would be improved qualitatively and quantitatively.
  (e) That it will collect and preserve Latino cultural heritage and artifacts.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall allocate the funds appropriated for the purposes of this chapter to applicant regional Latino heritage resource centers. The superintendent shall review each center's application for funding to ensure that the funds will be used only for the purposes authorized in this chapter.

Funds allocated to regional Latino heritage resource centers pursuant to Section 44777.3 shall be used by the centers only for initial development costs of exhibits, collections, and teacher training materials in Latino heritage, encompassing history, art, and culture.

Funds allocated to a regional Latino heritage resource center pursuant to this chapter shall supplement and not supplant funding for the efforts of these centers to develop collections and to provide teacher training or educational services to public schools.

For the 1995-96 fiscal year, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall designate one regional Latino heritage resource center to receive funding pursuant to this chapter.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, "moneys to be applied by the state," as used in subdivision (b) of Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, includes funds appropriated for Latino heritage resource centers pursuant to this chapter, whether or not those funds are allocated to school districts, as defined in Section 41302.5, or community college districts.