(a) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Commissioner of Education shall award grants, within available appropriations, to local and regional boards of education for priority school districts pursuant to § 10-266p for summer school programs required pursuant to sections 10-265g and 10-265l and weekend school programs. Eligibility for grants pursuant to this section shall be determined for a five-year period based on a school district’s designation as a priority school district for the initial year of application. In order to receive a grant, an eligible board of education shall submit a plan for the expenditure of grant funds to the Department of Education, at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes.

(b) The plan shall include: (1) Criteria for student participation in the program, including provision for priority to students who are determined to be substantially deficient in reading, (2) criteria for teacher selection that emphasize the skills needed for teaching the summer program and criteria for establishment of the curriculum for the summer program, and (3) a system for reporting, by school and grade, on the number of students who attend the program, for assessing the performance of such students in the program and for tracking their performance during the school year. In deciding where to establish a summer school program, eligible boards of education shall give preference to elementary and middle schools with the highest number of students who are substantially deficient in reading.

(c) Each priority school district shall receive a grant based on the ratio of the number of resident students, as defined in subdivision (22) of § 10-262f, in the district to the total number of resident students in all priority school districts.

(d) Commencing with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, if a school district that received a grant pursuant to subsection (a) of this section for the prior fiscal year is no longer eligible to receive such a grant, such school district shall receive a summer school program and weekend school program phase-out grant for each of the three fiscal years following the fiscal year such school district received its summer school program and weekend school program grant. The amount of such phase-out grants shall be determined as follows: (1) Seventy-five per cent of the amount of the final summer school program and weekend school program grant for the first fiscal year following the fiscal year that such school district received such final grant, (2) fifty per cent of the amount of such final grant for the second fiscal year following the fiscal year that such school district received such final grant, and (3) twenty-five per cent of the amount of such final grant for the third fiscal year following the fiscal year that such school district received such final grant.

(e) No funds received pursuant to this section shall be used to supplant federal, state or local funding to the local or regional board of education for summer school or weekend school programs.

(f) Expenditure reports shall be filed with the department as requested by the commissioner. Local or regional boards of education shall refund (1) any unexpended amounts at the close of the program for which the grant is awarded, and (2) any amounts not expended in accordance with an approved grant application.