Delaware General Assembly


CHAPTER 205

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14, DELAWARE CODE, BY ASSIGNING THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, CREATING A COMMITTEE TO REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE PROGRAM, AND MAKING A SUPPLEMENTARY APPROPRIATION THEREFOR.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Delaware:

Section 1. Amend Delaware Code, Title 14, Chapter 43, entitled "Educational Television" by repealing said chapter in its entirety.

Section 2. Amend Delaware Code, Title 14, Chapter 1, Subchapter II by adding to said subchapter new Sections 132, 133. and 134 as follows:

§ 132. Responsibility for property of former Educational Television Board

The State Board of Education shall assume full responsibility for all of the property, rights, duties, and obligations of the Educational Television Board which was established on July 8, 1964 and repealed effective July 1, 1969.

§ 133. Educational television

(a) The State Board of Education shall be responsible for maintaining an educational television network designed primarily to serve in an appropriate manner the educational program of the public schools and the institutions of public higher education in Delaware. The State Board of Education may grant permission to use the broadcasting facilities to serve educational programs of Delaware State College, University of Delaware, Delaware Technical and Community College, Adult Vocational Education, and other programs in the public interest. There is hereby established a Higher Education ETV Advisory Committed to the State Board of Education, consisting of the chief officers of each public institution of higher education or their designates. This committee would advise the Board on the allocation of network time and resources to serve the educational purposes of these institutions.

(b) The Board may contract with other State agencies for space, equipment, supplies and personnel and pay for the same.

(c) The Board may contract with other public or nonpublic agencies, institutions, organizations, or groups, to make its facilities available for a fee to be determined by the Board which shall not be less than the cost of the services and facilities provided. Any funds received in such manner shall be deposited to the General Fund of the State Treasury.

§ 131. Public Educational Broadcasting Authority

The State Board of Education is the authority for educational television, educational radio and other public and educational broadcasting within the State of Delaware.

§ 135. Educational Television Committee

There is established an Ad Hoc Educational Television Committee.

§ 136. Composition of the Committee

The membership of the Educational Television Committee shall include a designee from each of the following organizations:

(1) Delaware School Boards Association;

(2) Delaware Association of Classroom Teachers;

(3) Department of Public Instruction;

(4) Delaware State College;

(5) University of Delaware;

(6) Delaware Technical and Community College;

(7) Channel 12, WHYY;

(8) Salesianum High School Educational Television;

(9) Delaware Educational Television Association;

(10) a member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker;

(11) a member of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tem;

(0) the Chairman of the Joint Finance Committee.

§ 137. Committee responsibility

It shall be the responsibility of this committee to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of Delaware Educational Television to date and to assess its future potential as a tool of instructional education. Specifically, the responsibilities of the committee shall include, but shall not be limited to:

(a) an evaluation of educational television's past performance;

(b) an evaluation of proposed programming for the school year 1969-70, including utilization of educational television by Delaware Technical and Community College and the University of Delaware, from the standpoint of:

(1) instructional objectives

(2) content

(3) supplemental benefits

(4) scheduling in utilization

(c) an evaluation of the programs produced by the Delaware Educational Television Resources Center, and a reexamination of the proposed production schedule for Fiscal Year 1970 in relation to:

(1) content and objective

(2) quality

(3) cost

(d) a re-examination of alternative methods of transmission to determine the most economical method of serving a broad spectrum of needs throughout the state, such as:

(1) public classroom education

(2) higher education, classroom and extension courses

(3) professional and community specialized education.

§ 138. Committee report

Said committee shall report to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than January 1, 1970.

§ 139. Appropriation

There is hereby appropriated to the committee the sum of $5,000 for use in conducting this study.

§ 140. Powers of the Committee

The committees or any duly authorized subcommittee thereof is authorized to hold such hearings as necessary, to employ the necessary clerical aides, to require by subpoena or otherwise the attendance of such witnesses and the production of such books, documents as necessary to administer oaths, to take testimony, and to make expenditures as it deems advisable.

§ 0. Termination of the Committee

Sections 135 through 141 of this Title are repealed as of June 30, 1970, and the committee established by Section 135 of this Title is abolished June 30, 1970.

Section 3. There is hereby appropriated to the State Board of Education an amount of $1,120,000.00 for the operation of the educational television network in accordance with the purposes of this Act for the period beginning July 1, 1969 and ending June 30, 1970. Thereafter an amount for said operation shall be included as a line item in the budget of the Board.

Section 4. This Act is a supplementary appropriation and the money appropriated shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of funds in the General Fund not otherwise appropriated.

Section 5. Any part of the sum herein appropriated not expended by June 30, 1970 shall revert to the General Fund of the State Treasury.

Section 6. The effective date of this Act shall be July 1, 1969.

Approved July 7, 1969.