Authority: Title 2.2, Chapter 2, Article 4, § 2.2-201A, Code of Virginia.

A.1. It is the intent of the General Assembly that institutions of higher education develop strategic plans that promote and sustain the quality, access, accountability, and affordability of Virginia's public institutions of higher education.

2. Each four-year public institution of higher education, Richard Bland College, and the Virginia Community College System shall submit to the State Council of Higher Education pursuant to Item 166, paragraph B.1., a progress report on implementing its current strategic plan, including the progress it has made in meeting the following objectives:

a. Improve the quality of instruction, public service, research, and student life;

b. Maximize student access to higher education and minimize the cost to students and the state;

c. Enhance administrative efficiency and productivity; and

d. Streamline operations as a means for improving managerial flexibility.

B. The Secretary of Education is hereby authorized to make allocations to qualified zone academies of the portion of the national zone academy bond limitation amount to be allocated annually to the Commonwealth of Virginia pursuant to Section 1397E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and to provide for carryovers of any unused limitation amount. In making such allocations, the Secretary of Education is directed to give priority to allocation requests for qualified zone academies having at least 35 percent free lunch participation or either located in federal enterprise communities or located in cities and counties within which federal enterprise communities are located.

C. The Secretary of Education, in cooperation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services, the Commissioner of the Department of Health and the Director of Juvenile Justice, shall review the Commonwealth's past and present usage of and opportunities for federal grants and funds related to early childhood reading initiatives. In addition, the Secretary shall recommend additional actions to maximize the Commonwealth's utilization of all available funding sources by federal and state government and private sector initiatives aimed at assisting children and their families with early family assisted reading, pre-school programs for early learning, K-3 reading initiatives, and after-school learning assistance programs which will assist children in reading at grade level when they reach third grade. The Secretary shall report the findings to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by November 1, 2002.