ARTICLE 16. Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Support Grant Programs [44415. - 44418.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 16.
in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44415. Section 44415.

(a) (1) For the 2018–19 fiscal year, the sum of seventy-five million dollars ($75,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the commission to establish the Teacher Residency Grant Program. This funding shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2023. (2) Of the amount appropriated in paragraph (1), fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) shall be expended to provide one-time competitive grants to grant applicants to develop new, or expand existing, teacher residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of special education teachers. (3) Of the amount appropriated in paragraph (1), twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) shall be expended to provide one-time competitive grants to grant applicants to develop new, or expand existing, teacher residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teachers. (b) (1) The commission shall make one-time grants to grant applicants to establish new or expand existing teacher residency programs. Grant recipients shall work with one or more commission-accredited teacher preparation programs and may work with other community partners or nonprofit organizations to develop and implement programs of preparation and mentoring for resident teachers who will be supported through program funds and subsequently employed by the sponsoring grant recipient. (2) A grant applicant may consist of one or more, or any combination, of the following: (A) A school district. (B) A county office of education. (C) A charter school. (D) A regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority. (E) A nonpublic, nonsectarian school, as defined in Section 56034. (c) Grants allocated pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be up to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per teacher candidate in the residency program of the jurisdiction of the grant recipient, matched by that grant recipient on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Grant program funding shall be used for, but is not limited to, any of the following: teacher preparation costs, stipends for mentor teachers, stipends for teacher candidates, and mentoring and beginning teacher induction costs following initial preparation. (d) A grant recipient shall not use more than 5 percent of a grant award for program administration costs. (e) A grant recipient shall provide a 100-percent match of grant funding in the form of one or both of the following: (1) One dollar ($1) for every one dollar ($1) of grant funding received that is to be used in a manner consistent with allowable grant activities pursuant to subdivision (c). (2) An in-kind match of mentor teacher personnel costs or other personnel costs related to the Teacher Residency Grant Program, provided by the grant recipient. (f) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Teacher residency program” is a grant applicant-based program that partners with one or more teacher preparation programs accredited by the commission and in which a prospective teacher teaches at least one-half time alongside a teacher of record, who is designated as the experienced mentor teacher, for at least one full school year while engaging in initial preparation coursework. (2) An “experienced mentor teacher” for purposes of the Teacher Residency Grant Program is an educator who meets all of the following requirements: (A) Has at least three years of teaching experience and a clear credential authorizing instruction of special education, or bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics pupils, in the subject in which the experienced mentor teacher will be mentoring. (B) Has a record of successful teaching as demonstrated, at a minimum, by satisfactory annual performance evaluations for the preceding three years. (C) Receives specific training for the mentor teacher role, and engages in ongoing professional learning and networking with other mentors. (D) Receives compensation, appropriate release time, or both, to serve as a mentor in the initial preparation or beginning teacher induction component of the teacher residency program. (g) Grant recipients shall do all of the following: (1) Ensure that candidates are prepared to earn a preliminary teaching credential that will authorize the candidate to teach special education, or bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics upon completion of the program. (2) Ensure that candidates are provided instruction in all of the following: (A) Teaching the content area or areas in which the teacher will become certified to teach. (B) Planning, curriculum development, and assessment. (C) Learning and child development. (D) Management of the classroom environment. (E) Use of culturally responsive practices, supports for language development, and supports for serving pupils with disabilities. (F) Professional responsibilities, including interaction with families and colleagues. (3) Provide each candidate mentoring and beginning teacher induction support following the completion of the initial credential program necessary to obtain a clear credential and ongoing professional development and networking opportunities during the candidate’s first years of teaching. (4) Prepare candidates to teach at the same grant recipient in which they will work and learn the instructional initiatives and curriculum of the grant recipient. (5) Group teacher candidates in cohorts to facilitate professional collaboration among residents, and place candidates in teaching schools or professional development programs that are organized to support a high-quality teacher learning experience in a supportive work environment. (h) To receive a grant, an applicant shall submit an application to the commission at a time, in a manner, and containing information prescribed by the commission. (i) When selecting grant recipients, the commission shall do both of the following: (1) Require applicants to demonstrate a need for special education, or bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, teachers and to propose to establish a new, or expand an existing, teacher residency program that recruits, prepares, and supports teachers to teach special education, or bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, in a school within the jurisdiction of the sponsoring grant applicant. (2) Give priority consideration to grant applicants with one or more schools that exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: (A) A school where 50 percent or more of the enrolled pupils are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. (B) A school where at least 5 percent of the teachers are misassigned, as determined by the commission, or working on a short-term staffing permit, a provisional intern permit, or a waiver. (C) A school that is located in either a rural location or a densely populated region. (D) A school with a cumulative voluntary teacher attrition rate that exceeded 20 percent over the three preceding school years. (j) A candidate in a teacher residency program sponsored by a grant provided pursuant to subdivision (b) shall agree in writing to either (1) work as an education specialist serving a caseload of pupils who receive special education services in a special education setting or (2) be placed in a bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics assignment, in a school within the grant recipient that sponsored the candidate for a period of at least four school years beginning with the school year that begins after the candidate successfully completes the initial year of preparation and obtains a preliminary teaching credential. A candidate who fails to earn a preliminary credential or complete the period of the placement shall reimburse the sponsoring grant recipient the amount of grant funding invested in the candidate’s residency training. The amount to be reimbursed shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the candidate taught at least one year, but less than four years, at the sponsoring grant recipient. A candidate shall have five school years to complete the four-school-year teaching commitment. (k) If a candidate is unable to complete a school year of teaching, that school year may still be counted toward the required four complete school years if any of the following occur: (1) The candidate has completed at least one-half of the school year. (2) The employer deems the candidate to have fulfilled the candidate’s contractual requirements for the school year for the purposes of salary increases, probationary or permanent status, and retirement. (3) The candidate was not able to teach due to the financial circumstances of the sponsoring grant recipient, including a decision to not reelect the employee for the next succeeding school year. (4) The candidate has a condition covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2601 et seq.) or similar state law. (5) The candidate was called or ordered to active duty status for more than 30 days as a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States. ( l ) For purposes of administering the grant program pursuant to subdivision (b), the commission shall do all of the following: (1) Determine the number of grants to be awarded and the total amount awarded to each grant applicant. (2) Require grant recipients to submit program and expenditure reports, as specified by the commission, as a condition of receiving grant funds. (3) Annually review each grant recipient’s program and expenditure reports to determine if any candidate has failed to meet the candidate’s commitment pursuant to subdivision (j). (m) If the commission determines or is informed that a sponsored candidate failed to earn a preliminary credential or meet the sponsored candidate’s commitment to teach pursuant to subdivision (j), the commission shall confirm with the grant recipient the applicable grant amount to be recovered from the candidate and the grant recipient. The amount to be recovered shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the candidate taught at least one year, but less than four years, at the sponsoring grant recipient. (n) Upon confirming the amount to be recovered from the grant recipient pursuant to subdivision (m), the commission shall notify the grant recipient of the amount to be repaid within 60 days. The grant recipient shall have 60 days from the date of the notification to make the required repayment to the commission. If the grant recipient fails to make the required payment within 60 days, the commission shall notify the Controller and the grant recipient of the failure to repay the amount owed. The Controller shall deduct an amount equal to the amount owed to the commission from the grant recipient’s next principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, other than basic aid apportionments required by Section 6 of Article IX of the California Constitution. If the grant recipient is a regional occupational center or a program operated by a joint powers authority that does not receive principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, or a consortia of local educational agencies, the commission shall notify the Controller of the local educational agency where the candidate taught and the Controller shall deduct the amount owed from the applicable local educational agency’s next principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, other than basic aid apportionments required by Section 6 of Article IX of the California Constitution. (o) An amount recovered by the commission or deducted by the Controller pursuant to subdivision (n) shall be deposited into the Proposition 98 Reversion Account. (p) Grant recipients may recover from a sponsored candidate who fails to earn a preliminary credential or complete the period of placement the amount of grant funding invested in the candidate’s residency training. The amount to be recovered shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the candidate taught at least one year, but less than four years, at the sponsoring grant recipient. (q) Grant recipients shall not charge a teacher resident a fee to participate in the Teacher Residency Grant Program. (r) (1) Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (a), the commission may allocate up to one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) of the amount appropriated pursuant to subdivision (a) to capacity grants that shall be awarded on a competitive basis to local educational agencies or consortia, described in subparagraphs (A) to (D), inclusive, of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), partnering with institutions of higher education to expand or create teacher residency programs that lead to more credentialed special education, or bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, teachers. (2) (A) The commission shall determine the number of capacity grants to be awarded and the amount of the applicable grants. (B) Individual capacity grants shall not exceed seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) per grant recipient. (s) For purposes of making the computations required by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the appropriation made by subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be “General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202, for the 2017–18 fiscal year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 41202, for the 2017–18 fiscal year.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44415.5. Section 44415.5.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply for the Teacher Residency Grant Program: (1) “Experienced mentor teacher” means an educator who meets all of the following requirements: (A) Has at least three years of teaching experience and holds a clear credential in the subject in which the mentor teacher will be mentoring. For programs leading to the issuance of new PK-3 early childhood education specialist credentials, the mentor teacher must have at least three years of teaching experience in prekindergarten, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 3, inclusive, and hold a clear multiple subject credential. (B) Has a record of successful teaching as demonstrated, at a minimum, by satisfactory annual performance evaluations for the preceding three years. (C) Receives specific training for the mentor teacher role, and engages in ongoing professional learning and networking with other mentors. (D) Receives compensation, appropriate release time, or both, to serve as a mentor in the initial preparation or beginning teacher induction component of the teacher residency program. (2) “Teacher residency program” is a grant applicant-based program that partners with one or more commission-approved teacher preparation programs offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education in which a prospective teacher teaches at least one-half time alongside a teacher of record, who is designated as the experienced mentor teacher, for at least one full school year while engaging in initial preparation coursework. (b) (1) For the 2021–22 fiscal year, the sum of three hundred fifty million dollars ($350,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the commission for the Teacher Residency Grant Program to support teacher residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of teachers pursuant to this section. This funding shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2026. (2) Grant funding awarded pursuant to this section shall be expended by a grant recipient within five fiscal years of the fiscal year in which the grant was awarded. (c) (1) The commission shall make grants to applicants to establish new teacher residency programs, or expand, strengthen, or improve access to existing teacher residency programs that support either of the following: (A) Designated shortage fields, including, but not limited to, special education, bilingual education, science, computer science, technology, engineering, mathematics, transitional kindergarten, or kindergarten, school counselors, and any other fields identified by the commission based on an annual analysis of state and regional hiring and vacancy data. (B) Local efforts to recruit, develop support systems for, provide outreach and communication strategies to, and retain a diverse teacher workforce that reflects a local educational agency community’s diversity. (2) Grant recipients shall work with one or more commission-accredited teacher preparation programs and may work with other community partners or nonprofit organizations to develop and implement programs of preparation and mentoring for resident teachers who will be supported through program funds and subsequently employed by the sponsoring grant recipient. (3) A grant applicant may consist of one or more, or any combination, of the following: (A) A school district. (B) A county office of education. (C) A charter school. (D) A regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority or a county office of education. (d) Grants allocated pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be up to forty thousand dollars ($40,000) per teacher candidate in the residency program of the jurisdiction of the grant recipient, matched by that grant recipient at a rate of 80 percent of the first twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) of the grant amount received per participant, as described in subdivision (f). Residents are also eligible for other forms of federal, state, and local educational agency financial assistance to support the cost of their preparation. Grant program funding shall be used for, but is not limited to, any of the following: (1) Teacher preparation costs. (2) Stipends for mentor teachers, including, but not limited to, housing stipends. (3) Residency program staff costs. (4) Mentoring and beginning teacher induction costs following initial preparation. (5) Compensation for residents. (e) A grant recipient shall not use more than 5 percent of a grant award for program administration costs. (f) A grant recipient shall provide a match of grant funding in the form of one or both of the following: (1) Eighty cents ($0.80) for every one dollar ($1) of the first twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in grant funding received per participant, to be used in a manner consistent with allowable grant activities pursuant to subdivision (d). (2) An in-kind match of program director personnel costs, mentor teacher personnel costs, resident compensation costs, or other personnel costs related to the Teacher Residency Grant Program, provided by the grant recipient. (g) Grant recipients shall do all of the following: (1) Ensure that candidates are prepared to earn a preliminary teaching credential, including a PK-3 early childhood education specialist credential, in furtherance of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) upon completion of the program. (2) Ensure that candidates are provided instruction in all of the following: (A) Teaching the content area or areas in which the teacher will become certified to teach. (B) Planning, curriculum development, and assessment. (C) Learning and child development. (D) Management of the classroom environment. (E) Use of culturally responsive practices, supports for language development, and supports for serving pupils with disabilities. (F) Professional responsibilities, including interaction with families and colleagues. (3) Provide each candidate mentoring and beginning teacher induction support following the completion of the initial credential program necessary to obtain a clear credential and ongoing professional development and networking opportunities during the candidate’s first years of teaching at no cost to the candidate. (4) Prepare candidates to teach in a school within the jurisdiction of the grant recipient in which they will work and learn the instructional initiatives and curriculum of the grant recipient. (5) Group teacher candidates in cohorts to facilitate professional collaboration among residents, and ensure candidates are enrolled in a teaching school or professional development program that is organized to support a high-quality teacher learning experience in a supportive work environment. (6) (A) For grants awarded during and after the 2023–24 fiscal year, provide a minimum compensation package, which may include, but is not limited to, a living stipend or wages for employment of no less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per candidate. Nothing in this section precludes a grant recipient from providing a larger compensation package to candidates, and grant recipients are encouraged to provide a compensation package to residents that is similar to the grant recipient’s compensation of school staff with comparable duties. (B) To the extent a grant recipient received an award of up to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per candidate before the 2023–24 fiscal year and is serving candidates during and after the 2023–24 school year with that award, and commits to providing the minimum compensation package to those candidates, the grant recipient may submit the number of those candidates and associated per-resident award to the commission for an additional per-resident allocation for a combined per-resident total of up to forty thousand dollars ($40,000). (h) To receive a grant, an applicant shall submit an application to the commission at a time, in a manner, and containing information prescribed by the commission. (i) When selecting grant recipients, the commission shall do both of the following: (1) Require applicants to demonstrate a need for teachers in one or more designated shortage fields or for the purposes described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), and to propose to establish a new, or expand, strengthen, or improve access to an existing, teacher residency program that recruits, prepares, and supports teachers to teach in either one or more such fields or in furtherance of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) in a school within the jurisdiction of the sponsoring grant applicant. (2) Give priority consideration to grant applicants who demonstrate a commitment to increasing diversity in the teaching workforce, have a higher percentage than other applicants of unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02, and have one or more schools that exhibit one or both of the following characteristics: (A) A school where 50 percent or more of the enrolled pupils are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. (B) A school that is located in either a rural location or a densely populated region. (j) (1) A candidate in a teacher residency program sponsored by a grant provided pursuant to subdivision (c) shall agree in writing to serve in a school within the jurisdiction of the grant recipient that sponsored the candidate or another public school in California for a period of at least four school years beginning with the school year that begins after the candidate successfully completes the initial year of preparation and obtains a preliminary teaching credential, including a PK-3 early childhood education specialist credential. The candidate shall also commit in the written agreement to annually reporting to their sponsoring local educational agency where they are employed and their current contact information until they have completed their service requirement or eight years after completion of residency, whichever occurs first. (2) A candidate shall have eight school years to complete the four-school-year teaching commitment. (3) This subdivision shall apply to any current candidate or teacher that participates in a residency program under this section. (k) If a candidate is unable to complete a school year of teaching, that school year may still be counted toward the required four complete school years if any of the following occur: (1) The candidate has completed at least one-half of the school year. (2) The employer deems the candidate to have fulfilled their contractual requirements for the school year for the purposes of salary increases, probationary or permanent status, and retirement. (3) The candidate was not able to teach due to the financial circumstances of the sponsoring grant recipient, including a decision to not reelect the employee for the succeeding school year. (4) The candidate has a condition covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2061 et seq.) or similar state law. (5) The candidate was called or ordered to active duty status for more than 30 days as a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States. ( l ) If a candidate is unable to complete their residency program or service requirement because of hardship, as defined by the commission, they may apply to waive any repayment obligation as described in subdivision (q). (m) For purposes of administering the grant program pursuant to subdivision (c), the commission shall do all of the following: (1) Determine the number of grants to be awarded and the total amount awarded to each grant applicant. (2) Require grant recipients to submit program and expenditure reports, as specified by the commission, as a condition of receiving grant funds. (3) Annually review each grant recipient’s program and expenditure reports to determine if any candidate has failed to meet their commitment pursuant to subdivision (j). (n) (1) If the commission is informed that more than 10 percent of sponsored candidates in a local educational agency’s yearly program cohort failed to earn a preliminary credential or failed to meet their commitment to teach pursuant to subdivision (j), the commission shall confirm with the grant recipient the applicable grant amount to be recovered from the grant recipient based on the number of candidates who failed to earn a preliminary credential or meet their teaching commitment above a 10-percent attrition rate. (2) The amount to be recovered shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the candidate taught at least one year, but less than four years, at a public school in California. (3) A candidate who obtains a waiver pursuant to subdivision ( l ) shall not count toward the 10-percent attrition rate. (o) Upon confirming the amount to be recovered from the grant recipient pursuant to subdivision (n), the commission shall notify the grant recipient of the amount to be repaid within 60 days. The grant recipient shall have 60 days from the date of the notification to make the required repayment to the commission. If the grant recipient fails to make the required payment within 60 days, the commission shall notify the Controller and the grant recipient of the failure to repay the amount owed. The Controller shall deduct an amount equal to the amount owed to the commission from the grant recipient’s next principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, other than basic aid apportionments required by Section 6 of Article IX of the California Constitution. If the grant recipient is a regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority that does not receive a principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, or a consortia of local educational agencies, the commission shall notify the Controller of the local educational agency where the candidate taught and the Controller shall deduct the amount owed from the applicable local educational agency’s next principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, other than basic aid apportionments required by Section 6 of Article IX of the California Constitution. (p) An amount recovered by the commission or deducted by the Controller pursuant to subdivision (o) shall be deposited into the Proposition 98 Reversion Account. (q) (1) Grant recipients may recover from a sponsored candidate who fails to earn a preliminary credential, or who fails to complete the period of placement, the amount of grant funding invested in the candidate’s residency training. The amount to be recovered shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the candidate taught at least one year, but less than four years, at a public school in California. (2) Costs considered as part of a candidate’s residency training for purposes of this subdivision shall not include costs associated with a candidate’s compensation package, mentor compensation, or overall program administration and shall be limited to costs incurred that are specific to that candidate, such as tuition and materials. (r) Grant recipients shall not charge a teacher resident a fee to participate in the Teacher Residency Grant Program. (s) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (c), the commission may allocate up to twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) of the amount appropriated pursuant to subdivision (b) to capacity grants that shall be awarded on a competitive basis to local educational agencies or consortia, as designated pursuant to this section, partnering with regionally accredited institutions of higher education to expand, strengthen, improve access to, or create teacher residency programs. (2) (A) The commission shall determine the number of capacity grants to be awarded and the amount of the applicable grants. (B) Individual capacity grants shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) per grant recipient. (t) For purposes of making the computations required by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the appropriation made by subdivision (b) shall be deemed to be “General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202, for the 2020–21 fiscal year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 41202, for the 2020–21 fiscal year.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44415.6. Section 44415.6.

(a) (1) For the 2022–23 fiscal year, the sum of one hundred eighty-four million dollars ($184,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to augment the Teacher Residency Grant Program pursuant to Section 44415.5 to support teacher and school counselor residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of teachers and school counselors pursuant to this section. This funding shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2027. (2) Grant funding awarded pursuant to this section shall be expended by a grant recipient within five fiscal years of the fiscal year in which the grant was awarded. (b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Mentor school counselor” means a school counselor who meets all of the following requirements: (A) Has at least three years of experience and holds a clear pupil personnel services credential with a specialization in school counseling. (B) Has a record of successful counseling as demonstrated, at a minimum, by satisfactory annual performance evaluations for the preceding three years. (2) “School counselor residency program” means a grant applicant-based program that partners with one or more commission-approved professional preparation programs offering preparation in school counseling provided by a regionally accredited institution of higher education in which a prospective school counselor works at least one-half time alongside a school counselor of record, who is designated as the mentor school counselor, for at least one full school year while engaging in initial preparation coursework. (c) Of the amount appropriated pursuant to subdivision (a), the commission shall determine how to prioritize funding for residency programs that serve school counselors in training. Funds allocated for teacher residencies shall be subject to the requirements of, and administered pursuant to, subdivisions (c) to (r), inclusive, of Section 44415.5. (d) Funds allocated by the commission for school counselor residency placements shall be administered pursuant to the following: (1) The commission shall make one-time grants to grant applicants to establish new school counselor residency programs or add school counselor residencies to existing teacher residency programs that support local efforts to recruit, develop support systems for, provide outreach and communication strategies to, and retain a diverse school counselor workforce that reflects a local educational agency community’s diversity. (2) Grant recipients shall work with one or more commission-accredited professional preparation programs specializing in school counseling and may work with other community partners or nonprofit organizations to develop and implement programs of preparation and mentoring for resident school counselors who will be supported through program funds and subsequently employed by the sponsoring grant recipient. (3) A grant applicant may consist of one or more, or any combination, of the following: (A) A school district. (B) A county office of education. (C) A charter school. (D) A regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority or a county office of education. (e) Grants allocated for school counselor residencies pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be up to forty thousand dollars ($40,000) per school counselor candidate in the residency program of the jurisdiction of the grant recipient, matched by that grant recipient at a rate of 80 percent of the first twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) of the grant amount received per participant, as described in subdivision (g). Residents are also eligible for other forms of federal, state, and local educational agency financial assistance to support the cost of their preparation. Grant program funding shall be used for, but is not limited to, any of the following: (1) School counselor preparation costs. (2) Stipends for mentor school counselors. (3) Residency program staff costs. (4) Compensation for residents. (f) A school counselor residency grant recipient shall not use more than 5 percent of a grant award for program administration costs. (g) A school counselor residency grant recipient shall provide a match of grant funding in the form of one or both of the following: (1) Eighty cents ($0.80) for every one dollar ($1) of the first twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in grant funding received per participant, to be used in a manner consistent with allowable grant activities pursuant to subdivision (e). (2) An in-kind match of program director personnel costs, mentor personnel costs, resident compensation costs, or other personnel costs related to the grant program, provided by the grant recipient. (h) School counselor residency grant recipients shall do all of the following: (1) Ensure that candidates are prepared to earn a pupil personnel services credential with a specialization in school counseling that will authorize the candidate to perform the following duties: (A) Develop, plan, implement, and evaluate a school counseling and guidance program that includes academic, career, personal, and social development. (B) Advocate for the high academic achievement and social development of all pupils. (C) Provide schoolwide prevention and intervention strategies and counseling services. (D) Provide consultation, training, and staff development to teachers and parents regarding pupils’ needs. (E) Supervise a local educational agency-approved educational counseling program as described in Section 49600. (2) Ensure that candidates are provided instruction in all of the following: (A) Engaging with, advocating for, and providing support for, all pupils with respect to learning and achievement. (B) Planning, implementing, and evaluating programs to promote the academic, career, personal, and social development of all pupils, including pupils from low-income families, foster youth, homeless youth, undocumented youth, pupils with disabilities, and pupils at all levels of academic, social, and emotional abilities. (C) Using multiple sources of information to monitor and support strategies to improve pupil behavior and achievement. (D) Collaborating and coordinating with school and community resources. (E) Promoting and maintaining a safe learning environment for all pupils by supporting the provision of restorative justice practices, positive behavior interventions, and support services. (F) Intervening to ameliorate school-related problems, including issues related to chronic absences. (G) Using research-based strategies to reduce stigma, conflict, and pupil-to-pupil mistreatment and bullying. (H) Improving school climate and pupil well-being. (I) Enhancing pupils’ social and emotional competence, character, health, civic engagement, cultural literacy, and commitment to lifelong learning and the pursuit of high-quality educational programs. (J) Providing counseling interventions and support services for pupils classified as English learners, eligible for free or reduced-price meals, or foster youth, including enhancing equity and access to the education system and community services. (3) Prepare candidates to work as a school counselor in a school within the jurisdiction of the grant recipient in which they will work and learn the school culture and climate of the grant recipient. (4) Group school counselor candidates in cohorts, to the extent practicable, to facilitate professional collaboration among residents, and ensure candidates are enrolled in a professional development program that is organized to support a high-quality school counselor learning experience in a supportive work environment. (5) (A) For grants awarded during and after the 2023–24 fiscal year, provide a minimum compensation package, which can include, but is not limited to, a living stipend or wages for employment of no less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per candidate. Nothing in this section precludes a grant recipient from providing a larger compensation package to candidates, and grant recipients are encouraged to provide a compensation package to residents that is similar to the grant recipient’s compensation of school staff with comparable duties. (B) To the extent a grant recipient received an award of up to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per candidate before the 2023–24 fiscal year and is serving candidates during and after the 2023–24 school year with that award, and commits to providing the minimum compensation package to those candidates, the grant recipient may submit the number of those candidates and associated per-resident award to the commission for an additional per-resident allocation for a combined per-resident total of up to forty thousand dollars ($40,000). (i) To receive a grant that supports school counselor residencies, an applicant shall submit an application to the commission at a time, in a manner, and containing information prescribed by the commission. (j) When selecting residency grant recipients that include school counselors, the commission shall do both of the following: (1) Require applicants to demonstrate a need for school counselors, and to propose to establish or expand a residency program that recruits, prepares, and supports school counselors to work in a school within the jurisdiction of the sponsoring grant applicant. (2) Give priority consideration to grant applicants who demonstrate a commitment to increasing diversity in the school counselor workforce, have a higher percentage than other applicants of unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02, and have one or more schools that exhibit one or both of the following characteristics: (A) A school where 50 percent or more of the enrolled pupils are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. (B) A school that is located in either a rural location or a densely populated region. (k) (1) A school counselor candidate in a residency program sponsored by a grant provided pursuant to subdivision (c) shall agree in writing to serve in one or more schools within the jurisdiction of the grant recipient that sponsored the candidate or another public school in California for a period of at least four school years beginning with the school year that begins after the candidate successfully completes the initial year of preparation and obtains a pupil personnel services credential. The candidate shall also commit in the written agreement to annually reporting to their sponsoring local educational agency where they are employed and their current contact information until they have completed their service requirement or eight years after completion of residency, whichever occurs first. (2) A candidate shall have eight school years to complete the four-school-year school counselor commitment. (3) This subdivision shall apply to any current candidate or school counselor that participates in a residency program under this section. ( l ) If a candidate is unable to complete a school year as a school counselor, that school year may still be counted toward the required four complete school years if any of the following occur: (1) The candidate has completed at least one-half of the school year. (2) The employer deems the candidate to have fulfilled their contractual requirements for the school year for the purposes of salary increases, probationary or permanent status, and retirement. (3) The candidate was not able to work as a school counselor due to the financial circumstances of the sponsoring grant recipient, including a decision to not reelect the employee for the succeeding school year. (4) The candidate has a condition covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2061 et seq.) or similar state law. (5) The candidate was called or ordered to active duty status for more than 30 days as a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States. (m) If a candidate is unable to complete their residency program or service requirement because of hardship, as defined by the commission, they may apply to waive any repayment obligation as described in subdivision (r). (n) For purposes of administering a school counselor residency grant program pursuant to subdivision (d), the commission shall do all of the following: (1) Determine the number of grants to be awarded and the total amount awarded to each grant applicant. (2) Require grant recipients to submit program and expenditure reports, as specified by the commission, as a condition of receiving grant funds. (3) Annually review each grant recipient’s program and expenditure reports to determine if any candidate has failed to meet their commitment pursuant to subdivision (k). (o) (1) If the commission is informed that more than 10 percent of sponsored school counselor residency candidates in a local educational agency’s yearly program cohort failed to earn a pupil personnel services credential or meet their commitment to work as a school counselor pursuant to subdivision (k), the commission shall confirm with the grant recipient the applicable grant amount to be recovered from the grant recipient based on the number of candidates who failed to earn a pupil personnel services credential or meet their service commitment above a 10-percent attrition rate. (2) The amount to be recovered shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the candidate worked as a school counselor at least one year, but less than four years, at one or more public schools in California. (3) A candidate who obtains a waiver pursuant to subdivision (m) shall not count toward the 10-percent attrition rate. (p) Upon confirming the amount to be recovered from the school counselor residency grant recipient pursuant to subdivision (o), the commission shall notify the grant recipient of the amount to be repaid within 60 days. The grant recipient shall have 60 days from the date of the notification to make the required repayment to the commission. If the grant recipient fails to make the required payment within 60 days, the commission shall notify the Controller and the grant recipient of the failure to repay the amount owed. The Controller shall deduct an amount equal to the amount owed to the commission from the grant recipient’s next principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, other than basic aid apportionments required by Section 6 of Article IX of the California Constitution. If the grant recipient is a regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority that does not receive a principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, or a consortia of local educational agencies, the commission shall notify the Controller of the local educational agency where the candidate worked as a school counselor and the Controller shall deduct the amount owed from the applicable local educational agency’s next principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, other than basic aid apportionments required by Section 6 of Article IX of the California Constitution. (q) An amount recovered by the commission or deducted by the Controller pursuant to subdivision (p) shall be deposited into the Proposition 98 Reversion Account. (r) (1) School counselor residency grant recipients may recover from a sponsored candidate who fails to earn a pupil personnel services credential or complete the period of placement the amount of grant funding invested in the candidate’s residency training. The amount to be recovered shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the candidate worked as a school counselor at least one year, but less than four years, at a public school in California. (2) Costs considered as part of a candidate’s residency training for purposes of this subdivision shall not include costs associated with a candidate’s compensation package, mentor compensation, or overall program administration and shall be limited to costs incurred that are specific to that candidate, such as tuition and materials. (s) School counselor residency grant recipients shall not charge a school counselor resident a fee to participate in a school counselor residency grant program. (t) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (d), the commission may allocate up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) of the amount appropriated pursuant to subdivision (a) to capacity grants that shall be awarded on a competitive basis to local educational agencies or consortia, as designated pursuant to this section, partnering with regionally accredited institutions of higher education to create school counselor residency programs that lead to more credentialed school counselors that reflect a local educational agency community’s diversity. (2) (A) The commission shall determine the number of capacity grants to be awarded and the amount of the applicable grants. (B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), individual capacity grants shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) per grant recipient. (u) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the school counselor residency grants allocated pursuant to this section to determine the effectiveness of this program in recruiting, developing support systems for, and retaining school counselors, and provide a report to the Department of Finance and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on or before December 1, 2029. (v) For purposes of making the computations required by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the appropriation made by subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be “General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202, for the 2021–22 fiscal year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 41202, for the 2021–22 fiscal year.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44415.7. Section 44415.7.

(a) For the 2022–23 fiscal year, the sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the commission to select a local educational agency to serve as a statewide technical assistance center to support teacher residency programs, as described in Sections 44415.5 and 44415.6. Preference shall be given to local educational agencies that currently administer residency programs and that commit to partner with commission-approved teacher preparation programs with experience supporting a residency program or residency programs. These funds shall be available for encumbrance or expenditure until June 30, 2029. (b) The statewide technical assistance center shall collaborate with the commission to develop and disseminate technical assistance. The statewide technical assistance center is encouraged to obtain interest holder feedback to create a statewide framework for successful teacher residency program implementation and sustainability. The framework and technical assistance should leverage and build upon existing technical assistance offerings disseminated by local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and foundations. Technical assistance offered shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (1) Information to the field regarding the benefits of establishing residency programs to teacher candidates, local educational agencies, and teacher preparation programs. (2) Best practices in recruitment of residents, particularly residents that represent the diversity of the state’s pupil population. (3) Minimizing cost burden to residents, including leveraging Golden State Teacher Grant Program funding pursuant to Section 69617. (4) Best practices in partnership and administration of residency programs between local educational agencies and teacher preparation programs. (5) Scaling up and sustaining residency programs. (c) On or before December 31, 2029, the commission shall submit a report to the Governor and the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on the impact of the statewide technical assistance center in providing technical assistance to local educational agencies and teacher preparation programs to implement, scale up, and sustain residency programs to support a well-trained and diverse educator workforce. (d) For purposes of making the computations required by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the appropriation made by subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be “General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202, for the 2020–21 fiscal year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 41202, for the 2020–21 fiscal year.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44415.8. Section 44415.8.

(a) (1) For the 2025–26 fiscal year, the sum of seventy million dollars ($70,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to augment the Teacher Residency Grant Program pursuant to Section 44415.5 to support teacher residency programs that recruit and support the preparation of teachers. This funding shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2030. (2) Grant funding awarded pursuant to this section shall be expended by a grant recipient within five fiscal years of the fiscal year in which the grant was awarded. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission utilizes the grant management system developed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 44400.3 to streamline the Teacher Residency Grant Program application and administration with other educator recruitment and retention programs administered by the commission. (c) For purposes of making the computations required by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the appropriation made by subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be “General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202 of the Education Code, for the 2025–26 fiscal year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 41202 of the Education Code, for the 2025–26 fiscal year.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44416. Section 44416.

(a) For the 2018–19 fiscal year, the sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the commission to establish the Local Solutions Grant Program to provide one-time competitive grants to local educational agencies to develop and implement new, or expand existing, locally identified solutions that address a local need for special education teachers. This funding shall be available for encumbrance through June 30, 2023, and available for liquidation through June 30, 2028. (b) (1) A grant shall be up to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per teacher participant that the identified solution proposes to support, matched by that local educational agency or consortium on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Grant program funding may be used for local efforts to recruit, develop support systems for, and retain special education teachers that include, but are not limited to, teacher career pathways, signing bonuses for newly credentialed teachers who earn an education specialist credential, mentors for existing teachers, professional learning communities, service awards, teacher service scholarships, student debt payment, living stipends for newly credentialed teachers who earn an education specialist credential, or other solutions that address a local need for special education teachers. (2) (A) A teacher participant who receives a teacher service scholarship, signing bonus, or student debt payment shall agree to teach at a school within the jurisdiction of the grant recipient and work as an education specialist serving a caseload of pupils who receive special education services in a special education setting for four years, and the teacher participant shall have five years to meet that obligation. (B) A teacher participant who fails to complete the service obligation described in subparagraph (A) shall reimburse the sponsoring grant recipient the amount of grant funding received as a teacher service scholarship, signing bonus, or student debt payment. The amount to be reimbursed shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the teacher participant taught at least one year, but less than the required four years, at the sponsoring grant recipient. (C) If a teacher participant is unable to complete a school year of teaching, that school year may still be counted toward the required four complete school years if any of the following occur: (i) The teacher participant has completed at least one-half of the school year. (ii) The employer deems the teacher participant to have fulfilled the teacher participant’s contractual requirements for the school year for the purposes of salary increases, probationary or permanent status, and retirement. (iii) The teacher participant was not able to teach due to the financial circumstances of the sponsoring grant recipient, including a decision to not reelect the employee for the next succeeding school year. (iv) The teacher participant has a condition covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2601 et seq.) or similar state law. (v) The teacher participant was called or ordered to active duty status for more than 30 days as a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States. (D) If the commission determines or is informed that a teacher participant who fails to complete the service obligation described in subparagraph (A), the commission shall confirm with the grant recipient the applicable grant amount to be recovered from the teacher participant and the grant recipient. The amount to be recovered shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the teacher participant taught at least one year, but less than four years, at the sponsoring grant recipient. (E) Upon confirming the amount to be recovered from the grant recipient pursuant to subparagraph (D), the commission shall notify the grant recipient of the amount to be repaid within 60 days. The grant recipient shall have 60 days from the date of the notification to make the required repayment to the commission. If the grant recipient fails to make the required payment within 60 days, the commission shall notify the Controller and the grant recipient of the failure to repay the amount owed. The Controller shall deduct an amount equal to the amount owed to the commission from the grant recipient’s next principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, other than basic aid apportionments required by Section 6 of Article IX of the California Constitution. If the grant recipient is a regional occupational center or a program operated by a joint powers authority that does not receive principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, or a consortia of local educational agencies, the commission shall notify the Controller of the local educational agency where the teacher participant taught and the Controller shall deduct the amount owed from the applicable local educational agency’s next principal apportionment or apportionments of state funds, other than basic aid apportionments required by Section 6 of Article IX of the California Constitution. (F) An amount recovered by the commission or deducted by the Controller pursuant to subparagraph (E) shall be deposited into the Proposition 98 Reversion Account. (G) Grant recipients may recover from a teacher participant who fails to complete the service obligation described in subparagraph (A) the amount of grant funding received as a teacher service scholarship, signing bonus, or student debt payment. The amount to be recovered shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the teacher participant taught at least one year, but less than four years, at the sponsoring grant recipient. (c) A grant recipient shall not use more than 5 percent of a grant award for program administration costs. (d) A grant recipient shall provide a 100-percent match of grant funding to support, complement, or enhance the local solution identified in subdivision (h). The match shall be in the form of one or both of the following: (1) One dollar ($1) for every one dollar ($1) of grant funding received. (2) An in-kind match. (e) An applicant may consist of one or more, or any combination, of the following: (1) A school district. (2) A county office of education. (3) A charter school. (4) A regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority. (f) To receive a grant, an applicant shall submit to the commission an application at a time, in a manner, and containing information prescribed by the commission. (g) A grant recipient shall not use funds from a Local Solutions Grant Program award to support teacher candidates participating in a program supported by an award from the Teacher Residency Grant Program established pursuant to Section 44415. (h) When selecting grant recipients, the commission shall require applicants to demonstrate a local need for special education teachers and present a plan that proposes one or more solutions that address that local need. (i) For purposes of administering the grant program pursuant to this section, the commission shall do all of the following: (1) Determine the number of grants to be awarded and the total amount awarded to each grant applicant. (2) Require grant recipients to annually report the status and progress of the identified solution and to submit a final implementation report within five years of receiving a grant award that describes the outcomes and effectiveness of the identified solution. (3) Allocate 90 percent of funding to each grant recipient at the time of the initial grant award and allocate the final 10 percent of grant funding upon receipt of the final implementation report. If the grantee fails to provide the final implementation report pursuant to paragraph (2), the grantee shall not receive the final 10 percent of the grant award. (j) For purposes of making the computations required by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the appropriation made by subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be “General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202, for the 2017–18 fiscal year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 41202, for the 2017–18 fiscal year.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44417. Section 44417.

The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the Teacher Residency Grant Program established in Section 44415 and the Local Solutions Grant Program established in Section 44416 to determine the effectiveness of these programs in recruiting, developing support systems for, and retaining special education, and bilingual education, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, teachers and provide a report to the Department of Finance and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature by December 1, 2023.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 44417.5. Section 44417.5.

The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the Teacher Residency Grant Program described in Section 44415.5 to determine the effectiveness of this program in recruiting, developing support systems for, and retaining teachers prepared to teach either in commission-designated shortage areas or in furtherance of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 44415.5, and provide a report to the Department of Finance and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on or before December 1, 2029.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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