BILL NUMBER: AB 1499 CHAPTERED 09/10/01 CHAPTER 268 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 8, 2001 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 23, 2001 PASSED THE SENATE JULY 19, 2001 AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 3, 2001 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 25, 2001 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 31, 2001 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 25, 2001 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Negrete McLeod FEBRUARY 23, 2001 An act to amend Section 44735 of the Education Code, relating to teachers. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1499, NegreteMcLeod. Teachers: Teaching As A Priority Block Grant. Existing law establishes the Teaching As A Priority Block Grant to be administered by the State Department of Education with the approval of the State Board of Education for the purpose of awarding block grants to school districts on a competitive basis to provide incentives to attract credentialed teachers to be employed and retained in low-performing schools. Block grant funds may be used at the discretion of a school district for teacher recruitment and retention incentives, with the target of reducing the number of teachers on emergency permits. Incentives may include signing bonuses, improved work conditions, teacher compensation, and housing subsidies. This bill would authorize a school district receiving block grant funds to offer incentives to recruit and retain credentialed teachers interested in attaining cross-cultural, language, and academic development certification (CLAD) or bilingual, cross-cultural, language, and academic development certification (BCLAD). The bill would authorize incentives to include stipends to cover the costs of examinations necessary to attain CLAD or BCLAD certification and coursework necessary for preparation programs offering CLAD and BCLAD emphasis. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 44735 of the Education Code is amended to read: 44735. The Teaching As A Priority Block Grant is hereby created to be administered by the State Department of Education with the approval of the State Board of Education. The State Department of Education shall award block grants to school districts on a competitive basis to provide incentives to attract credentialed teachers to be employed and retained in low-performing schools. (a) (1) Block grant funds may be used at the discretion of a school district for teacher recruitment and retention incentives with the target of reducing the number of teachers on emergency permits. Incentives shall only be used to hire and retain credentialed teachers. Teacher recruitment and retention incentives may include, but are not limited to, all of the following: (A) Signing bonuses. (B) Improved work conditions. (C) Teacher compensation. (D) Housing subsidies. (2) A school district receiving block grant funds pursuant to this section may offer incentives to recruit and retain credentialed teachers interested in attaining certification pursuant to Section 44253.3 or 44253.4. Those incentives, may include, but are not limited to, both of the following: (A) Reimbursements to cover the costs of examinations necessary to attain certification pursuant to Sections 44253.3 and 44253.4. (B) Reimbursements to cover the costs of coursework necessary for preparation programs offering emphasis in certification pursuant to Sections 44253.3 and 44253.4. (b) Funding shall be allocated to school districts on a per pupil basis for pupils enrolled in schools ranked in the bottom half of the academic performance index pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 52051) of Chapter 6.1. Within the bottom half of the academic performance index, schools ranked in deciles 1, 2, and 3 shall receive 11/2 times the funding per pupil of schools ranked in deciles 4 and 5. No less than the amount of funding generated by pupils in schools ranked in deciles 1, 2, and 3 shall be expended in those schools. (c) School districts shall apply to the State Department of Education on behalf of their schools. The district application shall contain information that is specific to each school. Applications shall contain baseline information on the number of teachers with waivers or emergency credentials at each school in accordance with subdivision (a). (d) School districts that participate in the program established in this section shall be encouraged to participate in regional teacher recruitment centers operated by consortia pursuant to Section 44751. (e) Funds appropriated for the purposes of this chapter shall supplement, and not supplant, existing efforts to recruit and retain fully credentialed teachers in the school district. (f) The State Board of Education shall submit an evaluation of the program created by this chapter to the Legislature by January 1, 2004.