(a) (1) For the 2022â23 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) âMentor school counselorâ 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) âSchool counselor residency programâ 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 communityâs 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 pro
‹ Prev All California sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.