State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Clarifies Process for Award of Federal Funding To Assist Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today clarified the process for allocating nearly $416 million in federal funding available to 2,700 eligible schools, of which 188 are identified as "persistently lowest achieving." O'Connell's clarification follows misinformation (Outside Source) from the Governor's office on Wednesday implying the funds could be distributed immediately.
"We have communicated with the Governor, his appointees on the State Board of Education (SBE), and the Secretary of Education that eligible schools have until the end of business today, Friday, to submit their applications for these funds," O'Connell said. "California received word from the U.S. Department of Education on June 24 that we were successful in obtaining these critically needed dollars, and districts had been working diligently on their applications as we awaited this federal notification," he added.
"One of the basic federal requirements for this grant is that funding be allocated based on the quality and realistic ability of the local plans to turn around these chronically underperforming schools. This demands a thorough review and evaluation by my staff before grants are awarded," O'Connell said.
O'Connell said the next steps are for the California Department of Education (CDE) to conduct a readers' conference to review school district submissions for the funds, followed by approval by the SBE. Department staff members were scheduled to meet July 12 to read applications, but that date was deferred until July 19 at the request of the Governor's SBE staff. The SBE members currently are scheduled to vote on approval of the district submissions on August 2.
Another required and pending step in the process is for the state Legislature to approve the authority for CDE to spend the funds; this authority is pending.
"Under state law, we cannot make payments to districts without a list of the grantees, which of course, cannot be determined until the school grant applications are submitted, reviewed, and approved by the State Board, and CDE is granted the spending authority by the Legislature," O'Connell said.
"Like all involved, my staff and I are eager to notify districts of their funding awards so when students return to their classrooms, they have the assistance needed to help them soar academically and their schools have the reforms in place to become centers of achievement," O'Connell said.
"Educators and schools desperately need the additional resources in this era of continuous cuts to education, but we are prohibited from proceeding until the Legislature approves the required spending authority, and the State Board approves the list of grant recipients and level of funding," he said. "My staff and I are working with all due speed and with all the parties so that as soon as the State Board and Legislature act, the funding can be allocated immediately. We urge the Governor to direct his staff to work with the Legislature to provide appropriate budget authority and direct the SBE to approve expeditiously a list of grantees."
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