SECTIONS 44735

44735.  (a) The Teaching As A Priority Block Grant is hereby createdto be administered by the department with the approval of the StateBoard of Education. The department shall award block grants to schooldistricts on a competitive basis to provide incentives to attractcredentialed teachers to be employed and retained in high-priorityschools. (b) (1) To be eligible to receive a full block grant in the thirdyear of participation, a school district shall demonstrate a netdecrease in the number of teachers holding an emergency permit orwaiver at each school ranked in the bottom half of the AcademicPerformance Index pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section52051) of Chapter 6.1. (2) After two years of receiving a block grant, a school districtthat fails to demonstrate a net decrease in the number of teachersholding an emergency permit or waiver at any of its schools ranked inthe bottom half of the Academic Performance Index shall have theamount of the school's block grant reduced by the amount of fundsgenerated by pupils enrolled in that school. (3) For purposes of this subdivision, "net decrease" shall bedetermined by comparing the number of teachers employed who hold anemergency permit or waiver at the end of the second year ofimplementation to the number of teachers employed who held anemergency permit or waiver prior to the implementation of the blockgrant. (4) This subdivision does not apply to any school district withfewer than 2,501 units of average daily attendance that is in acounty that is within the fourth through eighth class as defined inSection 1205. (5) This subdivision is applicable only when stable funding forthe Teaching As A Priority Block Grant program is provided in theannual Budget Act. For purposes of this subdivision, stable fundingmeans no more than a 5-percent variation in funding from one fiscalyear to the next. (c) (1) Block grant funds may be used at the discretion of aschool district for teacher recruitment and retention incentives withthe target of reducing the number of teachers on emergency permits.Incentives shall only be used to hire and retain credentialedteachers. 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 thissection may offer incentives to recruit and retain credentialedteachers interested in attaining certification pursuant to Section44253.3 or 44253.4. Those incentives may include, but are not limitedto, both of the following: (A) Reimbursements to cover the costs of examinations necessary toattain certification pursuant to Sections 44253.3 and 44253.4. (B) Reimbursements to cover the costs of coursework necessary forpreparation programs offering emphasis in certification pursuant toSections 44253.3 and 44253.4. (d) Funding shall be allocated to school districts on a per-pupilbasis for pupils enrolled in schools ranked in the bottom half of theAcademic Performance Index pursuant to Article 2 (commencing withSection 52051) of Chapter 6.1. Within the bottom half of the academicperformance index, schools ranked in deciles 1, 2, and 3 shallreceive 1 1/2 times the funding per pupil of schools ranked indeciles 4 and 5. No less than the amount of funding generated bypupils in schools ranked in deciles 1, 2, and 3 shall be expended inthose schools. (e) School districts shall apply to the department on behalf oftheir schools. The district application shall contain informationthat is specific to each school. Applications shall contain baselineinformation on the number of teachers with waivers or emergencypermits at each school in accordance with subdivision (c). (f) School districts that participate in the program establishedin this section shall be encouraged to participate in regionalteacher recruitment centers operated by consortia pursuant to Section44751. (g) Funds appropriated for the purposes of this chapter shallsupplement, and not supplant, existing efforts to recruit and retainfully credentialed teachers in the school district. (h) The State Board of Education shall submit an evaluation of theprogram created by this chapter to the Legislature by January 1,2004.