(a) A local educational agency that chooses to apply for funding pursuant to this article shall submit an application to the department to receive a grant, in a format and by a date determined by the department. An application submitted to the department by a local educational agency shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:
(1) Information about the pupil and school needs within the local educational agency.
(2) The activities the local educational agency will undertake with the grant funding.
(3) How the activities specified in paragraph (2) support the local educational agency’s goals for pupils contained in its local control and accountability plan.
(4) How the local educational agency will measure outcomes associated with the activities specified in subdivision (e) and metrics reported in the local educational agency’s local control and accountability plan.
(b) An application shall be for three years of grant funding. Consistent with the provisions of this article, the department may establish requirements for grantees to meet at the end of the first and second years of funding in order to receive funding for the remaining grant period.
(c) The department shall determine eligibility for grants and the distribution of grant funding based on all of the following factors:
(1) Pupil and school needs the local educational agency will address with the grant funds.
(2) Number of pupils to be served with the grant funds.
(3) Number, size, and type of participating schools within the local educational agency.
(4) Any challenges the local educational agency experiences in building capacity for fulfilling the purposes of this article.
(5) The unique characteristics of small school districts, given their challenges with economies of scale and access to services in rural locations.
(d) (1) Before the initial application deadline, the department shall conduct targeted outreach to local educational agencies that are likely to be given priority pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 33432 and shall offer the local educational agencies technical assistance as they develop their grant applications.
(2) The department may provide technical assistance with application development to any local educational agency that requests assistance. This may include assistance from external entities the department may contract with as part of the training and technical assistance structure established pursuant to Section 33433.
(e) The department shall issue application guidelines that include, at a minimum, information about the department’s plans for overall evaluation of the program considering the objectives identified in Section 33434. For purposes of facilitating program evaluation, the department, in consultation with the executive director of the state board, shall identify a set of measures and associated data sources that are deemed valid and reliable for measuring pupil and school outcomes and assessing the benefits of the program.
(f) In meeting the requirements of this section, the department shall consult with stakeholders, including, but not limited to, representatives of local educational agencies, teachers and other school personnel, parents, advocacy organizations with experience working with target vulnerable populations, and parent- and youth-serving community-based organizations. It the intent of the Legislature that stakeholders provide input to the department on the design of the application and review process, including the size of the grant awards. The stakeholders shall not be involved in determining who will be awarded grants.
(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 533, Sec. 2. (SB 527) Effective January 1, 2017. Section conditionally operative as provided in Section 33436.)