44790.

 This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Teacher Corps Act of 2016.

44791.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The shortage of qualified teachers in California is reaching critical levels in a number of teaching areas.

(b) Education experts agree that shortages of effective teachers in high-poverty schools and in specific teaching fields create a need for high-quality teachers who will enter, stay in, and be effective in, these areas.

(c) At least 30 percent of new teachers leave the profession in the first five years, and the proportions are generally higher in low-income communities.

(d) Teacher shortages and high teacher turnover rates have a negative impact on pupil achievement and the quality of education.

(e) Successful teacher preparation programs, and providing ongoing support, can make novice teachers effective more rapidly and can reduce teacher attrition.

(f) Many new teachers lack such support, and, as a result, leave the profession.

(g) Teacher candidates must see expert practices modeled, and must then practice them with ongoing mentoring support. Teacher preparation often lacks adequate or sufficient opportunities to learn under the direct supervision of expert teachers working in schools that effectively serve high-need pupils.

(h) It is critical to develop programs that increase the probability that recruits will succeed and stay in the high-need classrooms where they are needed. Because many teacher candidates choose to teach where they grew up or went to college, it is important to have strong programs in hard-to-staff urban and rural locations. Teacher residency programs effectively build teacher supply, since they recruit and prepare candidates in the school districts that sponsor them, in partnership with local preparation programs. Teacher residency programs have demonstrated the capacity to recruit, prepare, retain, and provide effective support for teachers in high-need hard-to-staff schools.

44792.

 For purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:

(a) “Experienced mentor teacher” means a teacher who meets all of the following requirements:

(1) Has at least three years of teaching experience and a clear teaching credential in the field in which he or she will be mentoring.

(2) Has taught in a high-need hard-to-staff school.

(3) Has a record of successful teaching.

(4) Receives specific training for the mentor teacher role, and engages in ongoing professional learning and networking with other mentors. Compensation shall be ongoing as long as the mentor continues to serve in the role prescribed by the program.

(5) Receives compensation or appropriate release time, or both, to serve as a mentor in the initial preparation or induction component of the teacher residency program.

(c) “Local educational agency” includes, but is not necessarily limited to, a school district, county office of education, charter school, or charter management organization.

(d) (1) “Teacher residency program” means a school-based teacher preparation program that is accredited by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and in which a prospective teacher does all of the following:

(A) Teaches at least one-half time alongside a teacher of record, who is designated as the mentor teacher, for at least one full academic year while engaging in initial preparation coursework.

(B) Receives instruction in all of the following:

(i) The teaching of the content area or areas in which the teacher will become certified to teach.

(ii) Planning, curriculum development, and assessment.

(iii) Learning and child development.

(iv) Management of the classroom environment.

(v) The use of culturally responsive practices, supports for language development, and supports for serving pupils with disabilities.

(vi) Professional responsibilities, including interaction with families and colleagues.

(C) Receives tuition financial assistance and provides a living stipend.

(D) Attains a preliminary teaching credential upon completion of the program.

(E) Receives mentoring and induction support following the completion of the initial credential program necessary to obtain a clear credential and ongoing professional development and networking opportunities during his or her first years of teaching.

(F) Has the option of completing a master’s degree before completion of the program.

(2) A “teacher residency program” does all of the following:

(A) Seeks out academically able individuals who expand the racial, ethnic, gender, and linguistic diversity of the teaching force meet the Teaching Performance Expectations of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and meet hiring needs of the local educational agency for teachers in difficult-to-fill areas, such as chronic teacher shortage areas, including special education and bilingual teachers, and hard-to-staff schools. Admissions priorities are developed in concert with the hiring objectives of the local educational agency, which commits to hire graduates from the teacher residency program who obtain a preliminary teaching credential, pass the program’s teacher performance assessment if that is a condition for receiving a license, and meet the standards set for hiring.

(C) Allows residents to learn to teach in the same local educational agency in which they will work, learning the instructional initiatives and curriculum of the local educational agency.

(D) Groups teacher candidates in cohorts to facilitate professional collaboration among residents, and places them in teaching schools or professional development programs that are organized to support a high-quality teacher learning experience in a supportive work environment.

(E) Assigns a high priority to the recruiting of mid-career professionals, military veterans, and recent college graduates as prospective participants in the teacher residency program.

(F) Builds coursework for residents and mentors around the classroom experience in ways that are aligned to pupil needs.

(G) Offers structured feedback and coaching systems organized around the California Standards for the Teaching Profession to ensure that participants engage in a meaningful classroom teaching experience.

(H) Ensures that candidates are prepared to pass a teacher performance assessment if that is required by the state as a condition of the initial license.

(I) Maintains a program evaluation system that focuses on continual improvement for residents, mentors, teacher education faculty, and the teacher residency program itself.

(J) Is developed collaboratively with the certified exclusive bargaining representative, or if none exists, teacher representatives within the local educational agency.

44793.

 (a) The sum of sixty million dollars ($60,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Superintendent on a one-time basis, available for the 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19 fiscal years, to make grants to local educational agencies or consortia of local educational agencies to assist those agencies to establish and maintain establish, maintain, or expand teacher residency programs, with first priority given to local educational agencies or consortia of local educational agencies with programs that target chronic teacher shortage areas, including special education and bilingual teachers. Preference may also be given to local educational agencies or consortia of local educational agencies on the basis of their per pupil allocation of funds as high-need local educational agencies defined in Section 2102 of pursuant to Part A of Title II of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 107-110) 114-95) for the most recent school year. These local educational agencies shall work with one or more teacher preparation institutions, institutions of higher education providing teacher preparation, and may work with other community partners or nonprofit organizations to develop and implement teacher residency programs of preparation and mentoring for prospective teachers who will be supported through teacher residency program funds and subsequently employed by the sponsoring local educational agency.

(b) For purposes of making the computations required by Section 8 of Article XVI of the California Constitution, the appropriations made by subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be “General Fund revenues appropriated for school districts,” as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 41202, for the 2015–16 fiscal year, and included within the “total allocations to school districts and community college districts from General Fund proceeds of taxes appropriated pursuant to Article XIII B,” as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 41202, for the 2015–16 fiscal year.

44794.

 (a) To be eligible to participate in a teacher residency program under this chapter, a prospective participant shall become enrolled simultaneously in a teacher credentialing program in a university or college or other eligible institution that satisfies either of the following conditions:

(1) It has entered into a written agreement relating to that program with the local educational agency or consortia of local educational agencies that is the recipient of a grant under this chapter.

(2) It has been determined to meet the requirements of Article 7 (commencing with Section 44320) of Chapter 2 by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

(b) A participant in a teacher residency program under this chapter shall, under the supervision of an experienced mentor teacher, complete not fewer than nine months of teaching a class or set of classes in a school chosen by the local educational agency that is the recipient of a grant under this chapter.

(c) (1) A participant in a teacher residency program under this chapter shall agree in writing to be placed, after successfully completing the initial year of preparation, as a teacher of record in a school within the high-need local educational agency.

(2) Placement under this subdivision shall be for a period of at least four school years beginning with the school year that begins after the participant successfully completes the initial year of preparation and obtains a preliminary teaching credential. Once licensed, a participant shall be eligible to be hired as a teacher in a high-need, hard-to-staff, underserved area or in a high-need difficult-to-fill subject area. A participant who fails to complete the period of the placement, or the first four school years of the placement if the period is more than four school years, is required to pay back the cost of the training on a pro rata basis, relative to the amount of time served in proportion to the total pledged.

(d) If a participant is unable to complete an academic year of teaching, that academic year may still be counted toward the required four complete and consecutive academic years if any of the following occur:

(1) The participant has completed at least one-half of the academic year.

(2) The employer deems the participant to have fulfilled his or her contract requirements for the academic year for the purposes of salary increases, tenure, and retirement.

(3) The participant was not able to teach due to the financial circumstances of the local educational agency. agency, including a decision to not reelect the employee for the next succeeding school year.

(4) The participant has a condition covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) (Section 230.8 of the Labor Code) or similar state law.

(5) The participant was called or ordered to active duty status for more than 30 days as a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States.

44795.

 (a) A grant under this chapter shall be in an amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) per resident of the jurisdiction of the local educational agency, as matched by that local educational agency, or a total of up to two million dollars ($2,000,000) over three school years, as matched by that local educational agency. Funding may be applied to expenditures for any of the following: following in accordance with any relevant collective bargaining agreement: master teachers’ stipends, living stipends and tuition assistance for residents, teacher residency program management, and costs of mentoring and induction following initial preparation.

(b) The Superintendent may make grants under this chapter each fiscal year, commencing with the 2016–17 fiscal year until the 2018–19 fiscal year. A local educational agency or consortia of local educational agencies shall not receive more than one award for an application under this chapter in any fiscal year, unless sufficient funds remain after awarding all other qualified applicants.

(c) To receive a grant under this chapter, a high-need local educational agency or high-need consortia of local educational agencies shall submit to the Superintendent an application at a time, in a manner, and containing information, prescribed by the Superintendent.

(d) The Superintendent shall award grants under this chapter on a competitive basis, with first priority given to applicants that target chronic teacher shortage areas, including special education and bilingual teachers. Preferences may also be given to local educational agencies or consortia of local educational agencies on the basis of their per pupil allocation of funds as high-need local educational agencies defined in Section 2102 of pursuant to Part A of Title II of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 107-110) 114-95) for the most recent school year.

(e) The Superintendent shall conduct an evaluation of the program established under this chapter to determine its effectiveness in recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers in chronic teacher shortage areas, including special education and bilingual teachers, and high-need hard-to-staff schools.

(f) A local educational agency or consortia of local educational agencies that receives a grant under this chapter shall provide matching funds in an amount equal to 100 percent of grant funds provided to the local educational agency under this chapter to carry out the activities supported by the grant, which may be provided by community partners, institutions of higher education, or others.