54447.
(a) The California Mini-Corps program is hereby established to do both of the following:(1) Provide a statewide supplemental instructional program to serve the academic needs of currently migratory children in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(2) Support the state’s educator workforce needs by providing teaching experience to bilingual and former migratory college students interested in pursuing a teaching credential.
(b) The department shall do all of the following:
(1) (A) Annually select one county office of education to administer the program for the next fiscal year.
(B) Participation of a county office of education in the administration of a program pursuant to this section is voluntary.
(2) Ensure that the sites selected pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) are located in geographical regions that serve high concentrations of currently migratory children.
(3) Adopt criteria for the selection of program sites, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A) A demonstrated capacity and commitment to support the academic success of currently migratory children by training tutors in instructional practices and cultural competencies to meet the needs of currently migratory children and supporting tutors during their participation in the program.
(B) A demonstrated commitment to bilingual and multilingual education and bilingual teacher development by doing both of the following:
(i) Establishing partnerships with teacher preparation programs, including integrated programs of preparation, if available, that provide a pathway for all interested tutors to work toward obtaining a teaching credential.
(ii) Informing tutors of financial aid programs to support them in obtaining a teaching credential and bilingual authorization, including the Golden State Teacher Grant Program established pursuant to Article 5.1 (commencing with Section 69617) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3 and the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program established pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 52200) of Chapter 7 of Part 28.
(C) A demonstrated capacity to provide data and other information regarding the implementation of the program, as required by the department.
(4) (A) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code and on or before December 1 of each year, provide an annual report to the Legislature and the Department of Finance that includes both of the following:
(i) The number of currently migratory children served by the program statewide and disaggregated by site for the prior fiscal year.
(ii) The number of tutors from the prior fiscal year’s cohort who subsequently enrolled in an educator preparation program or subsequently earned a preliminary teaching credential.
(B) A report to be submitted pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(c) A county office of education that is selected pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) shall do both of the following:
(1) Operate not less than 20 program sites at institutions of higher education for the purposes of providing tutoring programs to currently migratory children during the school year.
(2) On or before June 1 of each year, provide the identity of tutors from the six prior fiscal year’s cohorts to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
(d) Subject to the availability of funds, a county office of education that is selected pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) may offer a summer outdoor education program and a summer indoor institute.
(e) The Commission on Teacher Credentialing shall, on or before July 31 of each year, provide to the department a confirmation of which tutors reported by a county office of education pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) earned a preliminary teaching credential.
(f) This section shall be implemented in a manner that is consistent with applicable federal law and regulations governing the Migrant Education Program, authorized pursuant to Part C of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended.
(g) Funds allocated for purposes of this section shall supplement, and shall not supplant, any federal funds or resources provided for this program.
(h) For purposes of this section, “currently migratory child” has the same meaning as in Section 54441.
(i) It is the intent of the Legislature that, commencing with the 2024–25 fiscal year, the annual Budget Act provide sufficient funding to (1) support the restoration of programs that have been closed in the last five years due to a lack of funding, (2) increase the number of tutors that participate in the program, and (3) support a cost-of-living adjustment for tutor compensation.