February 27 , 2017 EDCAL 3
SPI urges students to apply for California Dream Act
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and the California Student Aid Commission have noted that applications for the California Dream Act are down significantly and urged all eligible students to apply for the program , which allows undocumented students to receive state financial aid for college .
“ Please apply right away . The California Dream Act is the key to success in college and 21st century careers . It would be a shame if fear or confusion keeps students from applying for financial aid that they have earned and they deserve ,” Torlakson said .
The application deadline is March 2 .
As of Feb . 17 , CSAC had received about 20,000 applications , down nearly 60 percent from more than 34,000 applications from the prior year . The California Dream Act is unrelated to the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program .
“ The California Student Aid Commission has redoubled its efforts to encourage Dreamers to complete the California Dream Act Application ,” said Lupita Cortez Alcalá , executive director for the CSAC , which administers the California Dream Act . “ California ’ s strength lies in its diversity and we will continue to support and advance our efforts to prepare all California students for academic and economic prosperity .”
Students should be reassured that CSAC will take all available legal precautions to protect California Dream Act information , which is used solely to determine eligibility for state financial aid and is not shared with any other government agency .
Regardless of what happens at the federal level , state financial aid for Dreamers remains legal in California , Torlakson said . A Dreamer student does not need to be DACA-certified to be eligible for a public education or state financial aid . Losing DACA status will not affect state financial aid eligibility .
The California Department of Education and CSAC are proud to stand with Gov . Brown , leaders of the Legislature , multiple local governments , and our state ’ s public and private colleges and universities in upholding the rights of California ’ s Dreamer students , Torlakson said .
Torlakson sent a letter to public school officials statewide and asked them to remind students and parents to file applications . For questions , please contact the California Student Aid Commission at ( 916 ) 464- 8271 or CDE ’ s College Preparation and Postsecondary Programs Office at ( 916 ) 323-6398 . For more information , go to www . csac . ca . gov / dream _ act . asp .
CDE announces initiative to help small districts with bond funds
|
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has announced that the California Department of Education is offering a new “ Small School District Assistance Initiative ” to help small and rural school districts apply for state school bond funds .
California voters in November 2016 approved Proposition 51 , which will provide $ 9 billion in state school bond funds for construction and modernization .
|
Prop . 51 is the latest in a series of state school bonds approved since 1998 , but about 100 of the state ’ s 1,025 public school districts have never applied for bond funding . Small and rural districts often don ’ t have the staff or resources available to apply , even if they need to build new schools or upgrade aging school buildings , Torlakson said .
“ We want to get small and rural schools in line for Prop . 51 funding and build modern
|
school facilities that will help students succeed on their way to 21st century careers and college ,” Torlakson said .
Torlakson spoke to the Assembly Education Committee , which conducted a hearing at the State Capitol about streamlining the school bond funding and construction process . Torlakson told Committee members that the CDE School Facilities and Transportation Services Division created the Small School District Assistance
|
Initiative .
Team members can help school districts prepare applications , navigate the bond process , and provide technical assistance . For example , the Santa Ynez Valley Union HSD recently contacted CDE for assistance because the district is eligible for $ 7 million in Prop . 51 funding . The district has just over 1,000 students . California has a total of 6.2 million public school students attending more than 10,000 schools .
|
MARCH 15
Continued from page 1
|
|
Paid Advertisement |
|
|
the employee in two ways ?
Yes , either by registered mail or hand delivered . If the notice is hand delivered , the district must obtain a signature from the employee signifying it was received .
|
|
|
|
|
What if the district fails to obtain a signature on hand delivery ?
The employee is then considered to not have received proper notice and is therefore continued in the same position for the next school year . If you hand deliver the notice and the employee refuses to sign , then the district has still given proper notice .
|
|
|
|
|
Does the board have to approve the March 15 notices ?
The board must approve the second step in the process , which is final notice with the specific action to be taken , prior to July 1 .
|
|
|
|
Are there any exceptions to the steps you have outlined in the March 15 notice ?
Yes , administrators working in county offices of education are not required to receive a March 15 notice unless they had previously been employed in a teaching position by the county superintendent and are being reassigned back to the classroom . What happens if a district gives an administrator with “ superintendent ” in his or her title a March 15 notice instead of the 45-day notice under Education Code 35031 ?
The district has given an improper notice . The courts have been very clear that these notices must be given properly in accordance with the Education Code .
Does ACSA have any other resource material that members can refer to ?
Yes , on the ACSA website . We have information that clearly demonstrates the procedures that county offices and districts must follow in demoting , reassigning , or terminating an administrator . Log into the ACSA website member portal and click on Member Resources .
What advice do you have for administrators who suspect they may be
receiving a March 15 notice ?
Before taking any action , contact Joanne Godfrey with the ACSA Member and Legal Support team at jgodfrey @ acsa . org .
www . acsa . org