The purpose of this document is to provide additional guidance to Local Solutions to the Shortage of Special Education Teachers Grants Program (Local Solutions) grantees regarding the commitment of LEA grantees and participants.

It is the intent of authorizing legislation for the Local Solutions grants program to develop new, or expand existing, locally-identified solutions that address a local need for special education teachers. Grant recipients should note there are provisions of the authorizing statute that outline obligations of both those participating in the grant program and the Local Education Agency (LEA) grantees.

Authorizing legislation requires that a teacher participant who receives a teacher service scholarship, signing bonus, or student debt payment shall agree to teach at a school within the jurisdiction of the grant recipient and work as an education specialist serving a caseload of pupils who receive special education services in a special education setting for four years. A teacher participant who fail to complete the service obligation shall reimburse the sponsoring grant recipient the amount of grant funding received as a teacher service scholarship, signing bonus, or student debt payment. The amount to be reimbursed shall be adjusted proportionately to reflect the service provided if the teacher participant taught at least one year, but less than four years. The teacher participant has five years to complete this service commitment.

If a teacher participant is unable to complete a school year of teaching, that school year may still be counted toward the required four complete school years if any of the following occur:

  1. The teacher participant has completed at least one-half year of the school year.
  2. The employer deems the teacher participant to have fulfilled his or her contractual requirements for the school year for the purposes of salary increases, probationary or permanent status, and retirement.
  3. The teacher participant was not able to teach due to the financial circumstances of the sponsoring grant recipient, including a decision to not reelect the employee for the next succeeding school year.
  4. The teacher participant has a condition covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C.Sec.2061 et seq.) or similar state law.
  5. The teacher 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.

As stated above, candidates assisted by Local Solutions grants funds have to fulfill a four-year teaching commitment in order to avoid having to repay all or a proportional part of the grant funds received by the teacher participant. However, it may happen that the teacher participant will need, for a variety of reasons and/or personal circumstances, to finish that four-year teaching commitment in a different California LEA other than the grantee that provided the grant funding to the teacher participant. In keeping with the intent of authorizing legislation to address California's teacher shortage, if an LEA does not have employment available for a teacher participant who participated in the LEA's local solutions grants program, the teacher may begin and/or may complete the four-year teaching requirement another California public school district, county office of education, charter school. It is the responsibility of the LEA grantee to keep track of the employment of teacher participants whether employed in the grantee's LEA or another California LEA, and report such employment to the Commission in the required yearly reports.

Grantees should refer to the full text of the authorizing statute, as included in the grant award letter email, for additional information.

Updated December 05, 2023