October 6, 2023

Clarifying the RFA and Submission Requirements

1. Question: I'm an interested participant. It is unclear which information the cover page requires.
Answer: The cover page may only be filled out by eligible local education agencies (LEA) applicants (school districts, county offices of education, etc.), not by individual participants.

Who Can Apply for a Reading and Literacy Grant?

2. Question: I'm an interested participant. I wanted to know if I would be able to apply for this grant even if I am not able to start or apply for a RLLS program this year. I read that awards were able to be granted "through June 20, 2027." Could I start a program up until that date? Or must I finish before 2027?
Answer: The grant funds are awarded to eligible LEAs. Interested participants may contact their LEAs/employers to inquire about the grant program and eligibility. One may also notify their employer about the grant for the LEA to apply for the grant to support teachers who may be interested.

3. Question: I have had several districts reach out to our county office of education (COE) and ask how they can apply for the RLAA grant through our county office. Does a COE need to apply to support districts?
Answer: No. School districts may apply for the grant and do not need to be supported by a COE. COEs may apply to support their school districts, or a consortium of districts and/or other COEs.

4. Question: If a school district wants more information about an IHE's Reading and Literacy program, does the school district reach out to the IHE's program sponsor directly?
Answer: Yes.

5. Question: If our county office applies, what is our responsibility to the districts/teachers?
Answer: The COE would be the lead applicant, and as such, the COE would be responsible for managing all aspects of the grant as stated in the request for application, including managing and funding participants, and reporting data to the Commission.

May 26, 2023

Clarifying the RFA and Submission Requirements

6. Question: The CTC website shows that completed applications are due to the Commission by June 23, 2023. Will this be the only application period for LEAs to apply?
Answer: Future grant rounds are determined by the availability of grant funds.

7. Question: Do LEAs need to identify specific teachers in their application?
Answer: No. Grantee local education agencies (LEAs) will have to identify participating teachers in the required annual data reports submitted to the Commission.

8. Question: What are the chances for acceptance into one of the institutions if I do not have prior reading and literacy experience? I am assuming to be accepted for the grant program I would have to be accepted into one of the institutions.

Answer:
a. LEA grantees will determine how participants will be selected to participate in the grant program. To receive grant funds, a participant must be a teacher in the LEA grantee and enrolled in a Commission-approved program that satisfies the
Reading and Literacy Added Authorization (RLAA) or a Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist (RLLS) credential.
b. Contact the institution of higher education (IHE) directly to learn more about the application criteria. Here is a list of IHEs with courses that satisfy the authorization.

9. Question: The RFA states, "priority will be given to LEA applicants that provide grant funds to teachers who provide instruction at an eligible schoolsite." How do I know if priority will be given to an applicant LEA?
Answer: An eligible schoolsite for this grant is defined (in Section 42238.02 of the Education Code) as one operated by an eligible local educational agency with an unduplicated pupil percentage for pupils enrolled in kindergarten and grades 1 to 6,
inclusive, based on 2021-22 census day pupil data, that is in the highest 10 percent in the state of all schoolsites with either kindergarten or any other of the grades 1 to 6, inclusive. LEAs applicants may refer to the eligible schoolsite list provided by the
California Department of Education. LEAs not on the eligible schoolsite list may still apply.

Who Can Apply for a Reading and Literacy Grant?

10. Question: I do not see us on the eligible school list and wondering if you all will open it up to charter schools?
Answer: Per Legislation, eligible"Local educational agency" means a school district, county office of education, county superintendent of schools, state-operated education program, including a state special school, an education program providing instruction in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, that is offered by a state agency, including the Department of Youth and Community Restoration and the State Department of Developmental Services, or a regional occupational center or program operated by a joint powers authority or county office of education. Charter schools are not included in authorizing legislation as an eligible LEA.

11. Question: Can I apply on my own without an LEA?
Answer: No.

12. Question: I am almost finished with my reading authorization which I paid for on my own. Is there a way that I can receive the Literacy Grant to reimburse me for my out-of-pocket expenses? I will complete my last course on June 16, 2023.
Answer: No. Grant funds may not be used to retroactively reimburse participants.

Local Education Agency Partnership

13. Question: Can COEs apply on behalf of teachers at their county schools? Can COEs apply on behalf of teachers at their districts' schools? Can COEs apply on behalf of multiple districts in the same application?
Answer: Yes. If County Offices of Education (COEs) choose to do so, they should clearly note such partnerships in the narrative of the application.

14. Question: Are County Offices able to apply in partnership with LEAs or is this one strictly for LEAs? can county offices partner with LEAs to submit an application jointly? If so, is the county office allowed to take the lead with the application?
Answer: Yes. And if COEs and LEAs choose to do so, they should clearly note such partnerships in the narrative of the application.

Reading and Literacy Grant Funding

15. Question: Are we able to use [district] staff salaries (for our staff assigned to oversee this project) as a demonstration of matching costs?
Answer: Per authorizing legislation, the 100-percent match of grant funding can only be in the form of costs for required coursework, books, fees, tuition, and release time, as applicable and/or an in-kind match of release time or substitute teacher costs for the participating teacher.

16. Question: Will the grant for the Reading and Literacy Supplemental Authorization be retroactive since some teachers already doing the course work?
Answer: Grant funds and matching funds may only be used for approved expenses incurred after the awarding of the grant.

17. Question: My understanding is that this is a gift where the LEA has to match what the state provides, but that this match can be in-kind. Could you please elaborate on what that in-kind matching from an LEA could look like, and what that process would be for applying for funds with an in-kind match?
Answer: Per authorizing legislation, in-kind matching funds are limited to in-kind match of release time or substitute teacher costs for the participating teacher. The process for indicating in-kind matching funds can be found on Appendix F, Budget Overview form.

18. Question: Can the grant fund be used by the LEA awardees to pay for above cost of $2,500?
Answer: Grantee LEAs will be funded a maximum of $2,500 per participating teacher. LEAs may use matching funds for any additional program costs above the $2,500 grant fund maximum.

19. Question: The instructions of the RFA for the Reading and Literacy Supplementary Authorization Incentive Grant states that grant funding can be used for any of the following: cost for tuition, books, fees, or release time/sub cost. If we are partnering
with an organization that offers asynchronous or evening classes, are we still able to use grant funds to pay teachers to complete their courses? This would be extra duty pay rather than needing to have to cover the cost of a substitute.
Answer: Authorizing legislation states that the use of grant funds includes coursework, books, fees, tuition, and release time and/or substitute cost. Since asynchronous or evening classes would not require time off from regularly scheduled activities, extra duty pay would not be considered an approved use of grant or matching funds.

20. Question: Can we use matching funding from outside the LEA to be used for matching? Some types of other funding that could be interested in matching could include other grant funded sources.
Answer: Yes. Include this information in the budget narrative (RFA Question #5).

Data Reporting and Responsibilities Post Grant Award

21. Question: Are we required to collect any data to receive annual funds?
Answer: Yes. Per legislation, grantees must commit to the Commission's requirements for data collection, evaluation, and reporting. This may include an annual roster of Reading and Literacy Grant participants and demographic data.

October 2023 

Updated December 07, 2023