Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) In addition to
the application requirements of Section
1085.30, the
application for a planning grant must include the following:
1) Proposal
A) Describes a plan of work for developing a
consortium and a Grow Your Own program that will be eligible for an
implementation grant under this Part;
B) Provides evidence that at least a subset
of the teachers typically prepared by the institution seeks employment in
communities where hard-to-staff schools are located;
C) Demonstrates that the institution is not
applying for funding on behalf of an existing consortium that is currently
serving a group of candidates under a model substantially similar to that
described in the Act and that further information is needed about the specific
barriers that exist with respect to enabling individuals with a long-term
commitment to those communities to complete teacher preparation; and
D) Demonstrates need by a hard-to-staff
school or by a K-12 district for teachers in hard-to-staff positions.
2) Supporting Documentation
A) Letters of interest from one or more early
childhood programs, school districts or schools indicating willingness to
collaborate in offering opportunities for candidates in the program to complete
pre-student teaching clinical experiences in hard-to-staff schools or
positions; and
B) If additional
community organizations are being considered for membership in the consortium,
letters of invitation that the applicant has sent to one or more relevant
community organizations proposing a role for the organizations in the proposed
consortium, along with a rationale provided by the applicant for inclusion of
these organizations.
3)
GYOI shall provide the categories of allowable expenditures and require the
submission of a budget summary and payment schedule, completed on the forms
provided, as well as a narrative budget breakdown that provides a detailed
explanation of each line item of expenditure. Allowable uses of planning grant
funds shall include services and goods necessary to:
A) Secure the participation and commitment of
the required members and the optional members of a consortium to develop a plan
for collective decision-making that involves all partners and provides a
mechanism for candidate input;
B)
Attract or identify viable potential candidates for teacher preparation who are
para educators or parent and community leaders as contemplated by the Act,
including assistance that will permit potential candidates to complete
developmental coursework during their first four semesters of participation
that will verify their academic readiness for enrolling in teacher preparation;
and
C) Identify barriers to teacher
certification for potential members of a given cohort, and the strategies and
resources for mitigating those barriers and successfully ameliorating them
within the programmatic, time and funding constraints of the program.
b)
In awarding
grants, GYOI shall select programs that successfully address initiative
criteria and that reflect a diversity of strategies in terms of serving
urban, suburban, and rural areas, the nature of the
participating institutions of higher education, and the nature of hard-to-staff
schools and hard-to-staff teaching positions on which a program is
focused (Section 20 of the Act).
c) Each proposal that is submitted by a
potential consortium and meets the requirements of this Section shall be
considered qualified for funding.
d) Funding decisions shall be made by
balancing the goals of geographic distribution and accessibility with the level
of need and the potential number of candidates to be served.
e) In the event that an audit or other
evidence establishes that the consortium failed to perform and/or the
expenditure of grant funds was not consistent with the consortium's proposal
and the Grant Agreement, a full or partial reimbursement to the State through
the Board shall be required. For example, if an auditor finds that any amount
of funds was not used or was used in a manner inconsistent with the proposal,
GYOI will seek reimbursement for that amount of funds.
