Dear Select County and District Superintendents:

Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program Estimated State Match Funding for the
2020–21 School Year

The purpose of this letter is to notify participating local educational agencies (LEAs) the estimated total state match funding, in the amount of $36,000,000, will be made available from funds provided in Section 85 of Senate Bill (SB) 75 (Chapter 51, Statutes of 2019), in support of the Classified School Employee Summer Assistance Program (CSESAP) for the 2020–21 school year. The California Department of Education (CDE) will make the required apportionment for the state match funds in August 2021.

LEAs that elected to participate in the CSESAP were required to notify the CDE by April 1, 2020, of their election. As part of the notification, LEAs reported to the CDE the number of classified employees that elected to participate in the CSESAP and the total estimated amount to be withheld from participating classified employee paychecks for the 2020–21 school year.

Based on the estimated data reported, the CDE determined that a participating classified employee is estimated to receive state match funding equal to approximately sixty-six cents ($0.66) for each one dollar ($1) that the classified employee elects to have withheld from his or her monthly paycheck for the 2020–21 school year. A copy of this letter and accompanying schedule of the estimated amount of state match funding for each participating LEA is available under “CSESAP 2019 Funding Results” on the CDE’s CSESAP web page at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/ca/csesap.asp.

Pursuant to California Education Code Section 45500(g), participating LEAs are required to notify participating classified employees by June 1, 2020, the amount of estimated state match funds the participating classified staff is estimated to receive as a result of participating in the CSESAP. After receiving that notification, a classified employee may withdraw his or her election to participate in the CSESAP, or reduce the amount to be withheld from his or her paycheck, by notifying his or her employing LEA no later than 30 days after the start of the school year.

The participating LEAs that made the required April 1, 2020, reporting to the CDE will be included in the August 2021 apportionment for state match funding. A participating LEA shall request payment from the CDE on or before July 31, 2021, using a web-based form, for the amount of classified employee pay withheld. If the total amount requested by participating LEAs, based on actual classified employee withholdings, exceeds the appropriated amount available for the CSESAP, the CDE will apply a proration, which may be greater or less than the preliminary amount provided above.

For additional information on the CSESAP including key dates, refer to the letter to the field dated December 19, 2019, and the frequently asked questions posted on the CSESAP web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/ca/csesap.asp. For questions regarding this program, please contact the Categorical Allocations and Audit Resolution Office by email at csesap@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Dearstyne, Director
School Fiscal Services Division