College Readiness Block Grant Letter

September 1, 2016

Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

College Readiness Block Grant

Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 828 into law in June 2016. SB 828 authorizes the allocation of a $200 million College Readiness Block Grant (CRBG), in the 2016–17 fiscal year (FY), to provide California’s high school pupils, particularly unduplicated pupils, as defined in Education Code Sections 42238.01 and 42238.02, additional supports to increase the number of students that enroll at institutions of higher education and complete an undergraduate degree within four years.

The purpose of this letter is to notify local educational agencies (LEAs) that the preliminary entitlements of the CRBG have been posted. The CRBG funding is available to county offices of education, school districts, and charter schools that reported unduplicated pupils in grades nine through twelve during the 2015–16 FY. Eligible LEAs must be currently accredited, or in the process of obtaining accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. No LEA serving at least one unduplicated pupil in grades nine through twelve during the 2015–16 FY shall receive a total allocation of less than $75,000.

The California Department of Education will apportion CRBG funds in two installments. The first apportionment reflecting approximately 50 percent of each LEA’s entitlement will be released in October 2016. Remaining funds will be released in spring 2017. Funds are available for expenditure or encumbrance through the 2018–19 FY. The CRBG details may be accessed on the CRBG Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/ps/collegereadiness.asp. Enclosed is a copy of the CRBG Summary Table for reference to timelines and responsibilities.

For allocation questions, please contact Thi Huynh, Education Fiscal Services Consultant, in the School Fiscal Services Division, by phone at 916-324-4555 or by e-mail at thuynh@cde.ca.gov. For program questions, please contact Jose Ortega, Education Programs Consultant, in the College Preparation and Postsecondary Programs Office, by phone at 916-323-6398 or by e-mail at CRBG@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tom Torlakson

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Attachment

College Readiness Block Grant Summary

NOTE: Please refer to Education Code Section 41580 for the language of the College Readiness Block Grant (CRBG). This document is only provided as a summary of the CRBG and may not contain all relevant statutory language.