Workforce development: California School Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program.

Existing law requires the Employment Development Department to implement and administer California's unemployment insurance compensation program, and to oversee various job, information and training programs in the state. The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 makes funding available to states that offer training and workforce development services through the state and local workforce investment boards. The California Workforce Investment Board, which is the entity responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California's workforce investment system, is required to recommend strategies to the Governor for strategic training investments of certain discretionary funding made available under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998. This bill would require the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to allocate $5,000,000 of the Workforce Investment Act state reserve, as provided for by federal law, to school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools, on a competitive basis, to provide intensive examination preparation courses for the purpose of retraining laid off and out-of-field teachers to meet subject matter competency requirements, in accordance with specified procedures.