Special education: teachers: grant program.

Existing law requires that every individual with exceptional needs who is eligible to receive special education instruction and related services receive that instruction and those services at no cost to his or her parents or, as appropriate, to him or her. Existing law requires that a special education teacher who provides special education instruction and educational services meet the same "highly qualified" requirements and personnel qualifications as are provided in specified federal law. This bill would require the establishment of a statewide framework and training and support network for the purpose of training and supporting qualified mentor teachers who will be supporting the new statewide influx of special education teachers in California to be contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or other legislation for this purpose. The bill would require the State Department of Education to award grants on a competitive basis using criteria it establishes. The bill would require the department to allocate a one-time grant of $500,000, upon the appropriation of funds for the above-described purposes, to an eligible entity, as defined, with demonstrated expertise in the area of teacher retention at elementary and secondary schools. The bill would require the department to offer $1,500,000, upon the appropriation of funds for the above-described purposes, as grants to local educational agencies, as defined, to create or expand local and regional infrastructure to support special education teacher mentoring for the purpose of supporting the retention of new special education teachers.