Pupil literacy: home book delivery: grant program.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law establishes in the state government a State Department of Education and the department is responsible for various ongoing activities involving the public schools. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, establish the Home Book Delivery and School Connection Grant Program for the purpose of increasing access to books that are culturally relevant and reflect the diversity of the state, and build connections between school and home to support pupils in achieving grade-level reading by 3rd grade. The bill would require the department to award formula grants to up to 75 local educational agencies that opt in to the program. The bill would require the department to fund selected local educational agencies with pupils in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 3, inclusive, that have the highest percentage of 3rd-grade pupils scoring at the lowest performance level on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress in English language arts who opt in to the grant pilot program. The bill would authorize the department to select a county office of education to assist in the administration of the grant program. This bill would require the pilot program to deliver, on a regular schedule, a minimum of 12 books per year to homes of participating families, as provided. The bill would authorize the department to contract with one or more entities, as provided, in order to implement the delivery services necessary to implement the pilot program. The bill would authorize local educational agencies to opt in their eligible schools for participation in the program and upon being chosen to participate, would require the local educational agencies to notify parents and families about the option to access and select books for home delivery and would require those local educational agencies to provide an annual report on an unspecified date to the selected entity or entities that are chosen to administer the program, as provided.