The California Local Solutions Grant

Sonoma County Office of Education was awarded the California Local Solutions Grant on behalf of interested districts within the regional consortium and North Coast School of Education Satellite Networks. The purpose of the grant is to help local educational agencies find solutions to the educational specialist teacher shortage.

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing grant funding is available to provide financial assistance for the life of the grant to those working on becoming educational specialist teachers. Grant funds are provided as a reimbursement to recipients, up to $4,250/year.

Grant award money can be used for:

• Tuition Reimbursement after successfully completing each term
• Employment Retention Incentive

After successfully completing all of the requirements for the preliminary Education Specialist credential, recipients are eligible for the Employment Retention Incentive. Recipients must work for 4 years within a district in the county where they were originally hired. Click this link to learn about the 4-year requirement: Commitment of Teacher Participants.

Who Can Apply?

Education Specialist Interns enrolled in NCSOE’s “Be A Teacher” Intern Program who meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply:

• Working at least .40 FTE as an Educational Specialist, and who
• Is in good standing with the “Be A Teacher” Intern Program

If you have questions about your eligibility or need additional information, please contact Executive Director, Jason Lea, at jlea@scoe.org.

How To Apply?

Step 1:
Complete the Loan Solutions Application by 5:00pm on the deadline date.

Step 2:
Email two letters of recommendation (if you were unable to upload them to the application form) to Jason Lea at jlea@scoe.org no later than 5:00pm on the deadline date.

*One letter must be from the site principal. Both letters should speak to the applicant’s abilities as a teacher, relationship with students and families, and capacity to grow as a teacher.

Evaluation Process

Applications will be evaluated by NCSOE staff after the application window closes. Only complete applications with the necessary letters of recommendation will be reviewed.

Funding Announcements:

Selections and funding announcements will be made by date TBD, via email.

Thank you for interest!

Jason A. Lea
Executive Director
Sonoma County Office of Education
North Coast School of Education
jlea@scoe.org