1. Eligible Applicants
California LEAs are the eligible applicants for grants. An LEA is defined as either:
a. A school district as defined in Section 41302.5 of the Education Code, which includes:
1. County boards of education.
2. County superintendents of schools.
3. Direct elementary and secondary level instructional services provided by the state, including the Diagnostic Schools for Neurologically Handicapped Children as established under Article 1 (commencing with Section 59200) of Chapter 3 of Part 32 of the Education Code.
b. A charter school that has been granted a charter following Part 26.8 (commencing with Section 47600) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code.
Priority Awards
PUC Section 1612 requires that the program offer funds to schools that are in an Underserved Community before schools that are not in an Underserved Community. The program defines an Underserved Community as meeting one of the following criteria:
1. Is a “disadvantaged community” as defined by Public Resources Code Section 75005(g)1
2. Is included within the definition of “low-income communities” as defined by Health and Safety Code Section 39713(d)(2)2
3. Is within an area identified as among the most disadvantaged 25 percent in the state according to the California Environmental Protection Agency and based on the most recent California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool, also known as CalEnviroScreen
4. Is a community in which at least 75 percent of public school students in the project area are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program
5. Is a community located on lands belonging to a federally recognized California Indian tribe
PUC Section 1612 requires that at least 25 percent of program projects be in Underserved Communities.
Contact us for a copy of the full guideline and to set up an advisory call to review the requirements.