AB 2325

AB2325:v96#DOCUMENT

Bill Start

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2325

An act to add Section 44259.4 to the Education Code, relating to teachers.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2325, as amended, Alvarez. Teachers: bilingual teachers: Pathways to Bilingual Teaching 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 various programs for the recruitment of teachers. Existing law establishes the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program, administered by the State Department of Education in consultation with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, for teachers seeking to provide instruction in bilingual and multilingual settings.

This bill, which would be operative upon appropriation by the Legislature, would establish the Pathways to Bilingual Teaching Program and would require the commission to develop and implement a program to award, on a competitive basis, grants of up to $600,000 to consortia of local educational agencies, community colleges, and agencies to form consortia with 4-year institutions of higher education education, or 4-year institutions of higher education and community colleges, to establish or expand pathways to bilingual teaching to enable bilingual pupils to earn a multiple subject, single subject, PK-3 early childhood education specialist, or education specialist teaching credential, with a bilingual authorization, as provided. The bill would require the commission to conduct outreach to eligible institutions to encourage applications and support institutions that need assistance in developing partnerships, as provided. The bill would require the commission to annually report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on any grants funded until funds are fully expended, as specified.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 44259.4 is added to the Education Code, to read:

44259.4.

(a) Subject to an appropriation pursuant to subdivision (j), there is hereby established the Pathways to Bilingual Teaching Program, to be administered by the commission, for the purpose of increasing the number of California teachers qualified to teach in bilingual settings.

(b) (1) The commission shall develop and implement a program to award, on a competitive basis, grants of up to six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000), which may be expended over five six years, to consortia of local educational agencies, community colleges, and agencies to form consortia with four-year institutions of higher education education, or four-year institutions of higher education and community colleges, for the purpose of establishing or expanding existing pathways to bilingual teaching to enable bilingual pupils candidates to earn a multiple subject, single subject, PK-3 early childhood education specialist, or education specialist credential credential, with a bilingual authorization.

(2) The commission shall give priority for grants to local educational agencies whose applications demonstrate a high need for teachers with a bilingual authorization by meeting one or both of the following:(A) The local educational agency includes one or more local educational agencies with a high concentration of pupils who are English language learners.(B) The local educational agency includes one or more local educational agencies located in a rural area or a geographic region experiencing an acute systemic shortage of teachers with a bilingual authorization, characterized by a significant gap between available teacher preparation programs and the needs of local pupils who are English language learners.

(2)

(3) For purposes of this section, “pathway to bilingual teaching” means an articulated, guided sequence of secondary education, postsecondary education, and teacher preparation, including preparation to earn a bilingual authorization, leading to employment as a bilingual teacher.

(c) Under a grant pursuant to subdivision (e), a participant (d), a local educational agency shall develop and implement the following sequence a consortium through a partnership between local educational agencies, community colleges, and four-year institutions of higher education: with one or more four-year institutions of higher education, or one or more four-year institutions of higher education and one or more community colleges. The consortium shall do all of the following:

(1) Recruitment of Recruit bilingual candidates by local educational agencies for the pathway to bilingual teaching based on candidates’ interest in teaching, including, but not limited to, high school pupils with experience working in after school programs, participation in a career technical education pathway in education, and candidates’ proficiency in a language other than English, including, but not limited to, those or participation in future teacher clubs, and candidates who are likely to be eligible meet the eligibility criteria to receive the State Seal of Biliteracy.

(2)Partnership with a

(2) Partner with at least one of the following:

(A) A community college or four-year institution of higher education to use dual enrollment, including early and middle college programs, to enable these candidates to earn part or all of their associate’s degrees prior to or bilingual authorization before graduation.

(3)Partnership with an

(B) A four-year institution of higher education with an integrated program of professional preparation, as set forth in Section 44259.1, into which these candidates transfer and in which they earn their baccalaureate degrees and a multiple subject, single subject, PK-3 early childhood education specialist, or education specialist teaching credential, with a bilingual authorization.

(4)An

(C) Enter into an agreement with one or more local educational agencies, including, but not limited to, local educational agencies enrolling candidates in the pathway, to hire qualified graduates of the pathway in bilingual teaching positions.

(d)The commission shall conduct outreach to eligible institutions to encourage applications and support institutions that need assistance in developing partnerships.

(e)

(d) Through the program, the commission shall award one-time grants to consortia through grants to local educational agencies pursuant to subdivision (b) to fund proposals to establish new or expand existing pathways to bilingual teaching. teaching, with the first year of the grant for planning purposes and the subsequent five years of the grant for implementation purposes. These funds may be expended for any proper purpose in support of this section, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

(1) To provide teacher, administrator, and faculty release time or stipends to design the pathway and obtain any necessary agreements to implement the pathway.

(2)To pay for the cost of any necessary professional preparation or certification of participating teachers.

(3)

(2) To create or redesign courses for candidates in a pathway to bilingual teaching.

(4)

(3) To design appropriate recruitment, guidance, and support strategies for candidates participating in the pathway.

(f)

(e) As a condition of the receipt of a grant, a consortium described in subdivision (b) shall provide to the commission program and outcome information for at least five years after receiving the grant. The information shall include program design and features, the number of graduates, candidates enrolled in the program, the number of candidates who have completed the program, the number and type of credentials and bilingual authorizations earned, the time taken to earn a degree and credential, employment by commitments made by local educational agencies in with the intent to offer employment of bilingual teaching positions, and any other information the commission may require for purposes of documenting the effect of the grant and identifying effective practices in program design and implementation. implementation, and, if applicable, home languages spoken by graduates, racial and ethnic backgrounds of graduates, and graduates who are or have ever been English language learners.

(g)

(f) The commission shall require applicants for grants under this section to provide assurances of all of the following:

(1) A commitment to implement a planned pathway to bilingual teaching.

(2) A plan for recruitment and retention of candidates for the pathway to bilingual teaching. teaching for open positions.

(3) Coordination with existing sources of candidate support, such as the Golden State Teacher Grant Program established pursuant to Article 5.1 (commencing with Section 69617) of Chapter 2 of Part 42 of Division 5 of Title 3, and other forms of financial aid.

(4) Demonstrated commitment to develop or expand enrollment in, and access to, the pathway to bilingual teaching.

(5) A plan to sustain the pathway to bilingual teaching after funding provided under this section expires.

(h)The commission may use up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) of moneys appropriated for purposes of this section to administer the grants authorized by this section.

(g) Nothing in this section precludes a consortium formed pursuant to this section from including multiple local educational agencies.

(i)

(h) The commission shall annually report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature on the progress grant recipients have made in developing and implementing pathways to bilingual teaching, including, when appropriate, the number of teachers who are enrolled in the pathways and the number of teachers who have completed the pathways and are employed in bilingual settings, settings as reported by local educational agencies, until funds are fully expended.

(j)

(i) The requirements of this section are contingent upon the appropriation of funds for its purposes in the annual Budget Act or another statute. It is the intent of the Legislature to provide ten million dollars ($10,000,000) in one-time funding in the Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.