Dear Marin County Superintendent of Schools:

Apportionment to the
Marin County Superintendent of Schools
for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence,
Fiscal Year 2025–26

This apportionment, in the amount of $10,000,000, is made from funds provided in Section 84 of Assembly Bill (AB) 121 (Chapter 8, Statutes of 2025) to administer the Secondary School Redesign Pilot Program. Funds are provided to the Marin County Superintendent of Schools to support the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) as the lead agency to administer the pilot program. This apportionment provides 100 percent of funds available in fiscal year 2025–26 and are available for encumbrance until June 30, 2029. Of the amount appropriated, up to $1,000,000 shall be made available to the CCEE for administration and an evaluation of the pilot program, and up to $300,000 shall be made available to the Marin County Office of Education, the administrative agent of the CCEE, for costs associated with administering this program.

Programmatic Requirements

In partnership with one or more nonprofit organizations or other local educational agencies, the CCEE is to develop and identify effective models of middle and high school redesign that create structures to support strong pupil relationships, foster deeper learning and competencies focused on 21^st century skills, provide personalized supports enabling pupil success and equitable outcomes, promote measurable pupil engagement growth, and create sustainable structures and systems to maintain pilot impacts beyond the pilot timeline.

As the lead agency, the CCEE shall do all the following:

• Work collaboratively with the California Department of Education (CDE) to help participants build capacity, identify effective models, share best practices, and develop peer-to-peer partnerships.
• Develop criteria, with the approval of the Executive Director of the State Board of Education, and select a network of grantees to participate in the program.
• Manage a network of grantees to support peer learning and documentation of practices.
• Promote sustainable school design planning through the use of existing investments in expanded learning opportunity programs, career technical education, and California Community Schools Partnership Program grants.
• Collect necessary data and document the outcomes of the activities authorized in Section 84 of AB 121 through the duration of the pilot program and develop resources based on the experiences and conclusions of the pilot program participants from their specific contexts that are broadly applicable and actionable statewide.
• Conduct an evaluation of the pilot program that includes documentation of the successful instructional models for better serving middle and high school pupils, including descriptions of school designs and evidence of pupil outcomes, including the degree to which pupils experience engaging and authentic learning opportunities that prepare them for contemporary life, develop and demonstrate durable skills, experience inclusion and belonging, and make academic progress.

Pursuant to Section 84(b)(6) of AB 121 and Section 9795 of the California Government Code, the CCEE shall submit a report with the findings of the evaluation to the appropriate legislative fiscal and policy committees on or before September 1, 2029.

Participating schools and local educational agencies must participate in the pilot program for two years and commit to developing and implementing programs to redesign middle and high schools to better serve the needs of all pupils, including personalizing the learning environment, integrating experiential education and new uses of technology, and supporting deeper learning.

Accounting and Payment Information

A warrant will be mailed to the Marin County Treasurer approximately three weeks from the date of this letter. The Marin County Superintendent of Schools is requested to inform the CCEE immediately regarding this apportionment.

The Marin County Superintendent of Schools was notified of this apportionment by email, which was sent to its CDEfisc email address. The CDE requested that the email be forwarded to the CCEE, and included the links to this letter and the apportionment schedule which are posted on the CDE web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cc/index.asp.

If you have any questions regarding this apportionment or the payment process, please contact the Categorical Allocations and Audit Resolution Office by email at CAAR@cde.ca.gov. If you have general questions regarding the program, please contact Dr. Allegra Alessandri, Education Administrator, High School Innovations and Initiatives Office, by email at AAlessandri@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tami Pierson, Director
School Fiscal Services Division

TP:cm