October 20, 2026

Dear Select Charter School Administrators:

New and Expanding Charter School Application for Title III Immigrant Student Program Subgrant

Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Title III, Part A, the California Department of Education (CDE) provides formula subgrant awards to local educational agencies (LEAs) that demonstrate a significant increase in the enrollment of immigrant students. The Title III Immigrant Student Program subgrant funds are to be used to provide supplementary programs and services to immigrant students.

Based on the estimated data reported in the 2026 Pupil Estimates for New or Significantly Expanding Charters Report, your LEA is identified as eligible for participation in the Title III Immigrant Student Program subgrant for fiscal year (FY) 2026–27 funding. The preliminary per-pupil amount for immigrant students in FY 2026–27 is $126.40.

All eligible LEAs must annually apply for Title III Immigrant Student Program subgrant funding on the Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS). Additionally, using the Title III Immigrant Student Program Subgrant Budget form on CARS, LEAs must provide a program budget showing how the projected subgrant funds will be used. Information regarding the CARS application process is available on the CDE CARS web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/co/cars.asp.

LEAs must accept assurances that they will comply with the legal requirements and annual reporting responsibilities related to state or federal programs and, as a condition of funding, must keep copies of the assurances on file. Eligibility and funding status may change once the actual data is reported via the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System. Subgrantee allocations are posted on the CDE Title III English Learner and Immigrant Programs web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/ca/titleiii.asp.

LEAs participating in the Title III Immigrant Student Program subgrant must maintain locally updated plans that describe how the LEAs will use the funds to serve identified immigrant students. Information regarding program requirements is available on the CDE Request for Applications web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r28/imm26rfa.asp.

All LEAs applying for ESSA funds must locally maintain an annually updated Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Federal Addendum as the ESSA LEA Plan. LEAs applying for Title III EL Student Program subgrants for the first time must submit a local governing board or body-approved LCAP Federal Addendum through the CDE LCAP Federal Addendum System at https://www2.cde.ca.gov/lcapfas for CDE review and approval on or before December 15, 2026. Upon submitting the LCAP Federal Addendum within the CDE’s LCAP Federal Addendum submission system, the CDE will review the LCAP Federal Addendum and will work with the LEA to ensure that its LCAP Federal Addendum addresses all required provisions of the ESSA programs for which they are applying for federal education funds. The LEA’s LCAP Federal Addendum must address all required provisions of the ESSA programs for which they are applying by December 15, 2026, in order to receive federal Title III funds for the 2026–27 school year. Edits to the submitted LCAP Federal Addendum may be required prior to receiving approval. Therefore, CDE recommends completing the LCAP Federal Addendum as soon as possible but no later than November 13, 2026.

LEAs are encouraged to review the LCAP Federal Addendum during the LCAP update process, as ESSA funding should be considered in yearly strategic planning.

Requirements and Timelines for Funding Allocations

To be considered for FY 2026–27 ESSA funding allocations, eligible charter school LEAs must complete the following requirements:

• By December 11, 2026, provide the CDE with actual enrollment and eligibility data through the FY 2026–27 California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Fall 1 submission, pursuant to Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 76.788(b). Data certified through the CALPADS Fall 1 submission will be used to determine funding eligibility and allocations for applicable ESSA programs. Changes submitted after this date will not be used to adjust FY 2026–27 funding eligibility or allocations. Additional information is available on the CDE CALPADS Calendar web page: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sp/cl/rptcalendar.asp.
• By December 15, 2026, submit the FY 2026–27 Consolidated Application (ConApp) through the CARS and certify the Application for Funding for each applicable program in which the charter school LEA elects to participate.

If you have questions regarding the Title III Immigrant Student Program, please contact Geoffrey Ndirangu, Education Programs Consultant, Language Policy and Leadership Office, by phone at 916-323-5831 or by email at GNdirang@cde.ca.gov.

If you have fiscal questions regarding the Title III Immigrant Student Program subgrant or the application process, please contact Annie Park, Analyst II, Division Support Office, by phone at 916-319-9620 or by email at APark@cde.ca.gov.

If you have questions regarding the allocation of Title III Immigrant Student Program subgrants, please contact Derrick Andrade, Education Fiscal Services Consultant, School Fiscal Services Division, by phone at 916-327-5922 or by email at DAndrade@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

/s/

Alesha Moreno-Ramirez, Director
Multilingual Support Division

AMR:gn