(a) Funding allocated for purposes of this article shall equal three thousand dollars ($3,000) per eligible training candidate. This funding shall be allocated to a qualified school district or county office of education as follows: (1) Fifty percent of the authorized funding shall be provided no later than 45 days after the approval of the application. (2) Fifty percent of the authorized funding shall be provided upon verification of the successful completion of training by the approved candidates. (b) If it is determined pursuant to an audit that a participating school district or county office of education did not provide training as described in Sections 44518.2 and 44518.7 to an eligible training candidate for whom it received funding, the Superintendent shall withhold from the next principal apportionment to the school district or county office of education the sum of three thousand dollars ($3,000) or the amount actually received, whichever is less, for each eligible training candidate who did not receive the training. (c) The State Board of Education shall establish a procedure and criteria for school districts and county offices of education to appeal to the board the finding of an audit pursuant to this article. The state board may reduce or eliminate the amount to be withheld pursuant to subdivision (b) based on that appeal.
