BILL NUMBER: AB 2556	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Hertzberg

                        FEBRUARY 24, 2000

   An act to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) to Chapter 2
of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Government Code, relating to school
facilities, and making an appropriation therefor.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2556, as introduced, Hertzberg.  Schools: community centers.
   Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district
to provide school facilities.
   This bill would establish a pilot project to encourage the
development of schools as community centers.  The bill would
appropriate an unspecified sum from the General Fund to the office of
Planning and Research to allocate to an unspecified number of local
community organizations.
   Vote:  2/3.  Appropriation:  yes.  Fiscal committee:  yes.
State-mandated local program:  no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (1) As California enters the 21st Century, the projected increase
in the population of the state raises concerns about the quality of
life that will be experienced by citizens of the state in the future.
  By the year 2020, the current population of the state of 33 million
is projected to reach 45.3 million; in other words, the population
of the state will increase by half the number of people it now has in
the next twenty years.
   (2) The population growth the state is experiencing places a
burden on the financial resources and physical infrastructure of our
communities.
   (3) Social problems such as crime, drug abuse, juvenile
delinquency, and academic failure are closely linked to the
conditions in our communities.
   (4) It is crucial that the state address how local communities are
organized to respond to social problems.  To this end, schools can
serve as community centers, places where young people and adults
receive lifelong instruction as well as having access to necessary
social services.
   (5) The Beacon schools program in New York City is a premier
example of the success that can be achieved when schools are used as
community centers. The program began in 10 schools in 1991 to fight
youth drug abuse.  At these schools, staff workers help pupils with
homework and conduct after-school recreation programs.  The schools
are also home to health clinics and social service centers to make
these services more accessible to local residents. These schools have
become community centers at which children and adults congregate
every day of the year.  The Beacon schools program has grown to
include 75 schools that provide tens of thousands of youngsters with
a safe structured environment after school and on weekends.
   (6) The Safe Haven after-school program operated by the city of
Madison, Wisconsin, is another example of the opportunity schoolsites
provide for improving the quality of life of our communities.  The
program is conducted at elementary schools in communities with high
crime and poverty rates.  Besides academic assistance and
recreational activities, the schools also provide instruction in
conflict resolution, such as peer mediation, to help pupils resolve
disputes.  The Safe Haven schools report improved school attendance
and fewer conflicts among pupils during after-school hours.
   (7) Schools should serve as community centers at which individuals
receive education throughout their lives.  Schools should be places
where learning occurs "after school," in the evenings, and on
weekends.
   (8) Schools should provide a variety of social services in
partnership with public, civic, and private organizations, as well as
businesses.  Any number of social services should be provided at
school sites.
   (9) Most schools in the state, however, have been designed to
serve only as instructional facilities.  In most cases, school
facilities are not available for use by the general public.  Schools
should, instead, be designed to sustain the relationship between a
school and its community.
   (10) Schools should be built to serve as the centers of their
communities.  School gymnasiums and play fields should double as
community recreation centers and parks, school auditoriums should
also serve as community theaters, and the resources in school
libraries should be made available to members of the local community.
  In addition, health clinics and other community services should be
provided at school sites to increase the availability of those
services to the residents of the community.
   (b) It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature that a program
be established to encourage the development of schools as community
centers.
  SEC. 2.  Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) is added to
Chapter 2 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Government Code, to read:

      Article 3.  Schools as Community Centers

   300.  A pilot project is hereby established to encourage the
development of schools as community centers.  The sum of ____ dollars
($____) is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of
Planning and Research to allocate to ____ local community
organizations seeking to deliver a variety of social services at
local schoolsites.