BILL NUMBER: AB 2556 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 10, 2000
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.
An act to add Chapter 5.6 (commencing with Section 58740) to
Part 31 of the Education Code, relating to school and community
partnerships.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2556, as amended, Hertzberg. Schools: community
centers School and community partnership
collaborations .
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.
This bill would establish a grant program, administered by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, to pay the cost of planning and
operating full-service school and community partnership
collaboration programs. The bill would prescribe the requirements
for grant eligibility, the purposes of which grant funds could be
utilized, and the process for applying for, and receiving, a grant
under this program. The bill would require grants awarded under the
bill to be matched by the school and community partnership
collaboration and its participating agencies at a rate of $1 for
every $2 received.
Vote: 2/3 majority .
Appropriation: yes no . 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. One in four adolescents are in
significant trouble, ranging from drug abuse and teenage pregnancy to
juvenile delinquency and more serious crimes. Of critical
importance is that research shows that juvenile crime and risky
behaviors spike in the afternoon hours of 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., when 55
percent of middle school children spend two or more hours each day at
home without an adult.
(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) Healthy Start, After School Learning and Safe
Partnerships Programs and other community partnerships are
demonstrating their effectiveness in raising school achievement,
strengthening families, and building strong communities.
(8) School and community partnership collaborations are necessary
to achieve positive results for child, youth, families, and
communities.
(9) School reform will not succeed without addressing the holistic
needs of children and students.
(10) Parental involvement in youth activity and schooling is
critical to the prevention of juvenile crime and the attainment of
academic success.
(11) A consensus is arising that school and community partnership
collaborations offer a workable solution to an array of interrelated
problems such as deteriorating schools, troubled children,
overburdened families, at risk communities, and fragmented service
systems.
(12) Research shows that school and community partnership
collaborations have the capacity to improve educational outcomes and
lower risky behaviors, particularly when these approaches involve
cities and counties.
(13) 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)
(14) 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)
(15) 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)
(16) 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.
(b) Therefore, the Legislature finds and declares that the concept
of school and community partnership collaborations must be enhanced
and expanded so that all youth, children, families and communities
are provided with resources for success.
SEC. 2. Chapter 5.6 (commencing with Section 58740) is added to
Part 31 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER 5.6. SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS GRANT PROGRAM
58740. For the purposes of this chapter, the following
definitions apply:
(a) "Asset mapping" means a survey of geographically-located
organizations providing support services to children, youth, and
families.
(b) "Community partnerships" mean locally-based programs that are
broad, comprehensive, integrated, culturally-sensitive, and include a
local educational agency and at least three of the following
entities:
(1) Cities.
(2) Counties.
(3) Philanthropic Organizations.
(4) Nonprofit organizations.
(5) Community-based organizations.
(6) Park and recreation districts.
(7) Libraries.
(8) Other organizations that address the needs of children, youth,
families, and communities.
Any of the above entities may be the organizing agency in the
community partnership and may apply for grant funding available under
this chapter. In forming community partnerships, the school and
community partnership shall include citizen participation.
(c) "Community partnership coordinator" means a professional who
fosters community involvement, develops collaborative programs,
conducts fundraising, and works closely with school administrators,
city and county agencies, and other collaboratives.
(d) "Consortium" means two or more local educational agencies.
(e) "Cooperating agency" means any federal, state, or local public
or private nonprofit agency that agrees to offer support services at
a schoolsite through a program implemented under this chapter.
(f) "School and community partnership collaboration" means the
integration of education, medical, and social and human services that
are beneficial to meeting the needs of children, youth, and families
on school grounds or in locations that are easily accessible.
(g) "Local educational agency" means a school district or county
office of education.
(h) "Private partner" means a private business or foundation that
provides financial assistance or otherwise assists a support services
program operated under this chapter.
58741. (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall award
grants to school and community partnership collaborations to pay the
cost of planning and operating full-service school and community
partnership collaboration programs. Grants may include three
elements of funding: (1) planning (2) operational and (3) capital
infrastructure funds. A school and community partnership may apply
for any or all of the grant elements. The Superintendent of Public
Instruction shall issue those grants as follows:
(1) Planning funds may be awarded to school and community
partnership collaborations that have demonstrated a need to implement
a program, but are not ready to begin the operation of the program,
or that are in need of additional planning to expand existing support
services programs. Planning grants shall not exceed fifty thousand
dollars ($50,000). Planning activities shall build on data
collection and planning efforts and may include, but are not limited
to, asset mapping of child, youth, and family resources in the
geographic area of the partnership, building school and community
partnership collaborations, defining community wide results,
measurable indicators, and program performance measures, establishing
a monitoring and evaluation system. Upon completion of the planning
phase, the school and community partnership collaborations shall be
eligible to use operational funds.
(2) Operational funds may be awarded to school and community
partnership collaborations that have demonstrated readiness to begin
operation of a program or to expand existing support services
programs. Operational grants shall supplement, not supplant,
existing services and funds, and shall be awarded based on the
following schedule:
(A) One hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) in the first
year.
(B) Fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) each in the second and third
years.
(C) Fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in the fourth year and each
successive year.
Of the amount provided pursuant to this paragraph, the school and
community partnership collaborations shall annually expend an amount
necessary to retain the services of a community partnership
coordinator.
(3) Capital funds may be awarded to school and community
partnership collaborations that have developed plans for joint use of
facilities for the school and community partnership collaboration.
These grants may be up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars
($250,000).
(b) All grants awarded pursuant to this section shall be matched
by the school and community partnership collaboration and its
participating agencies with one dollar ($1) for each two dollars ($2)
awarded. The match shall be contributed in cash or as services or
resources of comparable value.
(c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall award grants
pursuant to this section and shall, to the extent possible, award
grants to programs representative of the ethnic and linguistic
diversity of schoolage pupils and their families.
(d) A school and community partnership collaboration is eligible
for a grant under this section if it demonstrates in its program plan
that it shall do at least two of the following:
(1) Give priority for services provided under this chapter to
pupils from low-income families.
(2) Assist families in responding to support service needs of
pupils.
(3) Involve parents or guardians and teachers in the process of
identifying a pupil's service needs and in the planning for and
provision of support services.
(4) Submits or has submitted an application to the State
Department of Education and the State Department of Health Services
for certification as a Medi-Cal provider, pursuant to Chapter 7
(commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the
Welfare and Institutions Code.
(e) For purposes of this chapter, support services shall include
case-managed health, mental health, social and academic support
services benefitting children and their families, and may include,
but are not limited to:
(1) Health care, including:
(A) Immunizations.
(B) Vision and hearing testing and services.
(C) Dental services.
(D) Physical examinations, diagnostic, and referral services.
(E) Prenatal care.
(2) Mental health services, including primary prevention, crisis
intervention, assessments, and referrals, and training for teachers
in the detection of mental health problems.
(3) Substance abuse prevention and treatment services.
(4) Family support and parenting education, including child abuse
prevention and schoolage parenting programs.
(5) Academic support services, including tutoring, mentoring,
employment, community service internships, and in-service training
for teachers and administrators. However, grants for these purposes
shall supplement, not supplant, existing resources in these areas.
(6) Counseling, including family counseling and suicide
prevention.
(7) Services and counseling for children who experience violence
in their communities.
(8) Nutrition services.
(9) Youth development services, including tutoring, mentoring,
recreation, career development, and job placement.
(10) Case management services.
(11) Provision of onsite Medi-Cal and Healthy Families eligibility
workers.
58742. (a) Each community partnership seeking a grant under this
article shall submit an application to the Superintendent of Public
Instruction that includes the information in subdivision (b) and any
additional information the Superintendent of Public Instruction
requests as part of the application process.
(b) Each grant application submitted shall include all of the
following:
(1) Documentation of the need for participation in this program.
(2) Documentation of the need for planning assistance, program
operation support, or both.
(3) A description of the community-wide results, measurable
indicators, and program performance measures for the program.
(4) A description of the proposed programs, including four or more
support services expected to be provided at the schoolsite or at a
site near or adjacent to the school. The amount and sources of
required funding, the existing resources to be used or redirected,
the priorities for development and timing of the program, the
agencies responsible for the implementation of the program, and the
procedures for the evaluation of the program. The program plan
submitted with an operational fund application shall include all of
the following:
(A) Provisions for data collection and recordkeeping, including
records of the population served, the components of the service, the
results of the service, and costs, including startup, direct and
indirect costs, including those to other agencies, and cost savings.
(B) A service evaluation component, including input, process, and
program performance measures that include inputs, quality measures,
and program outcomes, quality assessment, and the process by which
these measures will be taken. In addition, the plan shall include
specific targets and outcome measures.
(C) A specific governing mechanism by which the plan will be
implemented, including local decisionmaking responsibilities,
organizational needs, anticipated problems and procedures to solve
them, and incentives for collaboration and participation incentives
to personnel.
(D) A specific system for the provision of case management
services, including procedures for implementation, identification of
the target population, anticipated outcomes, and a list of existing
services, resources, and programs that will be used as components of
the program.
(5) Documentation of any procedures that have been, or will be,
taken to designate the local educational agency as a Medi-Cal
provider pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of
Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(6) A description of technical assistance, professional growth,
and development needs, if any.
(7) A description of the proposed plan for family involvement in
the program.
(8) A description of the population anticipated to be served.
(9) A plan describing how the proposed program will be implemented
after the grant has expired.
58743. A school and community partnership collaboration may
contract with other entities, including county agencies and private
nonprofit organizations or private partners, to provide services to
pupils and their families.
58744. (a) Grants awarded pursuant to this chapter may be used
for salaries of staff responsible for developing or implementing the
program plan and administrative support staff, equipment and
supplies, training, and insurance.
(b) (1) No more than 10 percent of the amount appropriated in a
fiscal year for the purposes of school and community partnership
collaboration programs may be used by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction for state-level administration, including evaluation and
technical assistance.
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, "technical assistance"
includes, but is not limited to, establishing interagency
collaboration, providing information dissemination and referrals,
including information about appropriate program models, conducting
site visits, and convening workshops to assist in the implementation
of school and community partnership collaboration programs developed
pursuant to the chapter.
58745. Commencing in the 2000 calendar year, and each subsequent
year for which funding is available, grants shall be awarded by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction according to the following
schedule:
(a) The superintendent shall issue requests for applications on or
before November 1.
(b) Grant applications shall be submitted to the superintendent on
or before March 1.
(c) The superintendent shall award grants on or before May 15.