California Senate Bill SB403 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 403AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 23, 2015 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 7, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Senator Liu FEBRUARY 25, 2015 An act to amend Section 1980 of, to add Chapter 19 (commencing with Section 53310) to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of, and to repeal Section  53322   53320  of, the Education Code, relating to California community schools. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 403, as amended, Liu. California Community Schools Act. Existing law authorizes school districts and community college districts, and schools and colleges within those districts, to enter into cooperative or contractual arrangements with business, industry, or elements within the community for improvement of the local educational program. This bill would establish the California Community Schools Act, which would authorize a local educational agency or school and one or more community partners, as defined, to form a community consortium to establish a California community school, as defined. The bill would require the State Department of Education,   Superintendent of Public Instruction, subject to  the  appropriation  by the Legislature   of funds  in the annual Budget Act or the availability of funds from private sources, to make grants available to qualified recipients to fund California community schools and to enhance programs at California community schools. The bill would establish qualification requirements for grant applicants, and would require grant recipients to comply with specified requirements, including, among others, conducting  periodic   annual  evaluations.  The bill would require the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence and the department to provide technical assistance, as specified.  The bill would require the  department,   State Department of Education,  on or before November 1, 2019, to report specified information relating to the formation and operation of California community schools to the education policy committees of the Legislature. The bill would also make a conforming change to provisions relating to county community schools. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:  (a) All children are capable of success.   (b) Schools are the centers of vibrant communities.   (c) Strong families build strong educational communities.   (d) Children succeed when adults work together to foster positive educational outcomes.   (e) Schools work best when families take active roles in the education of children. Children are more successful in school when families and teachers are supported to work as partners.   (f) Hunger, homelessness, health issues, and a lack of access to intervention and enrichment activities inhibit learning. Schools are limited in their ability to dedicate time and resources to provide a wide range of opportunities and supports to ameliorate the impacts of child poverty, creating an opportunity gap that inhibits children from succeeding in school.   (g)   (a)  A community school is a traditional school that actively partners with its community to leverage existing resources and identify new resources to support the transformation of the school to provide enrichment, social services, and additional life skill opportunities for pupils, parents, and community members at large. Each community school is unique because its programming is designed by and for the school staff, in partnership with parents, community stakeholders, and pupils in response to the needs of the local community.  (h)   (b)  Using schools as hubs, community school strategies foster intentional collaboration and alignment among school districts; state, county and city government; and postsecondary education, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and business. By providing in-school supports, enrichment, and extended learning opportunities outside of normal school hours pupils are more successful academically, more engaged in their communities, safer, and better prepared to make a successful transition to adulthood.  (i)   (c)  The community schools approach is based on a whole child approach and youth development principles to improve pupil engagement and build a positive nurturing school climate. Research shows that community schools have a powerful positive impact on pupils, as demonstrated by increased academic success, increased attendance, improved pupil engagement, decreases in grade retention and dropout, and decreased behavioral problems with a resulting improvement of school climate.  (j)   (d)  The integrated pupil support model of a community school embraces a whole child perspective that recognizes the importance of a child's health and safety, socioemotional development, behavior, and relationships to his or her educational success.  The study recognizes that educational success is affected by multiple contexts, in and out of school.  Research clearly indicates that the likelihood of academic success, especially for disadvantaged pupils, is enhanced by a more comprehensive set of supports and opportunities.  (k)   (e)  The local control funding formula calls for a level educational playing field for high need pupils, which is a key focus of community schools. Local control and accountability plans take a holistic view of pupil outcomes, as do community schools. In addition to pupil achievement, new state priorities and local control and accountability plans add involvement of parents and the community in decisionmaking, and prioritize pupil engagement, school climate, college and career preparation, and other key areas that are highly aligned with community school strategies.  (l)   (f)  Successful community schools currently exist in California and throughout the nation, and should be models for replication. California schools have benefited from the federal Full-Service Community Schools Program, the federal Promise Neighborhoods program, and from the national community schools movement that has been recognized by the National League of Cities and the National School Boards Association. These programs recognize that community schools are a fundamental equity strategy to address disparities.  (m)   (g)  Community schools are cost effective because they leverage existing resources provided by local, regional, state, federal, nonprofit, and private sources and align and connect programs to the schools, where the pupils are already congregated and where parents and the broader community can be engaged. SEC. 2. Section 1980 of the Education Code is amended to read: 1980. (a) A county board of education may establish and maintain one or more community schools. (b) A county community school shall not be designated as a California community school unless the requirements specified in the California Community Schools Act (Chapter 19 (commencing with Section 53310) of Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2) are satisfied. SEC. 3. Chapter 19 (commencing with Section 53310) is added to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read: CHAPTER 19. CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Article 1. Definitions 53310. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Community Schools Act. 53311. As used in this chapter, the following definitions apply: (a)  (1)    "Community consortium" means  a partnership established between a school or a local educational agency and one or more community partners for purposes of establishing and operating a community school.   a consortium of community representatives that shall   include both of the following:   (A) A public school or local educational agency.   (B) At least one other community partner that is independent of the public school or local educational agency.   (2) A community consortium may include a broad array of community partners, including, but not limited to, the following:   (A) A community-based organization.   (B) An organization serving children and youth.   (C) An institution of higher education.   (D) A foundation.   (E) A business.   (F) A teacher organization.   (G) An organization representing education professionals.   (H) A local government, including a government agency serving children and youth, such as child welfare and juvenile justice agency.   (I) An organization representing pupils.   (J) An organization representing parents.   (3) A community consortium may include representatives from multiple jurisdictions.  (b) "Community partner" means a  provider of one or more community services or a community organization nonprofit   government agency, community organization, nonprofit organization,  or business entity with a mission and record of improving conditions in the  community.   community that provides one or more community services.  (c) "California community school" or "community school" means a public school  engaged in cross-agency   that participates in a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public   and private  partnerships with one or more community partners for the delivery of community services to pupils, families, and community members. (d) "Community services" includes all of the following: (1) Primary medical and dental care that is available to pupils and when possible community residents. (2) Mental health prevention and treatment services that are available to pupils and, when possible, community residents. (3) Academic enrichment activities designed to promote a pupil's cognitive development and provide opportunities to practice and apply academic skills. (4) Programs designed to increase school attendance, including reducing truancy and early chronic absenteeism rates. (5) Youth development programs designed to promote young people's social, emotional, physical, and moral development, including arts, sports, physical fitness, youth leadership, community service, and service learning opportunities. (6) Early childhood education, including prekindergarten, Head Start, and Early Head Start programs. (7) Programs designed to do all of the following: (A) Facilitate parental involvement in, and engagement with, their children's education, including parental activities that involve supporting, monitoring, and advocating for their children's education. (B) Promote parental leadership in the school and community. (C) Build parenting skills. (8) Expanded learning opportunities for all pupils, including before and after school enrichment programs, workplace learning opportunities, and postsecondary partnerships. (9) Schoolage child care services, including before school and after school services and full day programming that operates during school holidays, summers, vacations, and weekends. (10) Supports to meet fundamental material needs of homeless and disadvantaged pupils. (11) Youth and adult job training services and career counseling services. (12) Programs that provide assistance to pupils who have been truant, suspended, or expelled and that offer multiple pathways to high school graduation, a General Education Development (GED), or other alternatives to high school completion. (13) Adult education, including instruction in English as a second language, adult literacy, computer literacy, financial literacy, and skills training. (e) "Local educational agency" means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.  (f) "Specialized instructional support personnel" means local educational agency personnel in the following categories:   (1) Counselors.   (2) Social workers.   (3) Psychologists.   (4) Physical, occupational, and other therapists.   (5) Nurses.  Article 2. General Provisions 53312. (a) Local educational agencies and schools are authorized and encouraged to form community consortiums with community partners to establish California community schools. (b) A California community school shall strive to become the center of the community by providing programs and services for persons of all ages, serving pupils, parents, and community members. 53313. The state board and the department shall support and encourage local educational agencies in the creation of California community schools. All policies, guidelines, and rules and regulations adopted by the state board  and the department  pursuant to this chapter shall actively foster the formation, development, and operation of California community schools.  53314. The department may seek funds from nonprofit and private donors and grants to fund local educational agencies' efforts to create and support California community schools.   53315. The department and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence shall provide technical assistance directly or through referral to third-party technical service providers. The department shall establish and maintain a resource and referral directory when funds become available, either through state appropriations or other funding and support.   53316.   53314.   Subject to   The Superintendent shall do all of the following:   (a)     Subject to  the appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act or the availability of funding from private sources for the creation and support of California community schools, the  department   Superintendent  shall make grants available to fund California community schools and to enhance programs at California community schools.  (b) To assist public elementary or secondary schools to function as California community schools, the Superintendent shall award grants to applicants that do all of the following:   (1) Coordinate not less than three existing community services or provide and coordinate not less than two additional community services at one or more public elementary or secondary schools.   (2) Integrate multiple services into a comprehensive, coordinated continuum supported by research-based activities that achieve the performance goals established under paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) of Section 53316 to meet the holistic needs of young people.   (3) If applicable, coordinate and integrate services provided by community-based organizations and government agencies with services provided by specialized instructional support personnel.   (4) Provide matching funds or in-kind services from any allowable source, public or private, in an amount representing 25 percent of the grant.   (c) In awarding grants under this section, the Superintendent shall give priority to eligible applicants that have or are planning to implement a minimum of two or more California community schools serving high percentages of unduplicated pupils, as defined in Sections 42238.01 and 42238.02.   (d) The Superintendent may authorize an eligible entity to use grant funds under this section for planning purposes in an amount not greater than 30 percent of the total grant amount.   (e) The Superintendent may seek funds from nonprofit and private donors and grants to fund local educational agencies' efforts to create and support California community schools.   (f) The Superintendent shall provide technical assistance directly through the department or through referral to third-party technical service providers with a demonstrated ability to successfully develop community schools.   53317. A request for proposal process shall be used in awarding grants under this chapter. A proposal may be submitted by a school, a local educational agency, or a community consortium. The proposal shall be evaluated and scored using criteria adopted by the state board that is consistent with this chapter.   53315. All local educational agencies shall be eligible to apply to the Superintendent for the grant program.   53316. To seek a grant under this section, a local educational agency shall submit an application to the Superintendent at such time and in such manner as the Superintendent may require. The Superintendent shall award grants to applicants that include all of the following: (a) A description of the eligible entity and their community consortium. (b) A memorandum of understanding among all community partners that will assist the eligible entity to coordinate and provide community services and that describes the roles the community partners will assume. (c) A description of the capacity of the eligible entity to coordinate and provide community services at one or more California community schools. (d) A comprehensive plan that includes descriptions of all of the following: (1) The pupil, family, and school community to be served, including information about demographic characteristics that include major racial and ethnic groups, median family income, percent of pupils eligible for free and reduced-price meals, and other information. (2) A needs assessment that identifies the academic, physical, social, emotional, health, mental health, and other needs of pupils, families, and community residents. (3) A community assets assessment that identifies existing resources that could be aligned. (4) Yearly measurable performance goals, including an increase in the percentage of families and pupils targeted for services each year of the program, that are consistent with all of the following objectives: (A) Children are ready for school. (B) Pupils are engaged and achieving academically. (C) Pupils are physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally healthy. (D) Schools and neighborhoods are safe and provide a positive climate for learning that is free from bullying or harassment. (E) Families are supportive and engaged in their children's education. (F) Pupils and families are prepared for postsecondary education and 21st century careers. (G) Pupils are contributing to their communities. (5) A description of how the grant planning components coordinate with the local educational agency's local control and accountability plan. (6) Performance measures to monitor progress toward attainment of the goals established under paragraph (4). (7) Stakeholder surveys that include department approved survey instruments that measure a pupil's sense of safety, school climate, and pupil connectedness. (8) Funding sources for community services to be coordinated and provided at each school to be served, whether such funding is derived from a grant under this section or from other federal, state, local, or private sources. (9) A plan for sustaining the programs and services outlined in this chapter.   53317. (a) Each grant awarded under this chapter shall be for a period of three years and may be renewed at the discretion of the Superintendent based on the eligible entity's demonstrated effectiveness in meeting the performance goals and measures established under paragraph (4) subdivision (d) of Section 53316. (b) Funds made available to a grantee under this chapter may be used only to supplement, and not supplant, any other federal, state, or local funds that would otherwise be available to carry out the activities assisted under this chapter.  53318.  A community consortium shall develop a   Each grant recipient sh   all do all of the following:   (a)     Develop a three-year  plan  , in conjunction with a community consortium,  for aligning community services that  may   shall  include, but is not limited to, the following:  (a)   (1)  Assessing the needs of pupils, families, schools, and the local community.  (b)   (2)  Mapping resources in the school and community to identify potential community partners to provide services that fill identified needs and resource gaps.  (c)   (3)  Developing a plan to establish a community school infrastructure, including, but not limited to, establishing the following:  (1) A committee of elected officials and local leaders to focus on policy decisions.   (2)   (A)  An executive team tasked with overall operations.  (3)   (B) A school team for day-to-day service delivery, referrals, and coordination.  (4)   (C)  Developing systems for coordination, collective decisionmaking, resources sharing, and sustainability.  (5) Examining opportunities to achieve economies of scale and eliminate duplication of efforts among the consortium members.   (6)   (D)  Developing a plan for cross-agency collaboration by implementing memoranda of understanding between community partners.  (7) Evidence that community partners will commit time and resources to establishing relationships and creating systems for sharing resources and making decisions based on ongoing needs assessments and program quality data.   (8)   (E)  Establishing school governance teams that are representative of the school community.  (9)   (F)  Commitments from community partners to implement a data collection system based on shared outcome goals that includes community input to ensure improvement of service delivery and coordinated community services delivery.  (10)   (G)  Use of a community schoolsite coordinator to facilitate partnership coordination, ensure equitable access to high-quality support services, and engage members from all constituent groups.  (b) Conduct annual evaluations of the progress achieved with the grant toward achieving the purposes of this chapter.   (c) Use evaluations to refine and improve activities conducted with the grant and the performance measures for those activities.   (d) Make the results of the evaluations publicly available, including providing public notice of the availability of the evaluations.   (e) Collect and report data as required by the department and the applicable local control and accountability plan.   53319. To qualify for a grant under this chapter, an applicant shall, at a minimum, have a plan to develop the following components as a part of the grant proposal: (a) A local advisory group comprised of school leadership, parents, and community stakeholders that establishes school programming goals, assesses program needs, and oversees the process of implementing expanded programming. (b) A community schoolsite coordinator who is responsible for establishing the local advisory group, assessing the needs of pupils and community members, identifying programs to meet those needs, coordinating partnerships and services with community partners, developing the before and after school, weekend, and summer programming, and overseeing the implementation of programming to ensure high quality and robust participation. (c) A collaborative governance structure for the effective integration of school and community resources and family and community engagement. (d) Expanded learning opportunities for all pupils, such as before and after school enrichment programs, workplace learning opportunities, and postsecondary partnerships. (e) Access to onsite, coordinated community services for pupils and families, such as physical and mental health services through school-based health centers or programs, social services, and youth, family, and community engagement and development designed to holistically address the mental, emotional, and physical health of pupils and to support the acceleration of academic achievement. (f) Documentation of collaboration between the school and community stakeholders, including local government, civic organizations, families, businesses, and social service providers. (g) A nondiscrimination policy ensuring that the community school does not condition participation upon race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, or disability.   53320. A grant recipient under this chapter shall do all of the following: (a) Conduct periodic evaluations of the progress achieved with funds allocated under a grant, consistent with the purposes of this chapter. (b) Use the evaluations to refine and improve activities conducted with the grant and the performance measures for the activities. (c) Make the results of the evaluations publicly available, including providing public notice of the availability. (d) Identify best practices to help local educational agencies and schools in the formation of California community schools and to revise the community school policies of the state board and the department. (e) Maintain attendance records in all programming components. (f) Maintain data on annual participation.   53321.   53319.  Nothing in this chapter limits a county community school formed pursuant to Section 1980 from also being designated as a California community school, subject to compliance with this chapter.  53322.   53320.  (a) The department shall study and report on the formation and operation of California community schools, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (1) Best practices that can be replicated by other local educational agencies and schools desiring to form community schools. (2) Whether California community schools have improved pupil learning, family and community engagement, school effectiveness in decreasing  truancy   truancy, chronic absence,  and the dropout rate, and physical and mental health of the pupils and other members of the community. (3) Whether California community schools have met their educational and community goals. (b) The department shall report its findings and recommendations to the education policy committees of the Legislature on or before November 1, 2019. (c) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section is repealed on November 1, 2020.