BILL NUMBER: SB 403 AMENDED
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.