Expand Community Schools Statewide

Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3602-g to read as follows:

§ 3602-g. Establishment of full-service community schools. 1. Purposes. The purposes of this section are as follows:

a. To provide state support for the planning, implementation and operation of full-service community schools initiatives.

b. To improve the coordination, availability, and effectiveness of services for children and families.

c. To provide new opportunities for parents/caregivers to be effective advocates for their children and to strengthen the partnerships between the school, the parent and the community, enabling families to more readily participate in the education of their children.

d. To ensure that students come to school ready to learn every day.

e. To facilitate the identification and coordination of partners, including but not limited to, local government agencies, community-based organizations, providers of medical, mental health, dental, and enrichment/remediation services, colleges, universities and other community partners that can be accessed for the purpose of ensuring that students receive the coordinated programs and services in a school setting they require in order to succeed.

f. To enable the more efficient use of federal, state, local, and private sector resources that can better serve children and their families, improve student academic performance and contribute to their physical, social and emotional health.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD10363-01-9

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2. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

a. "Eligible school district" shall mean a public school district, which for purposes of this section may include BOCES, that is eligible for aid pursuant to section thirty-six hundred two of this article and that participates in a consortium along with at least one eligible partner for purposes of establishing a full-service community schools initiative.

b. "Eligible partner" shall mean a provider of medical, dental, mental health, and enrichment/remediation services, colleges, universities, community-based organizations, parent organizations, local governments and other entities so designated by the commissioner, and who is or who intends to participate in a consortium with, an eligible school district for purposes of establishing a full-service community schools initiative.

c. "Eligible consortium" shall mean the partnership established between an eligible school district and one or more eligible partners, for purposes of establishing, operating and sustaining a full-service community schools initiative.

d. "Full-service community school" shall mean a public elementary and/or secondary school that:

(1) Participates in a community-based consortium to coordinate educational, developmental, family engagement, health, and other comprehensive services by coordinating at least three eligible services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships; and

(2) Provides access to such services to students, families, and the community.

e. "Eligible services" shall mean any of the following:

(1) Primary medical and dental care.

(2) Mental health prevention and treatment services.

(3) Academic enrichment activities designed to promote students' cognitive development and provide opportunities to practice and apply academic skills.

(4) Programs designed to increase attendance, including reducing early chronic absenteeism rates.

(5) Youth development programs designed to promote other aspects of young people's development, social, emotional, physical and moral development, including arts, sports, physical fitness, youth leadership, community service and service-learning opportunities.

(6) Early childhood education including programs under the head start act, including early head start programs.

(7) Programs designed to facilitate parents' involvement in, and engagement with, their children's education, including parental activities that involve supporting, monitoring and advocating for their children's education; activities designed to promote parent leadership in the life of the school; and activities designed to build parenting skills.

(8) School-age child care services including but not limited to before- and after-school services, and full day programming that operates during school holidays, summers, vacations and weekends.

(9) Programs that ease the transition at key points including entering middle school, high school and college and career preparation.

(10) Programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled and that offer multiple pathways to high school graduation or GED completion.

(11) Job training and career counseling services.

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(12) Nutrition services.

(13) Adult education, including instruction in English as a second language.

3. Full-service community school grants. Within amounts appropriated therefor, the commissioner is hereby authorized and directed to award grants for the establishment and implementation of full-service community schools initiatives in New York state that will support the coordination of not less than three eligible services at one or more public schools in eligible districts. In order to apply for funding pursuant to this section, a consortium shall be established and shall include, at a minimum, one eligible school district and one eligible partner. Initial grants may be awarded to form or strengthen consortia of at least one eligible school district and one eligible partner. Once a consortium is established, operational grants may be awarded to a consortium to assist public elementary or secondary schools to function as full-service community schools based on the following conditions:

a. Except in cities with a population of one million or more, each eligible consortium shall have a community schools advisory board (hereinafter referred to as "advisory board") appointed by the superintendent in consultation with local elected municipal and county officials, which shall include but not be limited to members of the board of education, teachers employed by the school district as selected by the collective bargaining unit, parents of children who attend such district, community leaders, community-based organizations and other community-based partners. Existing entities that meet these criteria can perform the advisory board role. Such advisory board shall develop a plan for how such initiative shall be established, implemented and sustained. Such plan shall also set forth the desired set of outcomes for ensuring improved student success. The recommendation by the advisory board as to the implementation of a full-service community schools initiative shall be based on the consideration of at least the following factors:

(1) the projected number of students that are currently eligible to participate in the free or reduced price lunch program;

(2) the percentage of students in both primary and secondary schools who are not achieving proficiency on the sate wide standardized tests or other indicators determined by the school district;

(3) the projected percentage of students who require eligible services as defined in subdivision two of this section in order to improve student outcomes;

(4) the identification of those services that are currently available within the school district; and

(5) the identification of those services that are needed but not available to assist students and their families in schools.

b. The commissioner is hereby authorized to award grants for planning of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars for a one-year period to advisory boards and/or eligible consortia to plan for the implementation of a community schools initiative. Such funding may be used to facilitate the work of an advisory board pursuant to paragraph a of this subdivision, and/or to support eligible consortia, which are designed to promote and/or establish community schools, promote partnerships between schools, parents, community groups, community-based organizations, businesses, industry, providers of health, dental and mental health, and educational and enrichment services, colleges, universities and other community partners. Grants awarded shall be used for (i) identifying, planning and coordinating a community schools initiative including identifying participating schools to coordinate at least three eligible

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services, and (ii) solidifying and strengthening consortia that are necessary for the development of full-service community schools initiative.

c. The commissioner is hereby authorized to award one or more grants for technical assistance to qualified providers for the initial and operational grant periods to establish, expand and sustain the full-service community schools initiatives. All eligible consortia shall be required to receive technical assistance at the initial and operational grant periods to help ensure success. The commissioner shall request bids from qualified providers, and will select one or more providers to develop a set of responsive services that shall include training and consultation designed to facilitate the rapid and effective development of full-service community schools. Technical assistance monies may be obtained only from qualified providers as determined by the commissioner, and may be used for the following activities:

(1) To assist such advisory boards and/or consortium in identifying existing resources and assets and students' needs;

(2) To assist in developing a plan to address such needs via full-service community schools and to provide support in the execution of the plan;

(3) To advise on creating a finance plan to meet such needs through cost-effective methods including leveraging existing resources and identifying new resources; and

(4) To plan for sustainability.

d. The commissioner is hereby authorized to award grants to a fullservice community school consortium for the operation of a full-service community schools initiative. Grants will be for a period of five years. Priority shall be given to eligible consortia that meet the following:

(1) Contain at least one eligible school district and one or more eligible providers; preference shall be given to those consortia that have at least one partner successfully participating in the twenty-first century community learning center program and/or a school-based health clinic or consortia where one or more partners have established relationships with schools and provide one or more eligible services;

(2) Serve at least one school eligible for a schoolwide program under section 1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6314);

(3) Demonstrate a record of effectiveness in integrating at least three qualified services provided by eligible partners;

(4) Demonstrate a plan for ensuring parental engagement;

(5) Demonstrate that the funding will be used primarily to coordinate and provide students with critical eligible services as defined in subdivision two of this section;

(6) Demonstrate outcomes;

(7) Serve more than one full-service community school as part of a community or district-wide strategy;

(8) Demonstrate a plan for ensuring sustainability; and

(9) Demonstrate the existence of an active advisory board pursuant to paragraph a of this subdivision.

e. Each application for a community school initiative pursuant to this section shall be on a form prescribed by the commissioner and shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) a detailed plan identifying specific goals, including how the consortium between the district and other eligible entities will result in grater services to students and their families by leveraging resources at the systemic level; how three or more eligible services

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will be coordinated in one or more public elementary and/or secondary schools; and how outcomes will be achieved and quantified;

(2) a proposed budget and a description of the proposed use of the grant funds including the mechanism for the distribution of such funds between the school district and eligible providers. The budget shall reflect a core concept of partnership and integrated services and how such consortium shall result in the provision of at least three additional services for students that did not exist prior to the consortium;

(3) a list of eligible partners that shall participate in such consortium, and what programs and services shall be provided;

(4) A memorandum of understanding between the eligible school district and each eligible partner describing the role each entity shall assume;

(5) A description of the capacity of the eligible partner to provide and coordinate qualified services at a full-service community school; and

(6) A comprehensive plan that includes descriptions of the following:

(i) The student, family, and school community to be served, including information about the number of students, families, and community residents to be served and the frequency of services.