ARIZONA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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SB 1264: Arizona community schools pilot program |
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PRIME SPONSOR: Senator Bradley, LD 10 |
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Establishes a pilot program (pilot) to
assist public elementary and middle schools in developing and implementing community
school plans.
History
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is administered by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. ADE, along with the State Board of Education, is charged with developing and overseeing the application of educational guidelines and standards in school districts, charter schools and career and technical education districts (A.R.S. Title 15).
The U.S. Department of Education provides grants to eligible schools under the Full-Service Community Schools Program to improve the coordination, integration, accessibility and effectiveness of services for children and families, especially for children in high-poverty schools, including high-poverty rural schools. Services under this program may include:
1. High quality early learning programs;
2. Remedial education programs;
3. Family engagement programs;
4. Mentoring and other youth development programs;
5. Community service and service learning opportunities;
6. Programs for students who have been chronically absent, truant, suspended or expelled;
7. Job training and career counseling services;
8. Nutrition service and physical activities;
9. Primary health and dental care;
10. Activities that improve access to and use of social service programs and promote family financial stability;
11. Mental health services; and
12. Adult education, including instruction of adults in English as a second language.
Provisions
1. Establishes, as session law, a three-year pilot program through ADE to assist public elementary and middle schools in developing and implementing community school plans and participating in the pilot.
2. Requires ADE to select three schools with an enrollment of at least 400 pupils each to participate in the pilot.
3. Requires ADE to award three-year grants to eligible schools from monies appropriated for the pilot, and limits each grant to:
a. $60,000 each academic year for community school coordinator salary and benefits; and
b. $25,000 each academic year to develop and implement a community school plan.
4. Allows a grant awarded to be extended by an additional year by the Governor with an application submitted from a school.
5. Allows a school that demonstrates commitment to both of the following to apply for a grant:
a. Participating in the pilot by establishing both:
i. A school community partnership team; and
ii. A partnership with a community-based organization, a social service provider or a youth services organization; and
b. Developing and implementing a plan to sustain the community school plan beyond the end of the pilot.
6. Prohibits grants from being used for direct programs for students or families or for other activities unrelated to developing or implementing the community school plan.
7. Requires a school district participating in the pilot to hire a new employee or designate an existing employee to serve as the full-time community school coordinator.
8. Requires that the community school coordinator have relevant experience as a school district employee, charter school employee or employee of a community-based organization.
9. Directs the community school coordinator to perform the following duties:
a. Recruiting community partners and building community support for the school;
b. Coordinating the following:
i. The school-community partnership team's planning and training activities;
ii. Planning and evaluation efforts between the school and community partners;
iii. Academic and student and family support programs; and
iv. After-school, summer and enrichment programs for students.
c. Encouraging community and parent engagement in the school;
d. Seeking available resources for implementing community school programs and services;
e. Conducting an annual needs assessment of the school in coordination with the school-community partnership team;
f. Acting as a liaison between the school, other community schools, the school district or the charter school and community partners; and
g. Developing a plan for sustaining the community school plan beyond the end of the pilot program.
10. Requires approval by the school district governing board or the charter school governing body to approve the community school plan and pilot program application before implementing the plan.
11. Allows schools participating in the pilot to seek assistance from other community schools, regional education service centers or technical assistance providers.
12. Requires a school participating in the pilot to:
a. Hold a community meeting at least twice per year to seek input on improvements to and to inform stakeholders about the school's progress in implementing the community school plan; and
b. Report annually to the school district governing board or charter school governing body on the school's progress in implementing the community school plan.
13. Requires ADE to disburse monies appropriated for the pilot and allows schools selected to seek additional sources of funding for the pilot.
14. Allows ADE to use monies allocated for community schools, pursuant to federal law, to distribute grants to eligible schools.
15. Defines community-based organization as a non-profit corporation or association that is located near the population the organization serves and that supports student academic success by providing health care, mentoring, college-readiness programs or job-training.
16. Defines a community school as a public elementary or middle school that both:
a. Partners with one or more community-based organizations to coordinate academic, social and health services to reduce barriers to learning and improve the educational quality for students in the community; and
b. Offers a variety of programs and services that may include one or more of the following:
i. Early childhood education;
ii. After-school and summer school academic and enrichment programs;
iii. College and career preparation;
iv. Service learning opportunities, such as internships and community service programs.
v. Leadership and mentoring programs;
vi. Activities to encourage community and parent engagement in students' education; or
vii. Parenting classes and health and social services, including services provided by licensed social workers, for students and families.
17. Repeals the pilot on January 1, 2023.
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21. Fifty-fourth Legislature SB 1264
22. First Regular Session Version 1: Appropriations
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