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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session
community schools pilot program; appropriations
Purpose
Establishes the Arizona Community Schools Pilot Program (Program) within the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). Appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund (state GF) in FYs 2023, 2024 and 2025 to ADE for the Program. Allows the Act to be cited as the David Bradley Community Schools Act.
Background
The ADE is a state agency that oversees Arizona's K-12 public education system. It supports 15 county-level education agencies, over 200 public school districts and 400 charter holders.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, community schools
encourage the coordination of academic, social and health services through
partnerships between schools and other community resources. They offer a range
of support and opportunities including: 1) high quality early learning programs
and services; 2) family and community engagement; and
3) activities that improve access to and use of social service programs (U.S. Department
of Education).
S.B. 1635 appropriates a total of $500,000 from the state GF in FYs 2023, 2024 and 2025 to ADE.
Provisions
1. Establishes the three-year Program within ADE to assist public elementary and middle schools in developing and implementing community school plans and participating in the Program.
2. Requires ADE to select six schools, including at least one elementary school, with an enrollment of at least 400 students to participate in the Program.
3. Appropriates $500,000 from the state GF in FYs 2023, 2024 and 2025 to ADE to disburse to the selected schools in the Program.
4. Requires ADE to award three-year grants to eligible schools and caps any grant amount at:
a) $60,000 each academic year to pay the salary and benefits of a full-time community school coordinator (coordinator); and
b) $25,000 each academic year to develop and implement a community school plan.
5. Allows the Governor, on an application from a school, to extend the grant awarded by one additional year.
6. Allows a public elementary or middle school to apply for a grant if the school demonstrates a commitment to:
a) participating in the Program by establishing a school-community partnership team and a partnership with a community-based organization a social service provider or an education or youth services organization, that has experience in developing and implementing a community school plan; and
b) developing and implementing a plan for sustaining the community school plan beyond the end of the Program.
7. Prohibits grants from being used for direct programs for students, families or other activities that are not related to developing or implementing a community school plan.
8. Requires each participating school to hire a new employee or designate an existing employee to serve as the coordinator for that school.
9. Requires a coordinator who is compensated with grant monies to be a school district, charter school or community-based organization employee with experience in developing and implementing a community school plan.
10. Outlines the coordinator's duties as follows:
a) recruiting community partners and building community support for the school;
b) coordinating the school-community partnership team's planning and activities, planning and evaluation efforts between the school and community, academic, student and family support programs and after-school, summer and enrichment programs.
c) encouraging community and parent engagement in the school;
d) seeking available resources for implementing community school programs and services;
e) conducting an annual need assessment of the school;
f) acting as a liaison between a school, other participating schools, the school district or charter school and community partners; and
g) developing a plan for sustaining the community school plan beyond the Program.
11. Requires, before implementation of a community school plan, the Program plan and application to be approved by the school district governing board or charter school governing body.
12. Allows a school participating in the Program, in developing and implementing a community school plan, to seek assistance from other community schools, regional education service centers and technical assistance providers.
13. Requires a selected school for the Program to hold a community meeting at least twice a year to inform community stakeholders about the progress implementing the plan and seek input regarding any improvements or changes to the plan.
14. Requires a selected school for the Program to annually report to the school district governing board or charter school governing body on the school's progress implementing the plan.
15. Requires ADE to disburse monies appropriated for the Program.
16. Allows selected schools for the Program to seek additional funding through public-private partnerships, gifts, grants, donations and monies from federal, state and private sources.
17. Allows ADE to distribute monies allocated for community schools by federal law to eligible schools.
18. Terminates the Program on January 1, 2026.
19. Defines community-based organization and community school.
20. Designates this legislation as the David Bradley Community Schools Act.
21. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 4, 2022
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