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A02534 Summary:

BILL NOA02534
 
SAME ASSAME AS S00300
 
SPONSORPeoples-Stokes
 
COSPNSRFahy, Simone
 
MLTSPNSRCook, Gunther, Joyner, Magnarelli, Steck
 
Add §3602-g, Ed L
 
Establishes the community schools act; authorizes the commissioner to award grants for community schools programming; appropriates funds therefor.
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A02534 Actions:

BILL NOA02534
 
01/26/2023referred to education
01/03/2024referred to education
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A02534 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A2534
 
SPONSOR: Peoples-Stokes
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the community schools act; and making an appropriation therefor   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To ensure educational outcomes in community schools   SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section one entitles the act as THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS ACT. Section two amends the education law by adding a new section 3602-g d which establishes within the department of education a community schools program to fund the planning, implementation, improvement and evaluation of community schools. Section three appropriates two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, to the education department from any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the credit of the local assistance account not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately available, for the purpose of carry out the provisions of the act for the 2019-20 school year. Section 4 of the bill contains the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: The Community Schools Act will establish a state grant program to fund the planning and implementation of the community school model in low performing schools. The Act will provide the opportunity for schools to fully engage students, parents, teachers, school leaders and communities in developing a comprehensive plan that meets their students' needs and improves educational outcomes; the act will also provide funding to implement this plan. Schools in low-income communities are struggling to provide their students with a quality education and the opportunity to succeed in school and life. Many of the difficulties faced by schools are tied to the challenges in their communities: the impact of poverty on families and communities has a direct effect on school and student success. Many of our schools are not equipped to address the needs of all their students, nor are they able to address the desires of the parents and families. If these needs go unmet, students are much less likely to succeed at school. Although many services and benefits are available for low-income chil- dren and families, they are often not well-coordinated and connected to the school system. Community Schools integrate academics, services and supports in order to meet the full spectrum of student needs. These schools become hubs for their communities, providing students and fami- lies with a broad spectrum of services and supports easily accessible through the schools. The availability of additional help increases the potential for success for the impacted students. This comprehensive community-based approach improves student outcomes and leads to stronger families and healthier communities. Community Schools are also cost-effective. They conveniently bring existing services and private entities to the schools where students are . already located, leveraging local, state, federal and private dollars to better meet student and community needs. Community schools provide an engaging and culturally relevant curric- ulum, a positive school climate, wrap around health, social and emotional services, positive discipline practices such as restorative justice, and transformational parent and community engagement. There is no single program that will turn around our schools - only a comprehen- sive approach will succeed. Community schools provide that comprehensive solution to the many challenges faced by public schools in low-income communities and have been proven to deliver high-quality educational opportunities and improved educational outcomes.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: A.6791-A of 2015-2016 A.2152 of 2017-2018 A.1780 of 2019/2020 A4470 of 2021/2022   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: This bill appropriates two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000), or so much thereof as may be necessary, to the education department from any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the credit of the local assistance account not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately• available, for the purpose of carry out the provisions of the act for the 2023-2024 school year.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
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A02534 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          2534
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 26, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. PEOPLES-STOKES, FAHY -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.
          of A. COOK, GUNTHER,  JOYNER,  MAGNARELLI,  STECK  --  read  once  and
          referred to the Committee on Education
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law, in relation to establishing the
          community schools act; and making an appropriation therefor

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "community
     2  schools act".
     3    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new  section  3602-g  to
     4  read as follows:
     5    §  3602-g.  Community schools grant program. 1. There is hereby estab-
     6  lished within the department a community schools grant program  to  fund
     7  the  planning,  implementation,  improvement and evaluation of community
     8  schools. The purpose of this program shall be:
     9    a. to  ensure  high-quality  educational  opportunities  and  improved
    10  educational  outcomes  for  all students through investment in community
    11  schools;
    12    b. to  establish  sustainable  community  schools  with  engaging  and
    13  culturally  relevant  curriculum, health, social and emotional services,
    14  positive discipline practices such as restorative justice, and transfor-
    15  mational parent and community engagement, as a comprehensive solution to
    16  problems facing public schools, especially in poor communities; and
    17    c. to document and evaluate lessons  learned  from  community  schools
    18  programs to develop a set of best practices to be shared locally, state-
    19  wide and nationally.
    20    2. a. Within amounts appropriated therefor, the commissioner is hereby
    21  authorized  and  directed  to  award competitive grants pursuant to this
    22  section to eligible school districts or in a city with a  population  of
    23  one  million  or  more an eligible entity to implement, beginning in the
    24  two thousand twenty-three--two thousand twenty-four school year, a  plan
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01473-01-3

        A. 2534                             2
 
     1  that targets school buildings as community hubs to deliver co-located or
     2  school-linked  academic,  health,  mental health, nutrition, counseling,
     3  legal and/or other services to students and their families in  a  manner
     4  that  will  lead  to  improved educational and other outcomes. In a city
     5  with a population of one million or more, eligible entities  shall  mean
     6  the  city  school  district  of  the city of New York, or not-for-profit
     7  organizations, which shall include not-for-profit community based organ-
     8  izations. An eligible entity that is a not-for-profit may  apply  for  a
     9  community  school  grant  provided  that  it  collaborates with the city
    10  school district of the city of New York and receives the approval of the
    11  chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York.
    12    b. A request for proposal process  shall  be  used  in  awarding  such
    13  grants  and  shall  begin no later than June first, two thousand twenty-
    14  three. Prior to awarding such grants, the commissioner shall develop the
    15  following:
    16    (i) the scoring rubric by which  such  proposals  will  be  evaluated,
    17  provided  that  such grants shall be awarded based on factors including,
    18  but not limited to: measures of school district need;  measures  of  the
    19  need  of  the students to be served by each of the school districts; the
    20  school district's proposal  to  target  the  highest  need  schools  and
    21  students;  the sustainability of the proposed community schools program;
    22  and proposal quality; and the factors delineated in paragraph c of  this
    23  subdivision;
    24    (ii) the form and manner by which applications will be submitted;
    25    (iii)  the manner by which calculation of the amount of the award will
    26  be determined;
    27    (iv) the timeline for the review of applications; and
    28    (v) program implementation phases that will  trigger  payment  of  set
    29  percentages of the total award.
    30    c.  In  assessing proposal quality, in addition to the scoring rubric,
    31  the commissioner shall take into  account  factors  including,  but  not
    32  limited to:
    33    (i)  the  extent to which the school district's proposal would provide
    34  such community services through partnerships with local governments  and
    35  non-profit organizations;
    36    (ii)  the  extent  to which the proposal would provide for delivery of
    37  such services directly in school buildings;
    38    (iii) the extent to which the proposal articulates how  such  services
    39  would facilitate measurable improvement in student and family outcomes;
    40    (iv)  the  extent to which the proposal articulates and identifies how
    41  existing funding streams and programs would  be  used  to  provide  such
    42  community services; and
    43    (v)  the  extent  to  which  the  proposal  ensures  the safety of all
    44  students, staff and community members in school buildings used as commu-
    45  nity hubs.
    46    d. Each school site referenced in a proposal shall be:
    47    (i) a low performance school, performing in the lowest fifteen percent
    48  of schools statewide;
    49    (ii) a school with a graduation rate of less than sixty  percent  over
    50  the last three years; or
    51    (iii)  deemed by the department a school in poverty that would benefit
    52  from the grant program.
    53    e. A response to a request  for  proposals  issued  pursuant  to  this
    54  subdivision may be submitted by a single school district or jointly by a
    55  consortium  of  two  or more school districts, or in a city with a popu-
    56  lation of one million or more, an eligible entity.

        A. 2534                             3
 
     1    f. The amount of the grant award shall be determined  by  the  commis-
     2  sioner,  except  that  no single district may be awarded more than forty
     3  percent of the total amount  of  grant  awards  made  pursuant  to  this
     4  section;  and  provided further that the maximum award to any individual
     5  community  school  site shall be five hundred thousand dollars per year;
     6  and provided further that the amount awarded will be  paid  out  in  set
     7  percentages  over time upon successful implementation of each phase of a
     8  school district's approved proposal; and provided further that  none  of
     9  the  grants  awarded  pursuant  to  this section may be used to supplant
    10  existing funding.
    11    3. a. The commissioner is authorized to award planning  grants  for  a
    12  term  of  one year. Grantees who complete a plan that meets the require-
    13  ments for demonstrated readiness pursuant to paragraph b of this  subdi-
    14  vision  shall  then  be  awarded an operational grant for a term of five
    15  years which shall be renewable at the discretion of the commissioner.
    16    b. Grants shall be awarded  for  the  two  thousand  twenty-three--two
    17  thousand twenty-four school year to applicants based upon the factors in
    18  subdivision  two  of this section. The commissioner is hereby authorized
    19  to award grants for planning of  not  more  than  two  hundred  thousand
    20  dollars for a one-year period. At the end of this period, grantees shall
    21  meet the following requirements for demonstrated readiness:
    22    (i)  the  establishment  of  a school leadership team for each covered
    23  school site of thirteen to fifteen people which shall include: the prin-
    24  cipal, one community-based partner, at least three parents or  guardians
    25  with  at least one student currently enrolled in the school, selected by
    26  the parent body, at least three  teachers  selected  through  a  process
    27  established  by their respective collective bargaining units, one school
    28  employee including a guidance counselor, social worker or  school  nurse
    29  selected  through  a  process established by their respective collective
    30  bargaining units, at least two community members, two students, current-
    31  ly enrolled at the covered school and elected by the  student  body,  if
    32  the  grantee  is a high school and two representatives from institutions
    33  of higher education selected, if applicable, through  a  process  estab-
    34  lished by their respective collective bargaining units. The school lead-
    35  ership team shall conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of the school
    36  and surrounding community. The school leadership team shall also develop
    37  a  shared  vision  for  the  school  with the school and local community
    38  through a community school action plan that includes tangible short-term
    39  changes and three- to five-year reform objectives and meets the require-
    40  ments of subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph.
    41    (A) The school leadership team shall hold at least two public hearings
    42  as part of its  comprehensive  needs  assessment  and  community  school
    43  action  plan  development  process  for the purpose of soliciting public
    44  input and shall take additional steps to  solicit  public  input  as  it
    45  deems appropriate.
    46    (B)  The  school leadership team shall also make a public presentation
    47  of the community school action plan stating how  it  addresses  student,
    48  community and school needs. Such presentation shall include the opportu-
    49  nity for public feedback and input on the community school action plan.
    50    (C)  The  school leadership team shall issue annual recommendations to
    51  school leadership and the local school district. Such school  leadership
    52  team  reports  and the community school action plan shall be made avail-
    53  able to the public on the school's and the  school  district's  websites
    54  and shall be provided to the legislature;
    55    (ii)  the  hiring  of a resource coordinator to coordinate services at
    56  each covered school site. A grantee proposing to  cover  more  than  one

        A. 2534                             4

     1  school  shall  also  hire  a  program  director to coordinate activities
     2  across school sites. Resource coordinators and program  directors  shall
     3  work  with  school  leadership and the school leadership team to deliver
     4  programs and services; and
     5    (iii)  the  submission  to the department of a community school action
     6  plan for each covered school that includes the following:
     7    (A) the comprehensive needs assessment of the school and community  as
     8  reported by the school leadership team;
     9    (B) a plan to implement a restorative justice model designed to reduce
    10  suspensions.  For  purposes of this section, "restorative justice" shall
    11  mean school discipline policies that shall reduce  suspensions,  address
    12  the  causes  of student misbehavior and replace punitive approaches with
    13  alternative methods that focus on conflict resolution  skills,  building
    14  positive   relationships,  using  restorative  practices,  and  creating
    15  collaboration among teachers, parents and students;
    16    (C) a plan to provide a minimum of four  of  the  following  community
    17  school programs:
    18    (1) early childhood education;
    19    (2)  academic  support  and  enrichment activities, including expanded
    20  learning time;
    21    (3) summer or after-school enrichment and learning experiences;
    22    (4) programs under the head start  act,  including  early  head  start
    23  programs;
    24    (5)  teacher  home  visiting  and/or home visitation services by other
    25  professionals;
    26    (6) programs that promote parental involvement  and  family  literacy,
    27  including  the reading first and early reading first programs authorized
    28  under part B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
    29  1965 (20 U.S.C. 6361 et seq.);
    30    (7) mentoring and other youth  development  programs,  including  peer
    31  mentoring and conflict mediation;
    32    (8) parent leadership development activities;
    33    (9) parenting education activities;
    34    (10) child care services;
    35    (11) community service and service-learning opportunities;
    36    (12)  programs  that  provide  assistance  to  students  who have been
    37  truant, suspended, or expelled;
    38    (13) job training, internship  opportunities,  and  career  counseling
    39  services;
    40    (14)  adult  education,  including  instruction in English as a second
    41  language;
    42    (15) juvenile crime prevention and rehabilitation programs;
    43    (16) specialized instructional support services;
    44    (17) homeless prevention services; or
    45    (18) other programming designed to meet  school  and  community  needs
    46  identified through the school leadership team; and
    47    (D)  a  plan  to  provide  for  school-based health services including
    48  primary  health  care,  dental  care,  nutrition  services  and  mental,
    49  emotional  and  behavioral  health  services  at  the  covered school or
    50  schools.
    51    c. Grantees that have demonstrated readiness to begin operation  of  a
    52  sustainable  community  school  program  shall  be awarded the community
    53  schools operational grant for the two thousand twenty-four--two thousand
    54  twenty-five school year. The commissioner is hereby authorized to  award
    55  operational  grants  of  not more than five hundred thousand dollars per

        A. 2534                             5
 
     1  school for each year of the five-year grant period.  Operational  grants
     2  shall supplement existing services and funds.
     3    d. The commissioner shall contract with a non-profit organization with
     4  a  successful  track  record  of supporting community schools to provide
     5  technical support and assistance to the school and the school leadership
     6  team in order to ensure the successful design, planning and  implementa-
     7  tion of this program.
     8    4. a. Every grantee shall file an annual report with the commissioner,
     9  in such form and with such data as the commissioner prescribes detailing
    10  the  expenditure  of  grant  funds,  together  with  an  analysis of the
    11  school's efforts to  integrate  community  school  programming  at  each
    12  covered school site, challenges encountered, the impact of such program-
    13  ming  on  participating  children  and  adults  and  recommendations for
    14  improvement. Such report shall also  document  the  number  of  students
    15  receiving  services, retention rates, academic achievement, local fiscal
    16  savings and increased access to services. The department shall  evaluate
    17  such reports and aggregate the data provided.
    18    b.  The  department  shall report annually on the operation and effec-
    19  tiveness of the community schools grant program  to  the  governor,  the
    20  temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly begin-
    21  ning  one  year  after  the  effective date of this section. Such report
    22  shall detail the impact of community schools statewide and include anal-
    23  ysis of the effectiveness of implementing community school action plans,
    24  identify any federal, state, or local law impeding such  implementation,
    25  the degree to which there has been an increase in available services and
    26  an analysis of cost-savings in areas including but not limited to public
    27  health, safety and education. Data in the report shall be made available
    28  to  the public in machine-readable formats and such report shall be made
    29  publicly available at covered  school  sites  and  on  the  department's
    30  website.
    31    5.  No  modification  of  any collective bargaining agreement shall be
    32  made, nor shall any new terms and conditions  of  employment  be  estab-
    33  lished,  except through negotiations pursuant to article fourteen of the
    34  civil service law.
    35    § 3. The sum of two hundred fifty  million dollars ($250,000,000),  or
    36  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary, is hereby appropriated to the
    37  education department from any moneys in the state treasury in the gener-
    38  al fund to the credit of the  local  assistance  account  not  otherwise
    39  appropriated,  and made immediately available, for the purpose of carry-
    40  ing out the provisions of this act for the 2023-2024 school  year.  Such
    41  sum  shall  be payable on the audit and warrant of the state comptroller
    42  on vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner of  education,  or
    43  his  or  her duly designated representative, in the manner prescribed by
    44  law.
    45    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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