The 2021-22 Budget: Community Schools

analysis full gutter The 2021-22 Budget: Community Schools FEBRUARY 2021 Background • Commit to partner in a consortium with other schools or county agencies. Community Schools Model Has Been One • Have committed matching funds for pupil Approach to Improve Outcomes for Low-Income services. Students. To address factors outside of school • Have a plan for sustaining community school that can affect student success, a growing services after grant expiration. number of school districts across the country have implemented the community schools model. • Have cosignatories from partner government Researchers have identified four key features of agencies, such as county public health, a fully implemented community schools model: county health, and county mental health (1) integrated student support, such as on-site agencies. mental and physical health care; (2) family Grantees can use the funding to coordinate and and community engagement; (3) collaborative provide wraparound services (such as physical and leadership and practice; and (4) extended learning mental health) on school sites, and train community time and opportunities, such as after school care school staff to provide student supports. The grant and summer programs. Though many traditional funds must be spent by September 30, 2022. schools may incorporate one or two of these The SPI is required to provide a comprehensive elements—such as by offering some wraparound evaluation report to the Governor and the services—a fully implemented community schools Legislature by December 31, 2025 on the impact model treats all of these elements as core and effectiveness of the grant program. Grantees functions. must commit to providing program data to the The 2020-21 Budget Provided $45 Million California Department of Education (CDE), and to One-Time Federal Funding to Expand Existing participating in the overall program evaluation. Community Schools. The funding was provided One Percent of Community Schools Funding to create the California Community Schools Set Aside for Technical Assistance. Trailer Partnership Program. Trailer legislation directed legislation adopted as part of the 2020-21 budget the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to package allows the SPI to set aside 1 percent develop an application, with the approval of the of the funding ($450,000) to provide technical executive director of the State Board of Education, assistance to potential applicants, as well as by November 1, 2020. Grants are to be awarded provide program oversight and technical assistance on a competitive basis to selected local education to grantees. As part of the oversight, this funding agencies (LEAs)—school districts, county offices can also be used toward the comprehensive report of education, and charter schools—to support and that the SPI must provide to the Governor and the expand existing community schools. Grants must Legislature by 2025. be prioritized for applicants based on the following CDE in Process of Granting Awards. This criteria: past fall, CDE released a request for applications • Serve high-poverty schools where at least on October 30, 2020 and asked LEAs to submit 80 percent of students are low income. applications by December 4, 2020. As part of its • Demonstrate need for expanded access to technical assistance, CDE hosted two webinars in integrated services. November that provided an overview of the grant 2021-22 LAO Budget Series 1 analysis full gutter program and answered applicants’ questions. At community schools tend to find positive results the time of this publication, CDE is in the process for student and school outcomes, such as higher of reviewing applications, with selected grantees attendance and graduation rates, narrower expected to be announced some time in February academic achievement gaps as measured by 2021. CDE indicated that applicants requested a standardized tests, and decreases in instances combined $168 million—significantly more than the of disciplinary incidents. By prioritizing grants amount of funding available. Grants will be provided for high-poverty schools, the proposal prioritizes to awardees by April 2021. Schools that applied the grants for LEAs that would most benefit from individually can receive up to $1 million. Those who implementing such a model. In turn, these LEAs applied as part of a consortium of schools can would be able to provide comprehensive services receive up to $500,000 per school, but no more and supports for their high-needs students. than $3 million combined per consortium. Grantees …But Implementation Can Be Challenging. are required to spend the funds by September 30, Although adopting a community schools model 2022, and report to CDE annually through 2023. can lead to improved outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged students with the greatest needs, Governor’s Proposal successful adoption requires fundamental changes Provides $265 Million One-Time that can be a complicated for LEAs to implement. Proposition 98 Funding to Establish and Experts say the following elements are critical for Expand Existing Community Schools. The successful implementation: Governor’s budget includes $265 million one-time • Community Partnerships. The lead Proposition 98 funding to provide additional grants educational agency behind the implementation for community schools. The Governor’s proposal of a successful community school may spend is nearly identical to the community schools grant a year or more developing its implementation established in the 2020-21 budget, with a few strategy before putting it into action, as well exceptions. Most notably, in addition to providing as establishing strong relationships with funding for existing community schools, this funding potential service providers and community can be awarded to those seeking to establish new partners. community schools. However, applicants would • Funding. Community schools typically require be prioritized using the same criteria as in the first a variety of long-term funding streams. This round. The length of time available for spending can include public funding sources, such as grant funds also differs. Under the Governor’s reimbursement for health care services from proposal, the new round of grants would be Medi-Cal, as well as private philanthropic available until June 30, 2026—providing grantees support. Because community schools about four years to spend the funding. In contrast, frequently rely on philanthropic support, grantees receiving awards in the current year establishing a sustainable community school have about a year and a half to spend the funds. in a region where relatively few nonprofits As with the first round of funding, the SPI can set or private foundations operate may be more aside up to1 percent of the total funding proposed difficult. ($2.7 million) to provide technical assistance to potential applicants and oversight and technical • Support. Researchers emphasize that assistance to grantees. Grantees awarded funding successfully implementing the community under this second round of grants would also be school model requires a substantial amount evaluated as part of the SPI’s comprehensive report of technical assistance—sometimes over the required in the first round of grants. course of several years. LEAs without prior experience operating community schools may Assessment need help learning how to develop external partnerships, collaborate with other public Community Schools Are Associated With agencies, identify ongoing funding streams, Improved Outcomes… Formal evaluations of 2021-22 LAO Budget Series 2 analysis full gutter and rebuild existing governance structures to with other agencies and creating a long-term plan align with the community schools model. for financially sustaining their community schools when grant funds expire. This prioritization criteria Technical Assistance for First Round Still would likely work against new programs and result Being Developed. With the exception of hosting in existing programs receiving the bulk of new grant webinars to inform potential applicants about funds. This would limit the effectiveness of the the grant, CDE has not yet provided technical grant program in expanding the community schools assistance to applicants or grantees. Rather, CDE model to benefit a greater number of students has indicated they are in conversation with one across state. of their existing technical assistance contractors to begin providing assistance to the first round of Recommendations community school grantees, as well as to complete Set Specific Expectations for Technical the required report to the Legislature. As part of Assistance. Given the need for technical these conversations, CDE expects to come to an assistance in developing a successful community agreement on the specific technical assistance the schools model—particularly for those establishing partner will conduct. new community schools—we recommend Second Round of Grantees Will Likely Need the Legislature modify the proposal to set Greater Support. Given CDE does not yet have a clear and specific expectations for the type of plan for providing technical assistance to the first technical assistance that prospective applicants round of grantees, it is not possible to determine and grantees will receive. At a minimum, we whether the level of technical assistance is recommend the state technical assistance be sufficient to help grantees successfully expand available to assist schools with (1) conducting their community schools programs. The first round a community needs assessment, (2) improving of grantees, however, were LEAs with existing community engagement, (3) creating community community schools that were likely to have already partnerships, and (4) developing sustainable conducted some of the more challenging aspects funding sources. We recommend the assistance of implementing a community schools model, be available for prospective applicants and grant such as developing partnerships and conducting recipients. CDE could contract with one or more a community needs assessment. By contrast, the entities with expertise in these areas to ensure second round of grantees will include LEAs that sufficient capacity to support all interested LEAs. are new to the community schools model. They are Clear expectations for technical assistance would likely to need more support during the application particularly be beneficial for interested applicants process and after receiving a grant award. Since that have less experience with implementing the existing community schools already provide some community schools model. level of services and supports to their students, we Consider Increasing Set-Aside for Technical think the proposed grant program would have the Assistance. To the extent the specific technical greatest statewide benefit if it provided sufficient assistance requirements listed above would require support to address the needs of LEAs that do not spending more than 1 percent of the total grant, the currently have a community schools model. Legislature could consider increasing the amount Prioritization Favors Applicants With Existing that can be set aside for technical assistance. Community Schools. The Governor’s proposal The proposed new grant would provide about would create one application process that would $2.7 million for technical assistance that could be include LEAs interested in establishing new spent over four years—$662,000 per year. This is community schools, as well as those interested somewhat higher than the $450,000 available over in expanding their existing community schools. In one year under the first round of grants. To assess addition, the proposal requires the SPI to prioritize whether that amount is sufficient, the Legislature applicants that have taken initial steps to implement could ask CDE to report in the spring on whether a community schools model, such as partnering the amount of technical assistance available in the 2021-22 LAO Budget Series 3 analysis full gutter current year has been sufficient to address the across the state and ensure funding can benefit needs of the first round of grantees. communities that do not currently have the capacity Modify Grant Process to Benefit New to provide more comprehensive services to their Programs. To ensure grants are awarded students. To provide additional support for LEAs to applicants interested in establishing new interested in establishing new community schools, community schools, we recommend the Legislature the Legislature also could consider pushing back modify the proposal to split funding into two the application deadline for those seeking to separate grants—one for those seeking to expand establish new programs to later in the fiscal year. existing community schools and one for applicants This would give LEAs more time to seek technical seeking to establish new community schools. This assistance and develop partnerships prior to the approach would expand the model more equitably applications deadline. LAO Publications This report was prepared by Michael Alferes, and reviewed by Edgar Cabral and Anthony Simbol. The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) is a nonpartisan office that provides fiscal and policy information and advice to the Legislature. 2021-22 LAO Budget Series 4