This subchapter may be cited as the "Community Schools Incentive Act of 2012".
(June 19, 2012, D.C. Law 19-142, § 401, 59 DCR 3642.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Legislative History of Laws
For history of Law 19-142, see notes under § 38-751.01.
For the purposes of this subchapter, the term:
(1) "Community partner" means a provider of one or more eligible services.
(2) "Community school" means a public and private partnership to coordinate educational, developmental, family, health, and after-school-care programs during school and non-school hours for students, families, and local communities at a public school or public charter school with the objectives of improving academic achievement, reducing absenteeism, building stronger relationships between students, parents, and communities, and improving the skills, capacity, and well-being of the surrounding community residents.
(3) "Eligible consortium" means a partnership established between a local education agency and one or more community partners for purposes of establishing, operating, and sustaining a community school.
(4) "Eligible services" means:
(A) Primary medical and dental care that will be available to students and community residents;
(B) Mental health prevention and treatment services that will be available to students and community residents;
(C) Academic-enrichment activities designed to promote a student's cognitive development and provide opportunities to practice and apply academic skills;
(D) Programs designed to increase attendance, including reducing early chronic absenteeism rates;
(E) Youth development programs designed to promote young people's social, emotional, physical, and moral development, including arts, sports, physical fitness, youth leadership, community service, and service-learning opportunities;
(F) Early childhood education, including Head Start and Early Head Start programs;
(G) Programs designed to:
(i) Facilitate parental involvement in, and engagement with, their children's education, including parental activities that involve supporting, monitoring, and advocating for their children's education;
(ii) Promote parental leadership in the life of the school; and
(iii) Build parenting skills;
(H) School-age child-care services, including before-school and after-school services and full-day programming that operates during school holidays, summers, vacations, and weekends;
(I) Programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled and that offer multiple pathways to high school graduation or General Educational Development completion;
(J) Youth and adult job-training services and career-counseling services;
(K) Nutrition-education services;
(L) Adult education, including instruction in English as a second language, adult literacy, computer literacy, financial literacy, and hard-skills training; or
(M) Programs that provide remedial education and enrichment activities.
(June 19, 2012, D.C. Law 19-142, § 402, 59 DCR 3642.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Legislative History of Laws
For history of Law 19-142, see notes under § 38-751.01.
(a) The Mayor shall establish and administer the multiyear Community Schools Incentive Initiative ("Incentive Initiative") to award multiyear grants to incentivize the establishment of no fewer than 5 new community schools within one year of June 19, 2012, with priority given to schools that have:
(1) A focus on mental health prevention and treatment services and adult education and training; and
(2) A student population of which at least 75% of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
(b) The Mayor shall promote and encourage the use of public school and public charter school facilities by community and neighborhood groups.
(c) Within 60 days of June 19, 2012, the Mayor shall convene a Community Schools Advisory Committee that shall consist of:
(1) The Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools, or designee;
(2) The Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, or designee;
(3) The Director of the Department of Health, or designee;
(4) The Director of the Department of Employment Services, or designee;
(5) The President of the State Board of Education, or designee;
(6) The President of the University of the District of Columbia, or designee;
(7) The President of the University of the District of Columbia Community College, or designee;
(8) The Deputy Mayor for Education, or designee;
(9) Representatives from at least 4 community-based organizations;
(10) Representatives from at least 4 philanthropic or business organizations;
(11) The Director of the Public Charter School Board, or designee; and
(12) The directors of 2 public charter schools.
(d) The Community Schools Advisory Committee shall:
(1) Advise the Mayor on the development of the Incentive Initiative, including the development of a results-based framework and accompanying performance indicators with which to measure the success of the Incentive Initiative;
(2) Participate in the selection process for Incentive Initiative grantees;
(3) Develop recommendations on how all public schools can become centers of their communities by opening school facilities for nonprofit and community use;
(4) Identify potential funding sources for the provision of eligible services within the Incentive Initiative; and
(5) Develop yearly measurable performance goals to assess:
(A) How to increase the percentage of families and students receiving services for each year of the Incentive Initiative;
(B) The outcomes for students and families, particularly student academic achievement; and
(C) The number of public schools and public charter schools that have established formal relationships with community and neighborhood groups to use school facilities.
(e) Within 180 days of June 19, 2012, the Mayor shall establish a process for awarding grants of no more than $200,000 a year to successful eligible consortiums and shall require that each application for an Incentive Initiative grant include:
(1) An assessment of the local school community and the neighborhood's needs and assets;
(2) A description of the proposed eligible consortium, including the type and number of community partners, as defined in § 38-754.02, and how the eligible consortium shall address the needs and build upon the assets of the community that the eligible consortium will serve;
(3) A proposed budget and narrative description of the proposed use of grant funds, which budget shall reflect a core concept of service coordination and integration and the narrative describe how the eligible consortium shall provide at least 4 additional eligible services that did not exist before the establishment of the eligible consortium;
(4) The identification of operational funding for eligible services and community partners; and
(5) A plan for the development of a community advisory board to include members of school leadership, school faculty, parents of school students, community leaders, community-based organizations, and other community members.
(f) The Mayor shall:
(1) Conduct periodic evaluations of the progress achieved with funds allocated under a grant, consistent with the purposes of this section;
(2) Use the evaluations to refine and improve activities conducted with the grant and the performance measures for the activities;
(3) Make the results of the evaluations publicly available, including providing public notice of the availability; and
(4) Identify best practices and lessons learned for the purpose of informing the District-wide community school policy.
(June 19, 2012, D.C. Law 19-142, § 403, 59 DCR 3642.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Legislative History of Laws
For history of Law 19-142, see notes under § 38-751.01.
(a) There is established as a nonlapsing fund the Community Schools Fund ("Fund"). All funds deposited into the Fund, and any interest earned on those funds, shall not revert to the unrestricted fund balance of the General Fund of the District of Columbia at the end of a fiscal year, or at any other time, but shall be continually available for the uses and purposes set forth in subsection (b) of this section without regard to fiscal year limitation, subject to authorization by Congress.
(b)(1) The Fund shall be used solely for the purposes of supporting schools designated as community schools.
(2) No more than 10% of the Fund shall be used to fund administrative costs associated with the operations of the Mayor; and
(3) The Fund shall be used to fund the planning and implementation of the Incentive Initiative grant program.
(c) The following monies shall be deposited into the Fund:
(1) Federal funds and grants;
(2) Local funds;
(3) Gifts; and
(4) Payments from public or private sources.
(June 19, 2012, D.C. Law 19-142, § 404, 59 DCR 3642.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Legislative History of Laws
For history of Law 19-142, see notes under § 38-751.01.
