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Senate File 413

Partial Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  Section 279.51, subsection 1, unnumbered
  1  2 paragraph 1, Code 1997, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    1.  There is appropriated from the general fund of the
  1  4 state to the department of education for the fiscal year
  1  5 beginning July 1, 1996 1997, and each succeeding fiscal year,
  1  6 the sum of fourteen seventeen million five three hundred
  1  7 twenty thousand dollars.
  1  8    Sec. 2.  Section 279.51, subsection 1, Code 1997, is
  1  9 amended by adding the following new paragraph:
  1 10    NEW PARAGRAPH.  g.  For each of the fiscal years during the
  1 11 fiscal period beginning July 1, 1997, and ending June 30,
  1 12 2001, two million eight hundred thousand dollars of the funds
  1 13 appropriated shall be allocated for the middle school youth
  1 14 services program established in subsection 3A.  For each of
  1 15 the fiscal years during the fiscal period beginning July 1,
  1 16 1997, and ending June 30, 2001, twenty thousand dollars of the
  1 17 funds allocated in this paragraph shall be expended for staff
  1 18 development, research, and the development of strategies for
  1 19 coordination with community-based youth organizations and
  1 20 agencies.  A school that received a grant under paragraph "c"
  1 21 is eligible to receive a grant under this paragraph provided
  1 22 the school meets the requirements of this subsection.  Subject
  1 23 to the approval of the state board of education, the
  1 24 allocation made in this paragraph may be renewed for
  1 25 additional four-year periods of time.
  1 26    Sec. 3.  Section 279.51, Code 1997, is amended by adding
  1 27 the following new subsection:
  1 28    NEW SUBSECTION.  3A.  a.  A middle school youth services
  1 29 grant program is established.  The department of education, in
  1 30 consultation with the department of human services, the
  1 31 department of workforce development, the Iowa department of
  1 32 public health, the division of criminal and juvenile justice
  1 33 planning of the department of human rights, institutions of
  1 34 higher learning with applicable programs, and the division of
  1 35 job training and entrepreneurship assistance of the department
  2  1 of economic development, shall develop a four-year
  2  2 demonstration grant program that commences in the fiscal year
  2  3 beginning July 1, 1997.  The department shall provide grants
  2  4 to individual or consortiums of middle schools to establish
  2  5 school-based youth services programs, in conjunction with
  2  6 local agencies and community organizations, based upon program
  2  7 plans filed by the board of directors of the school district.
  2  8 The department shall provide grants to establish model
  2  9 programs in at least the following three size categories:
  2 10    (1)  A school district with an enrollment of less than one
  2 11 thousand two hundred.
  2 12    (2)  A school district with an enrollment of one thousand
  2 13 two hundred to four thousand nine hundred ninety-nine.
  2 14    (3)  A school district with an enrollment of at least five
  2 15 thousand.
  2 16    b.  Priority shall be weighted toward need, middle schools
  2 17 that have not received grants under paragraph "c", middle
  2 18 schools whose plans indicate a high degree of active
  2 19 participation by community-based youth organizations and
  2 20 agencies, and middle schools with student populations
  2 21 characterized by high rates of a number of the following:
  2 22 school dropout, absenteeism, and truancy; nonparticipation in
  2 23 extracurricular activities; homelessness and runaway
  2 24 challenges; teenage pregnancy; juvenile court involvement;
  2 25 family conflict; unemployment; teenage suicide; and mental
  2 26 health, substance abuse, and other health problems.  In
  2 27 addition, priority shall be given to programs that provide
  2 28 access to a center for children and youth after school,
  2 29 evenings, weekends, and during the summer; and that provide a
  2 30 twenty-four-hour telephone hotline or similar service.
  2 31    c.  The department shall coordinate an evaluation
  2 32 initiative with the approved projects designed to investigate
  2 33 program effectiveness in reducing the rates within communities
  2 34 as described in paragraph "b".  In developing the evaluation
  2 35 initiative, the department shall consult with the department
  3  1 of human services, the department of workforce development,
  3  2 the Iowa department of public health, the division of criminal
  3  3 and juvenile justice planning of the department of human
  3  4 rights, institutions of higher learning with applicable
  3  5 programs, and the division of job training and
  3  6 entrepreneurship assistance of the department of economic
  3  7 development.
  3  8    d.  Programs shall provide at a minimum recreational
  3  9 opportunities, personal skills development, basic academic
  3 10 skills development, family interaction opportunities, and
  3 11 mentoring.  Additional objectives of the programs shall be:
  3 12 to reduce juvenile crime; recruit community volunteers;
  3 13 improve the academic performance, attitudes, and behaviors of
  3 14 middle school students; increase the ability of existing
  3 15 agencies within the community to address the multiple problems
  3 16 of youth and teenagers; and to coordinate activities and
  3 17 facilitate joint planning to make the most economic and
  3 18 innovative use of community resources.  Programs shall at a
  3 19 minimum provide mental health and family counseling services
  3 20 and primary health care services that include but are not
  3 21 limited to physical examinations, immunizations, hearing and
  3 22 vision screening, and preventive and primary health care
  3 23 services, in the context of the educational needs of the
  3 24 students.
  3 25    e.  The plan shall include the appointment by the board of
  3 26 a local advisory board for each proposed program, which at a
  3 27 minimum shall include parents of students enrolled in the
  3 28 middle school, a middle school teacher recommended by the
  3 29 local teachers association, a representative from the health
  3 30 and mental health community in the area, youths and teenagers
  3 31 enrolled in the school and recommended by the school student
  3 32 government, a representative from the nonprofit provider
  3 33 community, and a representative from the juvenile court system
  3 34 serving the area.  Management of the program shall be by the
  3 35 middle school or by a nonprofit youth service organization.
  4  1 As used in this subsection, "youth service" means recreational
  4  2 services, employment services, civic services, or juvenile
  4  3 treatment services.
  4  4    f.  Program proposals shall include a written commitment
  4  5 from the school principal and the board of directors of the
  4  6 school district that the middle school will work to coordinate
  4  7 and integrate existing school services and activities with the
  4  8 center and shall include letters of support for the proposal
  4  9 from the local teachers association; parent-teacher
  4 10 organizations; community organizations; nonprofit agencies
  4 11 providing social services, health, or career development
  4 12 services in the area; the juvenile court system serving the
  4 13 area; and the area private industry council.
  4 14    g.  Grants for the program shall not be used to construct a
  4 15 new facility or to renovate an existing structure.
  4 16    h.  Program proposals shall include a commitment to a
  4 17 contribution of at least twenty percent of the total costs of
  4 18 the program from the board of directors of the school
  4 19 district, which can include "in-kind" services.  Partnerships
  4 20 between the public and private sectors to provide employment
  4 21 and training opportunities for youth served by the program are
  4 22 particularly encouraged.  The budget for a proposed program
  4 23 shall not exceed two hundred thousand dollars per year.
  4 24    i.  For purposes of this section, "middle school" means a
  4 25 separately organized and administered unit beginning with
  4 26 grade five or six, or the equivalent, and including at least
  4 27 two grades.  
  4 28                           EXPLANATION
  4 29    This bill adds $2.8 million to the standing appropriation
  4 30 for programs for at-risk children to provide for the
  4 31 establishment of a middle school youth services program to be
  4 32 developed as a four-year demonstration grant program by the
  4 33 department of education in consultation with the departments
  4 34 of public health, human services, workforce development,
  4 35 economic development, the division of criminal and juvenile
  5  1 justice planning of the department of human rights, and
  5  2 institutions of higher learning with applicable programs.
  5  3    Grants are to be awarded to programs in at least three size
  5  4 categories:  a school district with an enrollment of less than
  5  5 1,200, a district with an enrollment of 1,200 to 4,999, and a
  5  6 district with an enrollment of at least 5,000.
  5  7    Priority shall be weighted toward need.  Schools that have
  5  8 not received any other school-based youth services grants
  5  9 shall also be given a priority.  In addition, priority shall
  5 10 be given to schools whose plans indicate a high degree of
  5 11 active participation by community-based youth organizations
  5 12 and agencies and schools with student populations
  5 13 characterized by high rates of a number of the following:
  5 14 school dropouts, absenteeism, and truancy; nonparticipation in
  5 15 extracurricular activities; homelessness and runaway
  5 16 challenges; teenage pregnancy; juvenile court involvement;
  5 17 family conflict; unemployment; teenage suicide; and mental
  5 18 health, substance abuse, and other health problems.  Lastly,
  5 19 priority shall be given to programs that provide access to a
  5 20 center for children and youth after school, evenings,
  5 21 weekends, and during the summer and that provide a twenty-
  5 22 four-hour telephone hotline or similar service.
  5 23    The department shall coordinate an evaluation initiative
  5 24 with the approved projects.
  5 25    Programs shall provide at a minimum recreational
  5 26 opportunities, personal skills development, basic academic
  5 27 skills development, family interaction opportunities, and
  5 28 mentoring.
  5 29    Additional objectives of the programs shall be:  to reduce
  5 30 juvenile crime; recruit community volunteers; improve the
  5 31 academic performance, attitudes, and behaviors of middle
  5 32 school students; increase the ability of existing agencies
  5 33 within the community to address the multiple problems of youth
  5 34 and teenagers; and to coordinate activities and facilitate
  5 35 joint planning to make the most economic and innovative use of
  6  1 community resources.  Programs shall at a minimum provide
  6  2 mental health and family counseling services and primary
  6  3 health care services that include but are not limited to
  6  4 physical examinations, immunizations, hearing and vision
  6  5 screening, and preventive and primary health care services, in
  6  6 the context of the educational needs of the students.
  6  7    The plan shall include the appointment of a local advisory
  6  8 board for each proposed program.  Management of the program
  6  9 shall be by the middle school or by a nonprofit youth service
  6 10 organization.
  6 11    Program proposals shall include a contribution of at least
  6 12 20 percent of the total costs of the program, which can
  6 13 include "in-kind" services.  
  6 14 LSB 2224SS 77
  6 15 kh/jj/8
     

Text: SF00412                           Text: SF00414
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