GreatSchools.net: Prop H Committee Decides How to Spend Discretionary Funds

Originally published on GreatSchools.net here
Prop H Committee Decides How to Spend Discretionary Funds
By Nicole Achs Freeling
GreatSchools.net Correspondent

A community advisory committee decided Thursday evening, January 4, 2007, how to allocate $10 million worth of discretionary funding through Proposition H, a voter-approved initiative that provides millions for programs to enrich public education.

Proposition H allocations will total $30 million in 07/08. One-third goes to the First Five Commission for preschool for all, one-third goes specifically for sports, libraries, arts and music programs (SLAM), and one-third can be used at the committee's discretion for a wide range of purposes. The Proposition H Community Advisory Committee voted Thursday on the portion known as the "third third," the portion allowed for general uses.

The committee sorted through numerous competing requests for the funds, including a spending plan proposed by the Superintendent's office and about $1.8 million worth of programs proposed by the Student Advisory Council. Since the committee plans to continue funding all of the programs it has initiated in previous years, the amount left for new programs in the "third third" is about $3.3 million.

The appropriations the committee approved included:

• $600,000 for translation services to help teachers, administrators and the district communicate with parents, both orally and through written materials. It is intended to include interpretation and translation in languages such as Samoan and Russian, for which there are currently no translation services, as well as expanding services in Spanish and Chinese.
• $600,000 to support Peer Resource Programs at middle and high schools. The funds continue programs initiated in prior years through Prop H, and add two new middle school and two new high school programs, for a total of six middle school and eight high school Peer Resource Programs.
• $770,000 to add wellness centers at four high schools. Wellness Centers provide health and mental health services including nursing services, substance abuse counseling and conflict resolution. With the addition of these centers, every one of the district's high schools will now have a wellness center.
• Close to $3 million to have a part-time nurse, counselor or other learning support professional at each elementary school. This allocation would simply continue to fund a program already initiated through Prop H; it does not allocate any additional funding or
• $585,000 in new funding to provide middle schools with mental health services. The funds would add one part-time mental health professional at each middle school.
• $250,000 in in-kind services (rather than funds) from the city's department of  public health, possibly to be allocated for a pilot mental health program in secondary schools.
• $300,000 to develop a program at O'Connell High School and a  as-yet-to-be-determined middle school providing targeted support to students who reenter the school system after being chronically truant. The program would help these students catch up with their peers and reintegrate into the school system, as well as provide emotional support.
• $741,017 for custodial services. The district facililities office had proposed the money be allocated at 16 elementary schools and several CDCs. Committee members, however, took issue with the funds not going to any middle or high schools, especially after hearing testimony from many high school students about the condition of their bathrooms. It asked the district to  allocate the funds equally between CDCs, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, identifying the schools of greatest need within each category.
• A pool  of money, amount to be determined, to be given to each high school to bring in nonprofit organizations to provide violence prevention and/or youth-driven programming. The funds would bring community-based organizations such as YouthSpeaks (a youth media project, United Playaz (a performing arts program) and similar program into the schools. It will be dispersed through each of the schools' wellness centers in conjunction with peer resources.
• $73,110  to add a full-time teacher for career and technical education.
• $250,000 to establish a system for evaluating the success of Prop H programs and to hire a staff person to serve as the Prop H coordinator.

The Committee voted down a proposal by the district for $255,161 for emergency supplies, which would ensure a baseline level of disaster preparedness at each school, including water, food and supplies in each classroom. Committee members said other funds should be available to cover those expenses, including federal funding provided through the Department of Homeland Security.