PRINTER'S NO. 36
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
97
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY LANGERHOLC, BARTOLOTTA, PHILLIPS-HILL, STEFANO AND
SCHWANK, JANUARY 12, 2023
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JANUARY 12, 2023
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," providing for community-engaged
schools; establishing the Community-Engaged School for
Success Pilot Program; and imposing duties on the Department
of Education.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding an
article to read:
ARTICLE XV-N
COMMUNITY-ENGAGED SCHOOLS
Section 1501-N. Scope of article.
This article relates to the Community-Engaged School for
Success Pilot Program.
Section 1502-N. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this article
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
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context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Community-engaged school." A school that is designated by
the secretary to participate in the program and is engaged in
developing and implementing a community engagement plan to
provide engaged student support services.
"Community partner." A community group, parent organization,
early childhood learning program, business organization, dental
care provider, health care provider, mental health provider,
civic organization, local governmental agency, school employee
organization, institution of higher education or other
organization that is able to provide engaged student support
services to students in a school setting.
"Coordinator." An individual who works full time within a
community-engaged school, in consultation with school leaders
and staff, to promote and coordinate the provision of engaged
student support services.
"Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
"Engaged student support services." Supplemental services
provided by school personnel or community partners, or both, to
students in a school setting that remove academic and
nonacademic barriers to success but do not supplant services
provided under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement
entered into in accordance with the act of July 23, 1970
(P.L.563, No.195), known as the Public Employe Relations Act.
The term includes the following services:
(1) Academic assistance.
(2) Behavior interventions.
(3) Community and service learning.
(4) Family engagement.
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(5) Mental health services.
(6) Health care services.
(7) Dental health services.
(8) Basic needs.
(9) College and career preparation.
(10) Enrichment activities.
(11) Life skills.
"Program." The Community-Engaged School for Success Pilot
Program established under section 1503-N.
"Program manager." A nonprofit community-based organization
that works on behalf of a community-engaged school or schools to
identify, implement, manage and evaluate the provision of
engaged student support services to students.
"Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
Section 1503-N. Community-Engaged School for Success Pilot
Program.
The Community-Engaged School for Success Pilot Program is
established under the department.
Section 1504-N. Community-engaged school eligibility.
Any school operated by a school district in this Commonwealth
is eligible for designation by the secretary as a community-
engaged school if it meets at least one of the following
criteria:
(1) The school is ranked in the lowest 15% of the
school's designation as an elementary school or a secondary
school based on combined mathematics and reading scores from
the annual assessment administered in the previous school
year.
(2) The school is located in a school district where the
acute poverty percentage as calculated under section 2502.53
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is equal to or greater than 30%, and the school's enrollment
is representative of the school district's acute poverty
percentage.
Section 1505-N. Community-engaged school designation.
(a) Application.--A school that seeks to be designated as a
community-engaged school must submit an application to the
department in a form and with information as determined by the
department.
(b) Duty of secretary.--No later than September 30, 2023,
the secretary shall designate no less than 20 schools that have
applied for designation under this article as community-engaged
schools.
(c) Requirements of designees.--A school designated by the
secretary as a community-engaged school shall:
(1) Appoint a program manager for the school within 60
days of the designation.
(2) Appoint a coordinator for the school within 60 days
of the designation.
(3) Develop, implement and carry out the provisions of a
community engagement plan approved by the secretary.
Section 1506-N. Community engagement plan.
(a) Development.--The community engagement plan of a
community-engaged school shall include the following:
(1) An evaluation and analysis of indicators of school
and student performance needs that includes the following:
(i) Academic performance, including achievement and
growth.
(ii) Graduation and promotion rates.
(iii) Chronic absenteeism.
(iv) Disciplinary information.
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(v) School safety information.
(vi) Unique student populations.
(vii) Other factors and information necessary to
identify academic and nonacademic barriers to success in
school.
(2) A qualitative and quantitative analysis that
assesses areas of need through surveys, forums and focus
groups with parents and other stakeholders, including the
following:
(i) Student needs regarding food, clothing, shelter
and employment.
(ii) Student needs and access to health care
services, mental health services and behavior health
services.
(iii) Family literacy.
(iv) Student and parent access to job training and
placement programs.
(v) Student access to early childhood education.
(vi) Family engagement in school activities.
(vii) Student engagement in out-of-school academic
programs.
(viii) School culture and climate.
(ix) School safety.
(x) An evaluation of current programs and services
currently provided by the community-engaged school.
(xi) Other factors and information necessary to
identify academic and nonacademic barriers to success in
the community-engaged school.
(b) Plan submission to secretary.--No later than March 30,
2024, a community-engaged school shall utilize the results of
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the evaluation and analysis in subsection (a) and submit a
community engagement plan to the secretary for approval. The
community engagement plan shall include the following:
(1) An organizational chart for the community-engaged
school that reflects upon the relationship of school
leadership, staff, coordinator and program manager.
(2) A list of areas of need and any academic and
nonacademic barriers to achievement.
(3) A list of the specific engaged student support
services and programs to be provided to students, including:
(i) The community partners providing the services
and programs.
(ii) A description of the services and programs to
be provided.
(4) Performance goals and benchmarks to measure academic
performance and other areas of need.
(5) Procedures to formally evaluate performance.
(6) A plan for reporting progress and outcomes related
to the services and programs provided in the community
engagement plan on an annual basis to the school board of
directors and the department no later than August 31 of each
year.
(7) A budget approved by the school board of directors
to accomplish the community engagement plan that identifies
the resources allocated to support the community-engaged
school and its community engagement plan.
(8) Policies and procedures to ensure appropriate data
sharing with the coordinator, program manager and community
partner.
(9) Other items required by the secretary to ensure the
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success of the community engagement plan.
(c) Plan approval.--
(1) Within 30 days of receipt of the community
engagement plan, the secretary shall approve the community
engagement plan or notify the school district that revisions
to the community engagement plan are needed and transmit
suggested revisions to the board of school directors.
(2) A community engagement plan that is denied by the
secretary may be revised and resubmitted at the direction of
the secretary.
Section 1507-N. Duties of program manager.
The duties of the program manager shall include the
following:
(1) The development of the evaluation and analysis of
indicators of student performance needs under section 1506-
N(a).
(2) The development of a site plan to be provided to the
community-engaged school within 60 days of the appointment of
the program manager. The site plan shall include the
following:
(i) A summary of the needs identified under section
1506-N(a).
(ii) The goals and measures for addressing the
identified needs of the community-engaged school.
(iii) The manner in which the program manager will
work cooperatively with staff of the community-engaged
school.
(3) The development of the annual report under section
1506-N(b)(6).
Section 1508-N. Duties of department.
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(a) Application.--The department shall develop an
application process for a school district to apply on behalf of
an eligible school under section 1504-N for designation as a
community-engaged school.
(b) Program guidelines.--Within 30 days of the effective
date of this subsection, the department shall develop guidelines
specifying minimum quality standards for an organization to
qualify as a program manager under this article.
(c) Technical assistance.--
(1) The department shall provide technical assistance to
community-engaged schools, including academic expertise and
assistance, training, program design, grant writing
assistance and data collection and analysis.
(2) The department may enter into a contract to provide
the technical assistance required under paragraph (1).
(d) Best practices.--The department shall facilitate the
sharing of best practices among community-engaged schools and
with other schools in this Commonwealth.
(e) Annual report.--No later than December 31, 2024, and
each year thereafter, the department shall submit an annual
report of the information collected from the community-engaged
schools under section 1506-N(b)(6) to the Governor, the
chairperson and minority chairperson of the Appropriations
Committee of the Senate, the chairperson and minority
chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the House of
Representatives, the chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Education Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and
minority chairperson of the Education Committee of the House of
Representatives.
Section 1509-N . Community-engaged school grants.
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(a) Amount.--The department may award community-engaged
school grants to school districts on behalf of schools
designated as community-engaged schools upon approval of the
school's community engagement plan. The amount of the grant
under this section may not exceed $125,000 for each community-
engaged school.
(b) Matching requirement.--A school district must match the
amount of the grant with school district money at least equal to
the State allocation.
(c) Duration.--To the extent that funding for grants is
available and the school continues to follow its community
engagement plan to the secretary's satisfaction, an annual award
shall be made in five consecutive years.
(d) Limitation.--No school district may receive an annual
grant allocation that exceeds 10% of the money available under
the program.
(e) Diversity.--The secretary shall ensure that the grant
funding under this program is geographically dispersed
throughout this Commonwealth.
(f) Use and audit.--Grant money shall be used exclusively
for the purpose of supporting a community-engaged school's
community engagement plan and are subject to audit by the
department and the Auditor General.
Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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