Z-0801

AN ACT Relating to the schools and families act; adding a new chapter to Title 28A RCW; making appropriations; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. This chapter shall be known as and may be cited as the schools and families act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The purpose of this chapter is to create a new program to provide resources to public schools to provide family case management services in collaboration with other local public and private agencies that receive funding or administrative support from the state departments of social and health services, health, employment security, and community development, and from the superintendent of public instruction.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The schools and families program is hereby created. This program is intended to provide resources to school districts that will be used to provide family resource management services to children and their families and, in accordance with sections 5(1)(c) and section 7(2) of this act, to begin programs that redirect existing resources toward new purposes associated with fostering educationally supportive families. Children and families to receive such services shall be selected in accordance with rules adopted by the superintendent of public instruction under section 9 of this act. Any appropriations made by the legislature for this program shall be administered by the superintendent of public instruction in collaboration with the state coordinating council established in section 8 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The services to be provided by school districts under this chapter shall be phased in over four school years beginning in the fall of 1991. During the 1991-92 school year, school districts in three educational service districts shall be eligible for planning grants in accordance with sections 4 and 5 of this act. The foregoing process shall be repeated in three additional education service districts during the 1992-93 school year and in the remaining education service districts during the 1993-94 school year. School districts that have completed the planning process in accordance with this chapter shall, during the following fiscal year and for each year thereafter, be eligible to receive grants to provide family resource coordination services. The superintendent of public instruction shall:

(1) By August 1, 1991, designate three education service districts that will be responsible for the coordination of planning grants to be issued for the 1991-92 school year;

(2) By August 1, 1992, designate three education service districts that will be responsible for the coordination of planning grants to be issued for the 1992-93 school year; and

(3) By August 1, 1993, designate three education service districts that will be responsible for the coordination of planning grants to be issued for the 1993-94 school year.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) Planning grants issued pursuant to this chapter shall be used by school districts for the following purposes:

(a) Establishment of local collaboration councils to be responsible for approving district-wide family service coordination plans. These councils shall, at a minimum, include representation from public and private agencies that provide social, health, training, care, employment, and family support services within the district;

(b) Development of written plans for the use of family resource coordination funds that will be available in subsequent school years. Written plans shall include itemized budgets for providing family resource coordination services and a description of the locations and operating procedures for providing such family resource coordination services and training programs for associated personnel. All plans shall include specific and detailed procedures outlining how family resource coordinators will collaborate with other appropriate service providers in their communities to reduce the fragmentation of family-related services and to maximize the beneficial impact of services on the success of families;

(c) Development of plans for altering the use of already existing district resources to improve their impact on the success of families and to maximize collaboration with other family support resources available to the community from other public or private sources. Plans shall include providing for the retraining of existing personnel to provide for the broadest possible awareness of family support activities and programs in their communities; and

(d) Other plans that are determined to be related to maximizing the success of families by the collaboration councils.

(2) Plans developed pursuant to this section shall be approved by the collaboration councils and transmitted to the appropriate education service district superintendent by May 1 of the year in which the grant was issued. Plans shall be reviewed by the education service district superintendent to provide recommendations and comments to the collaboration councils. Final plans shall be transmitted to the superintendent of public instruction by the collaboration councils by June 1.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Beginning July 1, 1992, and for every year thereafter, districts that have completed plans in accordance with section 5 of this act shall be eligible to receive funds appropriated to the superintendent of public instruction for the purpose of providing family resource coordination services. Funds received pursuant to this section shall be used to employ and train family service coordinators in accordance with the plans established under section 5 of this act and in consultation with the local collaboration councils. Family resource coordinators shall provide at least the following services:

(1) Identification of families in need of services;

(2) Communication with identified families in order to develop a diagnosis of family support needs and a plan for meeting those needs;

(3) Referral of families and family members to services as identified in the family support plan and assistance with attaining eligibility for services and follow-up contacts with families and with service providers to assure that the family support plan is being implemented; and

(4) Written assessments of the success or failure of collaboration efforts in terms of improvements in the ability of eligible families to succeed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. A family support block grant is hereby created. Funds appropriated by the legislature for the implementation of this section shall be used for the following:

(1) During the biennium beginning July 1, 1991, funds may be used for one or more of the following purposes: Homeless children and youth services; early intervention and family support for homeless literacy; enhancement of programs established under chapter 28A.610 RCW; dropout intervention and prevention programs; the early intervention and prevention services program; at risk student programs; programs for highly capable students; school-aged child care programs; child abuse prevention programs; low-income student tutoring; programs for students who are at risk of prenatal drug exposure; and for family support services in accordance with the provisions of this chapter;

(2) For the biennium beginning July 1, 1993, and thereafter, funds appropriated pursuant to this section shall be used exclusively to provide family support services in accordance with section 6 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. In order to assist in the administration of this chapter a state coordinating committee is established consisting of the following public officials or their designees; the governor, the secretary of the department of social and health services, the secretary of the department of health, the commissioner of the employment security department, the director of the department of community development, and the superintendent of public instruction.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules necessary to implement this chapter. Rules shall be developed in consultation with the state coordinating committee established in section 8 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. Sections 1 through 9 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 28A RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. (1) The sum of seven million four hundred ninety-seven thousand nine hundred sixty-six dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1993, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of sections 5 and 6 of this act.

(2) The sum of five million one hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1993, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of section 7 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1991.