News Briefs | FYI | Sept. 4, 2023

Association of California School Administrators

News Briefs | FYI

September 4, 2023

Grant initiative helps schools access school safety funding

Matthew McConaughey’s foundation has launched an initiative to help school districts access funding for school safety in the wake of the school shooting last year in the actor’s hometown of Uvalde, Texas.

The just keep livin Foundation has announced the launch of The Greenlights Grant Initiative to create safer school environments and ensure the well-being of children by helping school districts nationwide access billions of dollars of federal school safety funding included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and subsequent legislation.

“While the legislation is crucial in protecting America’s youth from violence, it remains far too difficult for school districts to apply for and receive federal school safety grants,” said Camila and Matthew McConaughey, in a news release. “[The] launch of the Greenlights Grant Initiative is a meaningful step toward providing school districts across the country the grant writing support and the resources they need to keep kids safe in our schools. The parents in Uvalde asked us to do one thing — to ‘make their lives matter.’ We hope the Greenlights Grant Initiative can help do just that.”

The Greenlights Grant Initiative will create a platform to more easily connect school districts across the country to available federal funding, provide school districts with grant writing support, and make America’s schools and children safer.

AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is a strategic partner of this initiative. “We are thrilled to partner with JKL on this groundbreaking project that will ensure federal school safety grants can be a realistic option for districts of all sizes — not just those with the means to hire grant writers,” said David Schuler, Executive Director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association. “Students and educators in some of our least resourced, most rural communities are desperate for more mental health services and for more secure buildings and this initiative ensures that district leaders in these communities know about these federal funding opportunities and understand how to access these critical dollars.”

The Greenlights Grant Initiative is designed to help school districts navigate the grant process to ensure full access to school safety funding opportunities, which include resources for mental health services, school security systems, and other common-sense measures. The initiative will serve districts by raising awareness of grant opportunities and deadlines, providing tailored grant-writing supports and encouraging policymakers to maximize funding and simplify the grantmaking process.

For more information about how school districts around the country can access the support and resources, visit: www.GreenlightsGrantInitiative.org.

Operation Student Recovery visits 409 student homes

The San Bernardino City Unified School District’s Positive Youth Development department hosted a successful Operation Student Recovery on August 23, visiting the homes of 409 students who have not attended school since the start of the new school year on July 31, 2023.

Operation Student Recovery is designed to take a proactive approach to supporting students who have not attended school so far this year. Near the start of the school year and the start of a new semester, teams of SBCUSD administrators and community volunteers visit the homes of truant students to personally invite them back to school and offer assistance in overcoming whatever barriers are preventing their attendance.

“With everything going on in the world today, from inflation to major weather events, not to mention everyday issues like making sure students get to school on time, we know it can be difficult to make sure students are in class, on time every single school day. And SBCUSD wants to help in whatever way we can,” said Positive Youth Development Director Marlene Bicondova. “We want our families to know that we are here to support them, not just in teaching the ABCs, but in helping families make sure children receive a healthy breakfast and lunch every school day, safe after-school care, and the family support needed to make sure students succeed.”

A total of 60 participants went out in teams of two or three to visit the homes of 409 students in San Bernardino and Highland. Volunteers included San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, several assistant superintendents and department directors, as well as local youth probation officers and community members.

“I want to thank SBCUSD for creating Operation Student Recovery,” said Mayor Helen Tran. This initiative reflects the school district’s dedication to ensuring that every student has the chance to thrive and succeed. It embodies the very essence of community, compassion, and the unwavering commitment to the future of our students.”

San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran and SBCUSD Positive Youth Development Specialist Brenda Chow have a brief consultation after visiting the home of an SBCUSD student who had not yet attended school.

FYI

Councils and Committees to host open meetings

ACSA members have the honor to serve on Committees and Councils based upon job-alike functions or sharing a common interest or goal. For 2023-24, several of ACSA’s Committees and Councils will offer an open session, Virtual Networking Event, where administrators will be able to join others similar in their job position or interest to network and learn. These meetings are open to ACSA members as well as non-members. The first meeting will be the Member Services Committee from 4-5 p.m. Sept. 6. Please visit www.acsa.org/committees-councils#tab4 for registration links and for the most up-to-date information as times/dates are subject to change.

School-based Billing PLN holds monthly meetings

The Santa Clara County Office of Education - Youth Health & Wellness Department and its consortium partners invite TK-12 school staff to be part of the statewide School-Based Billing Professional Learning Network. This virtual learning opportunity is ideal for billing coordinators and other LEA staff involved or interested in school-based billing. Learn about the LEA Billing Option Program, School-Based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (SMAA), Managed Care Plan billing, and other school billing models, that may generate revenues to sustain and expand your school-based health and behavioral health programs. Sessions will be held monthly throughout the school year. All sessions are virtual (Zoom link to be provided upon registration). Space is limited and registration will close as soon as the participant limit is reached. Visit sccoe.to/CaliforniaPLN to register. For more information, please contact Alicia Orozco aorozco@sccoe.org or Adriana Huerta ahuerta@sccoe.org.