DATE: December 10, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Retroactive Revenue Agreement with Fresno County Superintendent of
Schools for two Deputy Probation Officers for the Truancy Intervention
Program
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize Chairman to execute a retroactive revenue Agreement with the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools for services provided by two Deputy Probation Officers for the Truancy Intervention Program effective July 1, 2019, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a one-year base contract with four optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $698,440.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (FCSS) will provide a total of $139,688 annually in funding toward the total cost of $299,511 for two existing Deputy Probation Officer (DPO) positions providing services to the Truancy Intervention Program (TIP). The remaining direct costs for these two positions will be paid for with Youthful Offender Block Grant (YOBG) funds. The total for all possible five years of the recommended agreement is $698,440. The Fresno County Probation Department and FCSS recognize a correlation between chronic school absenteeism, criminal activity, drug abuse, and incarceration, and, therefore, believe a coordinated collaborative effort will reduce school absenteeism. Due to the collaborative nature of this agreement, the Department recommends your Board deviate from the County policy requiring full cost recovery (including indirect costs). This practice is consistently applied to similar agreements with other school districts. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board does not approve the recommended action, the Probation Department will not have sufficient funding to continue services to the Truancy Intervention Program.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The Probation Department has been in discussions with FCSS regarding continuing TIP. Once the costs were finalized, FCSS approved the amount and began collaborating with individual school districts that participate in TIP. The Probation Department received the signed agreement on October 18, 2019. The recommended agreement is being brought before your Board on the next available Board date within established County deadlines.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The total salary and benefit cost for the existing DPO positions to provide services to TIP is $282,011. In addition, vehicle and radio costs associated with these positions are estimated at $17,500. FCSS will provide a total of $139,688 towards these costs for the two DPOs, with the remaining $159,823 being funded with YOBG funds. This is a decrease in funding of approximately $5,800 from the prior year, due to a decrease in the actual costs of the staff assigned to TIP. FCSS will provide $139,688 toward the cost of the two DPO positions for each year of the recommended agreement, for a maximum of $698,440 for five years.
The Probation Department’s current indirect rate of 25.96% of salary and benefits is $73,210. It is recommended FCSS’s portion of the indirect not be included due to the collaborative nature of the recommended agreement, which has the potential to not only reduce absenteeism, but is also a prevention program that has shown to deter students from engaging in future criminal activities. Appropriations, estimated revenue and Probation indirect costs for these positions are included in Probation’s FY 2019-20 Adopted Budget Org 3430.
DISCUSSION:
On July 18, 2006, your Board approved a revenue agreement with the FCSS for implementation of a pilot program titled the “Truancy Intervention Program.” Subsequent annual agreements approved by your Board have continued to fund this program, which is no longer considered a pilot. The recommended TIP agreement has two DPOs providing services five days a week. The previous agreement expired on June 30, 2019, and the approval of the recommended action will allow this program to continue.
The TIP is a collaborative program to help decrease truancy, improve attendance, increase learning opportunities, and raise financial revenue for school districts throughout the County. The success of this program is demonstrated through an increase of the average daily attendance levels at each school district with TIP participation. The FCSS has obtained separate agreements with the representative school districts to fund TIP for FY 2019-20.
The duties of the DPOs will include, but are not necessarily limited to, providing support to the TIP system as developed by the districts and Probation, participating in school site meetings with parents/guardians and attending School Attendance Review Board meetings when possible, assisting schools in supervising identified chronic truants, and participating in training school district personnel.
The recommended agreement with the FCSS differs from the County's model contract in that it contains a mutual hold harmless clause. However, Risk Management has reviewed this provision and finds it acceptable as it relates to grant funding. This has the effect of making each party responsible for losses arising from their own negligent acts.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI # 38 - October 9, 2018
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with FCSS
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck