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ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE
Fiftieth Legislature – First Regular Session
SCHOOL SAFETY PROGRAM OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
Minutes of Interim Meeting
Senate Hearing Room 1 -- 1:30 p.m.
Co-Chairman Klein called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. and attendance was noted by the secretary.
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Senator Lori Klein, Co-Chairman |
Cassandra Larsen |
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Rani Collins |
Andy Swann |
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Dr. Fred DePrez |
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Senator Linda Lopez (excused) |
Representative Doris Goodale, Co-Chairman (excused) |
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Brenda Flynn |
Representative Eric Meyer |
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William Udall |
Overview/History of School Safety Program and Oversight Committee
Liisa Laikko, Senate Education Analyst, explained that the School Safety Program was established in 1994 to place juvenile probation officers and school resource officers at school sites to promote safe school environments through teaching and learning, to deter delinquent violent behaviors and to serve as an available resource for the schools and students.
She stated that a public school district may apply to participate in the program for up to three fiscal years by submitting proposals to this Committee. The program is funded by Proposition 301 monies; there have been no General Fund appropriations in the last several years. This School Safety Program Oversight Committee reviews applications for funding for the program and reports annually on the performance of the program.
Consideration of Program Modification and Guidance Manual Revision
Jean Ajamie, Director, School Safety and Prevention, Arizona Department of Education (ADE), distributed the April 2011 Revision of the School Safety Program Guidance Manual (Attachment 1).
She called the Members’ attention to various highlighted passages which have been revised or added, and explained them as follows:
· explicit language dealing with the continuous improvement process approach is added
· explicit description of the operational plan requirement designed to keep the program intact
· statement that a site may not have more than three officers in a three-year grant cycle (one officer at a time)
· new non-compliance section, stating that loss of future funding can result; funding grants are made site by site, but through the school district at all K-12 levels
· changes dealing with officer turnover
· changes dealing with clarification of the safety team that utilizes the data and rolls it back into the program
· definition of an appeal; strengthening of the language to aid those who might wish to appeal
Ms. Ajamie addressed Members’ questions:
· The application process is very tight and there is not much left to be appealed; what could be appealed would be mathematical errors.
· A violation of the “three officers in a three-year grant cycle” requirement is not controlled by the school district, but by law enforcement. The criterion is not difficult to understand but a violation would be brought back to this Committee for consideration. Co-Chairman Klein stated that she understands the reasoning behind this requirement, which provides continuity for the schools.
Co-Chairman Klein
moved that the School Safety Program Oversight Committee approve the School
Safety Program Guidance Manual,
April 2011 Revision (Attachment 1). The motion carried.
FY 2012 Competitive Application
Jean Ajamie, Director, School Safety and Prevention, Arizona Department of Education (ADE), distributed the School Safety Program Competitive Application FY 2012 (Attachment 2).
She stated that this application is very similar to the one utilized for the first time three years ago, which has been working quite well. She explained that A.R.S. Title 15 requirements are incorporated in the process:
· consideration of school’s safety needs
· requirement to see a plan for law-related and prevention implementation
· requirement to see a plan for use of the officer
Ms. Ajamie explained that the printed handout looks a bit different from the online form that is used. The one significant change to the application is a new section created to assess compliance. She then walked the Members through the application, section by section, and described the point system that is used:
· Determining the Need - 15 points
· Program Design - 45 points if new, 35 points if current
· Agency Collaboration and Implementation - 25 points
· Operationalizing the Program - 15 points if new, 10 points if current
· Assessing Compliance - 15 points
Ms. Ajamie stressed the emphasis on objective measurements in the application.
Ms. Larsen asked if, when school districts apply, they provide information on their own programs, whether evidence-based or research-based; she asked if there is an evaluation done to prove that the programs work. Ms. Ajamie replied that Arizona statute requires law-related education by the officer, particularly primary prevention strategy; she added that the school receives the officer’s salary and some supplies, and that there is an annual evaluation which is a requirement of this Committee and is both outcome- and process-oriented.
Ms. Ajamie then distributed a handout describing officer sharing between schools (Attachment 3). She explained that there have been communities that have shared an officer between two or more schools, which can dilute the program but may be the only option with available funding. She added that the schools would submit a single application describing the plan and intent.
Co-Chairman Klein moved that the School Safety Program Oversight Committee approve the School Safety Program Competitive Application FY 2012 (Attachment 2). The motion carried.
Without objection, the meeting adjourned at 2:11 p.m.
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Jane Dooley, Committee Secretary
May 11, 2011
(Original minutes, attachments and audio on file in the Office of the Chief Clerk; video archives available at http://www.azleg.gov)
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SCHOOL SAFETY PROGRAM OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
April 15, 2011
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