Title
Staff Report for a City of San Leandro City Council Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Accept Grant Funds of $104,178 from the California State Library’s California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) Grant to Fund the Project Literacy service.
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution to accept a grant award for FY 2021-2022 of $104,178 from CLLS and authorize the City Manager to execute all documents and appropriate the funds.
BACKGROUND
a. Mission: Project Literacy promotes adult and family literacy through tutoring, community outreach, volunteerism, and collaborative partnerships. In cooperation with the California State Library’s California Library Literacy Services (CLLS), Project Literacy provides free literacy support services which enable individuals in the community to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve economic independence and full participation within their community. Project Literacy takes a learner-centered and goal-directed approach to tutoring, thus empowering learners to shape their learning. Learners define their goals within four areas of life: life-long learning (personal & educational goals), job and career, family, and community.
b. History: The California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) Grant, under the guidance of the California Library Literacy and English Acquisition Service Program (see ATTACHMENTS titled California Education Code Title 1, Division 1, Part 11, Chapter 4.6, Section 18880-18883), is the primary provider of funding to library literacy programs across the state of California. CLLS was established by the California State Library in 1984 under the name The California Literacy Campaign and aimed to reduce the high level of illiteracy in California and connect more Californians with public libraries. In 1985, noting the successes achieved by these libraries, the California legislature established support for the program through the California Library Services Act, and in 1988, the legislature funded the Families for Literacy Initiative to help libraries reach and serve the children of adult literacy learners. Project Literacy at the San Leandro Public Library was originally established in 1989 with a five-year California State Library Literacy fund and has continued since to receive annual grant funding from CLLS to maintain basic Adult Literacy Services and Family Literacy Services, as well as to provide new expanded services in order to meet the current needs of the community.
c. Current Programs: Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Project Literacy services had been an in-person learning experience. To accommodate, we have built a process that has allowed Project Literacy services to become a mostly online tutoring service.
Since the Shelter In Place order in March 2020, Project Literacy has done the
following:
• Paired 24 tutors and learners for online tutoring with an additional three tutor and learner pairs-originally paired pre-COVID-making the switch from in-person tutoring to online tutoring within the first few weeks of the SIP.
• Provided volunteer-led Conversation Clubs via Zoom for our non-native English speaking learners (3 clubs per month).
• Provided free children’s books to Family Literacy Services learners at curbside pickup.
• Held volunteer tutor trainings (a total of 26 volunteer tutors completed the trainings).
• Screened and assessed learners for enrollment into Project Literacy (a total of 28 enrollees).
• Supported tutor and learner pairs by providing them with online tutoring strategies, online reading and writing resources, e-books, and
e-audiobooks to use in tutoring sessions.
• Held Tutor Roundtable Meetings via Zoom for tutors’ professional development.
• As of September 2021, we are in the process of hiring a Family Literacy Services assistant who will help us build a more robust Family Literacy Services program and we are seeking volunteer help to start a weekly drop-in, online class for adult learners who are waiting to be matched with a volunteer tutor.
d. Funding: CLLS administers funding to all qualified library literacy programs throughout California using the CLLS Funding Formula (ATTACHMENTS titled California Library Literacy Services’ Funding Formula). CLLS funding is used for both Adult Literacy Services and Family Literacy Services. To ensure that Project Literacy’s Adult Literacy Services and Family Literacy Services receive an appropriate share of CLLS funds, allocation to Adult Literacy Services and Family Literacy Services is based on our annual report of the previous fiscal year to CLLS. CLLS then splits the funds according to numbers of adult learners receiving either Adult Literacy Services instruction or Family Literacy Services instruction. Allocation of this split in funds is noted in CLLS’ yearly award packet letter sent to the Library Director and Project Literacy Coordinator (see ATTACHMENTS titled 2021-2022 CLLS Award Packet - San).
Historically, funding for Project Literacy goes directly to the library, in one lump sum, to be overseen and spent at the discretion of the Project Literacy Coordinator according to allocation set forth by CLLS. This year funding will be disbursed in two payments. The first $100,285 is comprised of 100% of the Family Literacy Services award and 90% of the Adult Literacy Services Award. The second disbursement will be the remaining 10% of the Adult Literacy Services award after the completion of the mid-year report to CLLS.
CLLS money is earmarked and to be solely used by and for Project Literacy to support ongoing literacy tutoring and literacy services. All expenditures are tracked by the Project Literacy Coordinator, who reports expenditures to the California State Library in the mid-year report and the annual end-of-year report.
Project Literacy funding must be spent according to certain state guidelines,
(see ATTACHMENTS titled California Library Literacy Services’ Allowable and
Unallowable Expenses, June 2020).
If approved, the state grant allocation will be $104,178 along with the local share of $90,899 already programmed into the FY 2021-22 budget. The allocation from both CLLS and the city will ensure the continuation of ongoing literacy services and programs of Project Literacy. The allocation from CLLS will provide salaries and benefits for Project Literacy staff, technology improvements, material acquisitions, and operational needs per the terms of the CLLS Allowable and Unallowable Expenses, June 2020 guidelines. The allocation from the City of San Leandro will provide salaries and benefits for Project Literacy staff.
Staff requests that the City Council approve appropriation of $104,178 for continuation of the service.
Fiscal Impacts
This Special Grants Fund award will require no increase in funding beyond what is currently programmed into the City Council approved Fiscal Year 2021-22 Library operating budget. Not approving this grant would have adverse impacts on program delivery to a vulnerable community within the city.
Budget Authority
This Special Grants Fund (Fund 150) program will deposit all Project Literacy grant revenues into the State Grants revenue account 150-3607 to help offset corresponding expenditures in the designated Project Literacy account 150-68-019. Council previously authorized Project Literacy program funding for FY2021-22 on June 28, 2021 as part of the adoption of its biennial budget.
Previous Actions
• Reso 2021-096 - Biennial Budget Adoption, Fiscal Years 2021-22, 2022-23
ATTACHMENT(S)
• California Education Code Title 1, Division 1, Part 11, Chapter 4.6, Section 18880-18883.
• California Library Literacy Services’ Funding Formula.
• 2021-2022 CLLS Award Packet - San Leandro.
• California Library Literacy Services’ Allowable and Unallowable Expenses, June 2020.
PREPARED BY: Alex Velasquez, Project Literacy Coordinator, Library Department; Armando Rivera, Senior Librarian - Adult Services, Library Department; Bill Sherwood, Library Manager, Library Department; Brian Simons, Library Director, Library Department