S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         5443
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                     May 16, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
       AN ACT in relation to establishing the Beacon School  Pilot  Program  in
         New York city schools
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
    2  the "New York City Beacon School Act".
    3    S 2. Legislative findings. Gun violence and gang activity has become a
    4  severe  issue in the United States as a whole, specifically in New York,
    5  Los Angeles, Detroit, and Chicago.  In  most  cases,  youth  join  gangs
    6  because  they  feel  they  need  protection,  they  want to be accepted,
    7  respected or all of the above. Through various youth development  initi-
    8  atives  and  programs  we can create an environment that will meet these
    9  needs for young people in urban communities and thus reduce gang and gun
   10  violence. Beacon offers New York city youth with a place to grow through
   11  challenging activities, caring relationships, and  opportunities.    The
   12  youth  development  quality  of the Beacon environment results in higher
   13  self-esteem among youth, increased leadership skills, and higher  expec-
   14  tations  by staff and youth for behavior and performance. Beacon reduces
   15  the likelihood of students to cut classes, bullying,  and  other  crimes
   16  against persons or property. Beacon also provides important services and
   17  activities  for  neighborhood adults including sports, physical fitness,
   18  basic  education,  English-language  instruction,  GED  preparation  and
   19  computer  instruction.  Beacon creates cohesion between youths, parents,
   20  community organizations and businesses, engaging  the  community  in  an
   21  effort to reduce gang and gun violence.
   22    S 3. Purpose. The purpose of this act is to provide all public elemen-
   23  tary and secondary schools located in New York city the structure, flex-
   24  ibility  and  support necessary to operate under the Beacon school model
   25  to:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD11054-01-3
       S. 5443                             2
    1    1. enable public schools and community partners, including public  and
    2  private  agencies,  community  based  organizations,  local  government,
    3  institutions of higher education, families, after school program provid-
    4  ers, summer program providers, museums, libraries,  and  other  cultural
    5  institutions  and  civic  organizations, to leverage their resources and
    6  prepare the community they serve to compete in today's global economy;
    7    2. reduce the incidents of gun and gang violence in the New York  city
    8  community  by providing the activities and education necessary to engage
    9  the community; and
   10    3.  provide  funding  for  the  expansion,  and  the  continuation  of
   11  results-driven partnerships that align numerous funding streams, includ-
   12  ing  public  and  private funding, and leverage existing funding to make
   13  every New York city public school into a Beacon school.
   14    S 4. Definitions. As used in this act the following terms  shall  have
   15  the following meanings:
   16    1. "Beacon" shall mean a community center located in public elementary
   17  and  secondary  school  buildings,  offering  a  range of activities and
   18  services to participants of all ages, before and after  school,  in  the
   19  evenings, and on weekends.
   20    2.  "Host  school" shall mean the point of entry for all Beacon activ-
   21  ities located within a neighborhood.
   22    3. "Neighborhood" shall mean the community zoned to the public school.
   23    4. "Community based organization" shall mean any organization incorpo-
   24  rated for the purpose of  providing  services  or  other  assistance  to
   25  economically  or  socially  disadvantaged  persons within its designated
   26  community. Such organization shall have a board of  directors  of  which
   27  more  than half of such members shall reside in such designated communi-
   28  ty.
   29    5. "Community advisory council" shall mean the advisory council estab-
   30  lished by the host school.
   31    6. "Neighborhood organization/institution for profit or not-for-profit
   32  organization" shall mean any such organization which had  been  approved
   33  by  the  host  school  and  advisory  council to participate in programs
   34  offered at the Beacon center.
   35    S 5. The Beacon school model. 1. Every public elementary and secondary
   36  school shall be empowered to  use  funds  whether  public,  private,  or
   37  otherwise,  to  transform the host school into a Beacon school, in order
   38  to: (i) improve student achievement in the school;  (ii)  create  incen-
   39  tives  to grow and sustain community partnerships so that the school and
   40  community work together to  improve  student  academic  achievement  and
   41  social  and  emotional well-being; and (iii) decrease youth gang and gun
   42  violence in the community.
   43    2. Programs under the Beacon school model shall  include  but  not  be
   44  limited  to  recreational programs, social services, educational enrich-
   45  ment, and vocational activities.
   46    3. All Beacon schools shall  address  youth  development  programming,
   47  academic support and enhancement, parent involvement and family support,
   48  and  neighborhood  safety and community building as determined necessary
   49  by the host school and community advisory council.
   50    S 6. Beacon advisory council. 1. Each Beacon shall develop  and  main-
   51  tain  an  advisory  council  as  defined  in  this  section to guide the
   52  programming and activities of the Beacon center.
   53    2. The council shall provide governance and serve as an organizing and
   54  market vehicle for participation in the Beacon center.
   55    3. The goal of the council shall be to enable  the  Beacon  center  to
   56  maintain  close  ties to the host school and the community to strengthen
       S. 5443                             3
    1  the focus on  supporting  educational  achievement  and  other  positive
    2  outcomes for youth and families.
    3    4.  Council members shall be volunteer representatives from the commu-
    4  nity committed to participating in the discussion, planning, and  imple-
    5  mentation  of  ideas, activities, and programs that further the goals of
    6  the Beacon center in the five areas of: (i) leadership development, (ii)
    7  academic enrichment, (iii) family strengthening, (iv) personal  capacity
    8  building in community residents and (v) the reduction of violence.
    9    5.  The  council  shall maintain a membership which is consistent with
   10  the Beacon Middle School  Initiative  launched  by  the  New  York  City
   11  Department of Youth and Community Development.
   12    S  7. Duties of the council. The council is charged with the following
   13  tasks: participate in the assessment and development  of  Beacon  center
   14  programming  needs;  assist  with  initial  and  regularly updated needs
   15  assessments to guide the  development  of  Beacon  programming  that  is
   16  responsive  to  priority  community  needs and interests; participate in
   17  evaluating the effectiveness of Beacon services  and  recommend  program
   18  improvements;  conduct  ongoing efforts to elicit evaluative information
   19  from residents on Beacon center activities and services via satisfaction
   20  surveys,  focus  groups,  interviews,  and  other  evaluation   methods;
   21  complete  advisory  council  training  designed  to build capability for
   22  leadership and self-monitoring; conduct a minimum of 1  council  meeting
   23  per  month  for  a total of at least 12 meetings per year; assist in the
   24  review and planning of Beacon center programming; develop support in the
   25  community for Beacon center activities and convey  ideas  and  feedback;
   26  identify  and facilitate needed linkages and promote cultural competence
   27  in services; work directly with the youth division of the  local  police
   28  department  and  the  New  York  city  department of juvenile justice to
   29  implement programming and activities to address gang/gun/youth violence,
   30  youth re-entry, and methods for educational/vocational success.
   31    S 8. The city of New York shall provide annual funding to support  the
   32  implementation  of  Beacon  schools. This funding shall be matched in an
   33  amount equal to that provided in an appropriation by the state.
   34    S 9. This act shall take effect on the three hundred  sixty-fifth  day
   35  after it shall have become a law.