1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: May 23, 2023
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Marisa Garcia , Park , Recreation and Community Services Director VIA: Paula Ohan, Senior Administrative Analyst
BY: Cathryn LaBrado, Recreation Services Manager
SUBJECT: Approval of Multi -Year Reimbursement Agreements with Family Service Agency for the School Based Counseling Program and with Boys and Girls Club for the Drop-In Middle School Program
RECOMMENDATION
Approve multi-year reimbursement agreements with the Family Service Agency (FSA) of Burbank for School-Based Counseling Services and Boys & Girls Club (BGC) of Burbank and Greater East Valley for the Drop-In Middle School Programs, to be paid for by annual expenditures up to $270,000 for a period of three years from the youth services holding account.
BACKGROUND
At the March 18, 2014, City Council (Council) meeting, Parks and Recreation (P&R) staff presented a report regarding the history of the former Burbank Youth Task Force and the annual youth services funding recommendation process. Following the subsequent disbandment of the Yout h Task Force, staff recommended that the Council continue considering multi-year reimbursement agreements for the FSA School-Based Counseling and BGC Drop -In Middle School Programs. Ultimately, Council approved recurring funding in the amount of $245,000 f or FSA and $25,000 for BGC for a period of three years, including Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 -2015, FY 2015-2016, and FY 2016 -2017. At the conclusion of the three-year agreements, Council approved one -year agreements in FY 2017-2018, FY 2018-2019, and FY 2019-2020. Most recently, Council approved a three- agreement that covered FY 2020-2021, FY 2021-2022, and FY 2022-2023. The existing reimbursement agreements with FSA and BGC are set to expire on June 30, 2023.
Per Council’s request, the reimbursement a greements include specific contract provisions that require both organizations to use performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of respective programs. Staff works closely with executive staff from each
2 organization to ensure that all provisions in the reimbursement agreements are met, and performance metrics are satisfied. Annual reports from each organization are included as Attachment 1 and Attachment 2.
DISCUSSION
Family Service Agency – School-Based Counseling:
The School-Based Counseling Program has operated since 2002 and provides a variety of counseling services to elementary, middle and high school students throughout the Burbank Unified School District (BUSD), including individual, family and group counseling. Students may be referred for counseling by teachers, counselors, administrative staff and/or through self -referral. During the 2021-2022 school year, FSA serviced over 2,400 students directly through the School -Based Counseling Program.
FSA also continues to oper ate mental health and wellness centers at Burbank High School and Burroughs High School. These mental health and wellness centers serve as an avenue for high school students to self-refer for immediate support and guidance. The wellness centers have been extremely successful at both high schools, with the centers averaging over 100 visits per day.
As required by the existing reimbursement agreement, FSA provides the City with an annual report at the culmination of each school year that includes financial information as well as qualitative and quantitative data assessing the impact of their program on students and families. The data provided strongly suggests that FSA is providing a valuable and necessary service to the youth of Burbank. The Sc hool-Based Counseling Program is well established in the community and the success of the program depends on FSA’s fundraising as well as monetary contributions from BUSD ($30,000 per year) and the City.
If approved by Council, the P&R Director will enter into a new three-year reimbursement agreement with FSA that will apply to FY 2023-2024, FY 2024-2025, and FY 2025-2026.
A draft reimbursement agreement with FSA has been included (Attachment 3).
Consistent with the existing FSA reimbursement agreement, the draft reimbursement agreement provides that the City will annually reimburse FSA up to $245,000 for costs related to the School-Based Counseling Program, with the City’s right to terminate or amend the agreement upon changes to the City’s overall funding for youth services.
Moreover, if FSA ceases to provide program services, the reimbursement agreement automatically terminates and FSA shall not be entitled to any further reimbursement by the City. A summary of FSA’s obligations under the agreement is below, specifically highlighting what FSA will be contractually required to provide the City:
▪ Quarterly provide the City with itemized financial reports for the school-based program, which may include but are not limited to, administrative costs, labor costs, and program costs per child; and
▪ Annually provide the City with FSA’s most recent approved budget, audited annual statement, and IRS 990 form;
▪ Annually provide the City with a variety of information to indicate the program’s effectiveness. Information will include:
o Statistics on the actual numb er and percentage of students served at elementary, middle, and high school levels;
3 o The average number of hour(s) spent counseling per student in individual and group counseling sessions;
o The total number of students referred and the manner in which the student was referred to the school-based counseling program (ex. court, police/probation, teacher/school counselor, etc);
o General issues/topics of counseling provided.
FSA will also continue to provide the City with an Annual Report at the culmination of the school year that will include a variety of assessment results. Assessments will be completed by the students receiving counseling services (when age appropriate), parents, and referring agents such as teachers, counselors, and administrators.
Boys & Girls Club – Drop-In Middle School Program:
BGC has provided the Drop-In Middle School Program at Dolores Huerta Middle School (Huerta) and John Muir Middle School (Muir) since 2010 and Luther Burbank Middle School (Luther) since 2011. The BGC drop -in after school program is currently the only supervised program available on campus for students at Huerta and Muir, while Luther also has the After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program. In addition to the Drop- In Middle School Program, the BGC also offer s a wide variety of teen programs at their main club site, including College Bound, Junior Staff and Teen Nights. The BGC’s presence on the middle school campuses allows them to continue to build connections with students and support their development as t hey become active members of the community.
As required by the existing reimbursement agreement, BGC provides the City with an Annual Report at the end of each school year that includes financial information as well as qualitative and quantitative data a ssessing the impact of their program on students, parents, and teachers. The data provided on a yearly basis strongly suggests that the Drop-In Middle School Program is vital to ensur ing that middle school students have an option for supervised care after school. The BGC continues to have strong attendance numbers for these programs , and they depend largely on monetary contributions from outside organizations, including the City. In school year 2021 -2022, BGC attendance averaged 108 students per day across the three school sites , with a total program enrollment of 244 students.
If approved by Council, the P&R Director will enter into a three -year reimbursement agreement with the BGC that will apply to FY 202 3-2024, FY 2024-2025, and FY 2025- 2026. A draft reimbursement agreement with the BGC has been included for review (Attachment 4). Consistent with the existing BGC reimbursement agreement, the draft reimbursement agreement provides that the City will reimburse BGC up to $25,000 annually for costs related to the Drop -In Middle School Program, with the City’s right to terminate or amend the agreement upon changes to the City’s overall funding for youth services. Moreover, if BGC ceases to provide Program services, the reimbursement agreement autom atically terminate s and BGC shall not be entitled to any further reimbursement by the City. A summary of BGC’s obligations under the agreement follows, specifically highlighting what BGC will be contractually required to provide to the City:
4 ▪ Provide the City with an Annual Report, including financial data and specific budget information pertaining to the Drop-In Middle School Program; ▪ Provide the City with quarterly reports including financial data and program participation/attendance; and
▪ Provide the City with a variety of survey results that aim to measure the program’s effectiveness. BGC will survey parents, teachers, and students/participants with a different survey for each group.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This activity has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and as such, is not a “project” subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) 14 Cal. Code Regs § 15378.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Youth Services Holding Account (001.PR31F.62970.000) has an annual budget of $270,000. Under the proposed reimbursement agreements, the FSA will receive up to $245,000 and BGC will receive up to $25,000 annually, provided Council approves funding through the budget process on an annual basis.
CONCLUSION
The programs provided by FSA and BGC have had significant positive impacts to Burbank youth. The City’s continued financial contribution to these programs is an important component of their success. Should the Council approve the reimbursement agreements, staff will continue to work closely with each organization to monitor program effectiveness and overall impact. It should also be noted that while the proposed reimbursement agreements require FSA and BGC to maintain a program agreement (FSA) or an approved use of facilities application with BUSD, both organizations are currently in the process of executing those documents for the 202 3-2024 school year.
Included in Attachments 3 and 4 are the existing documents that FSA and BGC have in place for the 2022-2023 school year.
Based on years of success and positive impacts on the Burbank community, staff supports the continued City funding of the FSA School-Based Counseling Program and BGC Drop -In Middle School Program and recommends Council approve multi -year reimbursement agreements with both organizations.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 - FSA Annual Reports
Attachment 2 - BGC Annual Reports
Attachment 3 - Proposed Reimbursement Agreement with Family Service Agency Attachment 4 - Proposed Reimbursement Agreement with Boys & Girls Club