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CONSENT CALENDAR
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: April 16, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Bill Gallardo, Interim City Manager;
Ed Erjavek, Library Director
Department: Library
Subject: Adopt Resolution Accepting $53,642 in Library Literacy Program ESL Grant Funding (All Wards)
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2025-275:
1. Accepting annual grant funding of $53,642 for FY 2024/25 and FY 2025/26 for the English as a Second Language (ESL) grant program from the California State Library’s California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) Program.
2. Authorizing the Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the adopted FY 2024/25 Operating Budget for the Library’s Literacy program including adjusting the ESL budget to appropriate the revenues and expenditures for the remaining $35,443 of funding received as only $18,199 was appropriated in the FY 2024/25 budget adopted by the Mayor and City Council on June 26, 2024.
Executive Summary
The Library received the ESL Grant Award Letter in January 2024 but $35,443 for revenues and expenditures primarily for personnel were not appropriated in the FY 2024/25 budget adopted by the Mayor and City on June 26, 2024, so this action is a correction. These grant funds do not have any match requirement and as a result, there is not any impact to the General Fund.
Background
The San Bernardino Public Library (SBPL) has a Literacy Department at the Feldheym Central Library, in the Jack L. Hill Lifelong Learning Center, that is mostly grant funded. Other grants the Literacy Department receives include:
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Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding via California Dept. of Education:
The federal funding from WIOA that is disbursed by the California Department of Education helps support staffing in order to offer one-on-one basic English tutoring for adults looking to improve their reading, writing, or English-speaking skills: and citizenship history and interview test preparation.
California State Library’s California Library Literacy Services These grants help support staff funding as well as material supplies for programs and learners. These supplies and staff allow the Jack L Hill Lifelong Learning Center to offer additional tutoring and programs for adults whose first language is English but still need help with improving their reading and writing skills in order to be successful in their careers and daily lives. Funding is also provided to offer programs for learners and their families to teach new skills and ways to interact and support their family members and community.
When the FY 2045/25 budget was adopted by the Mayor and City Council on June 26, 2024, only $18,199 for revenues and expenditures were appropriated for Maintenance and Operations for the ESL Program but not the remaining $35,443 that was primarily to go to Personnel costs, including salaries and benefits, so this is a correction.
Discussion
The Library utilizes CLLS ESL grant funding for multiple purposes. Most importantly, the funding helps support wages and benefits for the full-time department staff. The funding is also used to purchase workbooks and other materials for adult ESL learners to help them improve their literacy skills. CLLS ESL funding is also used to help support the purchase of databases such as Reading Horizons and Pronunciator.
With any additional funds left over, the department staff is able to purchase supplies that support and enhance their job functions to help educate learners to the best of the Library's ability.
2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
The acceptance and administration of this funding aligns with Key Target No. 1:
Improved Financial and Operational Capacity - Improved Quality of Life, with customer service.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact to the General Fund in FY 2024/25 and FY 2025/26 with the acceptance of this grant as there are no fund match requirements.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2025-275:
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1. Accepting annual grant funding of $53,642 for FY 2024/25 and FY 2025/26 for the English as a Second Language (ESL) grant program from the California State Library’s California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) Program.
2. Authorizing the Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the adopted FY 2024/25 Operating Budget for the Library’s Literacy program including adjusting the ESL budget to appropriate the revenues and expenditures for the remaining $35,443 of funding received as only $18,199 was appropriated in the FY 2024/25 budget adopted by the Mayor and City Council on June 26, 2024.
Attachments
Attachment 1 Resolution 2025-275
Attachment 2 CLLS ESL Grant Award Letter for FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26 Ward:
All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
November 6, 2024 Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopted Resolution No. 2024217, approving accepting grant funding of $50,000 from the California Department of Education (CDE) and a “block grant” of $73,200 for Adult and Family Literacy Services from the California State Library’s California Library Literacy Services (CLLS). Authorizing the Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the FY 2024/25 Operating Budget for the Literacy program including adjusting the CDE budget to account for any differences in the estimated grant funding versus the actual grant funding received and
appropriating $73,200 of grant funding in both revenues and expenditures for the California Adult and Family Literacy Programs.
June 26, 2024 Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopted Resolution No. 2024-142 approving the City of San Bernardino’s Fiscal Years 2024/25 and 2025/26 Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Plan including partial
appropriation of ESL funding for Fiscal Years 2024/25 and 2025/26.
May 1, 2024 Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopted Resolution No. 2024092, authorizing the Director of Finance and Management Services to amend and appropriate $29,786 in grant funding from the California Department of Education in both revenues and expenditures to the Fiscal Year 2023 – 2024 Operating Budget for the Workforce Innovation and 2 6
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Opportunity Act, Title II: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act program. This was one-time supplemental funding.
October 4, 2023 Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California adopted Resolution No. 2023-148 approving grant funding in the amounts of $99,287 from the California Department of Education; $60,719 for Adult Literacy Services, $20,615 for Family Literacy Services and $43,642 for English as a Second Language from the California State Library for Literacy Program services.
August 16, 2023 Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, approved the following: A technical correction of the grant funding that was accepted on November 2, 2022 (Resolution No. 2022- 231). Increasing the Library Department authorized staffing by two full-time positions one Assistant Literacy Program Coordinator and one Library Assistant for FY 2023/24.
November 2, 2022 Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution No. 2022-231 of the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California:
1. Accepting grant funding in the amounts of $141,840 from the California Department of Education; $67,465 for Adult Literacy Services, $22,906 for Family Literacy Services and $53,642 for English as a Second Language from the California State Library for Literacy Program services. 2. Authorizing the Agency Director of Administrative Services to amend the FY 2022/23 Adopted Budget for the Literacy Program including appropriating $53,642 in both revenues and expenditures for the new English as a Second Language Program and adjusting the Grant Fund budget to account for differences in estimated grant funding and actual grant funds received.
March 2, 2022 Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution 2022-45 of the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California authorizing the acceptance of grant funding in the amount of $87,752 from the California State Library's California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) and authorizing the Director of Finance to amend the FY 2021/22 adopted budget for revenue and
expenditures to appropriate the funding.
Dec. 1, 2021 Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, accepted the Fiscal Year 2021/22 First Quarter Report and adopted Resolution No. 2021-289, authorizing an amendment to the FY 2021/22 General Fund Operating Budget in the amount of $414,500, which included authorizing acceptance of grant funding in the amount of $128,828 from the California
Department of Education.