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Santa Barbara County Education Office4400 Cathedral Oaks Road. P.O. Box 6307. Santa Barbara. Califomia 93160-6307(805) 964-4711 • fAX: (805) 964·4712 • Direct Dial: 964-4710 plus extension

SANTA BARBARA

County Education OfficeWillillm t: Cirone, Superintendent

~Service and Leadership •. www.sbceo.org

June 28,2011 RECEIVED

OCT -62011Honorable Judge Arthur A. GarciaAssistant Presiding JudgeSanta Barbara Superior Court312 East Cook Street

. Post Office Box 5369Santa Maria, CA 93456-5369

BY:--:---'---:---

Dear Judge Garcia:

. Subject: Response to the 2010-11 Grand Jury Report: "Where is the Truancy Program in SantaBarbara County? Truancy is Troubling ... for Everyone"

The Grand Jury is to be commended for identifying and responding to the truancy issue in SantaBarbara County schools, and applauded for its focus on collaborative work with the DistrictAttorney's Office, the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO), and the individualschool districts countywide. SBCEO is well aware that school attendance impacts studentachievement, and that truancy handicaps the likelihood of success for those students whostruggle. We agree that the District Attorney's Truancy Program, which operated from 2000-08,contributed to getting students to school, educating parents about mandatory attendance, andproviding leverage for districts to implement measures that helped reduce truancy and impactstudent behavior. We also agree that the budget crisis has crippled the county and schooldistricts' ability to deliver a wide range of critical services, including this important area.

Here are our responses to your fmdings and recommendations.

Finding I: The only truancy programs in use today in the County of Santa Barbara are thoseindependently developed and managed by individual districts or schools.

Agree.

Recommendation IbThe Santa Barbara County Office of the District Attorney report the results quarterly of thetruancy intervention letters data, to the Santa Barbara County Education Office and all SantaBarbara County school districts.

ResponseWe support this recommendation, though implementation of this recommendation is outside thescope of the Santa Barbara County Education Office as it would be the District Attorney's Officethat is called on to report the data.

Hon. Arthur A. GarciaJune 28, 2011Page 2

Recommendation IcThe Santa Barbara County Education Office in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Officeof the District Attorney, Santa Barbara County elementary, secondary, and unified schooldistricts, immediately develop a countywide program to reduce truancy, by reinstating the SchoolAttendance Review Boards.

ResponseThis is a two-part recommendation; Part one has been implemented and part two will not beimpleme~ted because it is not warranted or not reasonable.

Part one: The first part of the recommendation refers to developing a county program to reducetruancy. There is an important distinction between developing a countywide program to reducetruancy and developing a program that will reduce truancy countywide. We have been heavilyinvolved with the latter, along with the District Attorney's Office, in terms of working

. cooperatively to address truancy with vastly reduced resources available. The District Attorneyhas attended monthly superintendents meetings to discuss the topic with school districtsuperintendents from throughout the county, and in partnership with our office, the DistrictAttorney has sent a Request For Proposal (RFP) to all districts countywide to develop truancyprevention and intervention partnerships between individual districts and the District Attorney.(See attachments #1 and 2, District Attorney Dudley's March 3 letter to superintendents and myApril 6 transmittal letter to District Attorney Dudley regarding the responses from thosedistricts). So far, partnerships are being developed between the District Attorney's Office andthe Guadalupe and Santa Maria-Bonita school districts.

Part two: Truancy is a local school district issue. Different districts have greatly varying needs,constraints, student issues, neighborhood issues, grade levels, and approaches. We stronglydisagree with the second part of the recommendation if it implies a single, countywide SchoolAttendance Review Board (SARB), which would impose across-the-board solutions that do nottake into account unique district circumstances and requirements. A countywide SARB is anineffective solution that precludes individual approaches and is therefore not in the best interestsof students. A countywide SARB is particularly ineffective without the direct support of theDistrict Attorney and Probation departments, which are unable to provide that support due tosevere budget cutbacks. Local SARBs at the district level would be one of several tools thatdistricts could choose to pursue to address their specific and unique student needs.

Recommendation IdThe Santa Barbara County Office of the District Attorney, working with the Santa BarbaraCounty Education Office, and the Santa Barbara County school districts, implement truancyenforcement countywide for all Santa Barbara County schools ..

ResponseTruancy enforcement is outside the scope of the County Education Office.

/

We are happy to work with the District Attorney's Office in any way that would be helpful inthis area. Cost estimates and budgetary commitments need to be firmly identified and adopted aspart of the action plan because without these crucial steps, any new enforcement plan wouldultimatel y fail. . .

Hon. Arthur A. GarciaJune 28, 2011Page 3

Finding 2: There currently is no available federal or state funding for truancy programs.

Agree, to the best of our knowledge.

Recommendation 2b:Each Santa Barbara County school district provide in its budget a proportional share, based onthe number of students, to the Santa Barbara County Office of the District Attorney to assist infunding an enforceable truancy program for all Santa Barbara County schools. .

.ResponseRecommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable.

The County Education Office has no authority over how individual school districts use theirlimited resources. At it time of staggering budget deficits, with schools receiving the largestpercent of state cuts, it is unrealistic to expect school districts or the county office to come upwith additional resources to fund this program. Educational entities at every level simply do nothave the resources to redirect to this area, especially given that they have needed to cutinstructional days from the school year, increase class sizes, eliminate programs and summer

. school, and layoff scores of teachers. .

Funding for public schools in California is lower than it was in 2008-09, resulting in a rise of 30percent in schools filing "qualified" or "negative" budget certifications from the first interim tothe second interim in 2010-11 (source: School Services of California, June 14,2011). Theschools in Santa Barbara County are operating at critically low funding levels, resulting in severedetriment to their primary mission: educating students. The recommendation to have schoolsdivert funding away from already weakened classrooms is not reasonable during a period of themost draconian cuts to education.

Recommendation 2c:The Santa Barbara County Education Office provide, in its budget, match the school districts'share to the Santa Barbara County Office of the District Attorney to assist in funding anenforceable truancy program for all the Santa Barbara County Schools.

ResponseRecommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted or is not reasonable.

For the reasons listed earlier, there is no source of funding for this measure, as the CountyEducation Office programs have suffered the same cutbacks as district programs. Truancy is alocal community problem and the costs and solutions should be negotiated at the school district,city, and county level, taking budgetary constraints into account. While enforcement is aresponsibility of the District Attorney's Office, SBCEO remains committed to facilitatecoordination, communication, and partnerships among the districts, the District Attorney'sOffice, and other agencies. As previously stated, this facilitation has already begun, with theDistrict Attorney attending superintendents meetings, working cooperatively with our office indeveloping a RFP that invites districts to work on local partnerships to address the issue in atargeted, effective manner. The Santa Barbara County Education Office recognizes theseriousness of truancy and will continue to collaborate by providing consultation and assistancein helping local districts address their truancy problems.

Hon. Arthur A. GarciaJune 28, 2011Page 4

In summary, we appreciate the Grand Jury's attention to the critically important matter oftruancy. It is a large and complicated issue that affects young lives and the communities wherethey live. We agree it is tragic that in these times of utter austerity, crucial programs, like thetruancy prevention efforts, have fallen to the budget axe. The County Education Office iscommitted to continuing its collaboration with The District Attorney's Office, Probation, theschool districts and the municipalities to craft feasible programs in a time of budget crisis.

Thank you for your time, support, and recommendations .

.Sincerely, "

.~~

William J. Cirone.. County Superintendent of Schools

WJC:phAttachments

c: Joni Gray, ChairSanta Barbara County Board of Supervisors .

Kathryn D. McKee, Foreperson2010-11 Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury

OFFICEOF THEDISTRICT ATTORNEY

COUNTYOFSft~TABARBARAJOYCE E. Du'DLEY

District Attorney

ANN L. BRAMSENClli~fMsi,Wlf District '>'"<'Illey

J. GORDON AllClilNCLOSSl'lric:f Deputy Di •••ricr AUom.y

STEPHEN P. FOLE\'Chier£kjlulyD~! AUorney

KlMnR.~ MCCARTHYArlnlini~rativ~ D~

IflLARY M. OOZERChiefDeputyDisIricIAI1orr.ey

RONALD J. Z()NENC!liefIA'j>Illy Oioi1U:I Aft ••.ecy

DAVID M. SAUNDERSCJrief Invegjg;ifTJr

March 3, 201 1

To: District Superintendents

From: Joyce E. Dudley, District Attorney

Re: RFP for Truancy Measures

I am writing to inform you that the District Attorney's office is prepared to assist in any waypossible with the critical issue of truancy. Please consider this letter a Request for Proposals(RFP) regarding truancy, including proposals that involve prevention, early diversion,intervention, and prosecution. Our office will review all proposals and determine if there is anyway in which we can provide assistance.

Specifically, we are offering the full support of the District Attorney's office to you in any waythat would be useful, including support for early diversion programs at the elementary level thatwould include parenting classes or any proposals you deem appropriate; south county officespace as needed; and general resources of the District Attorney's Office from the lawenforcement side.

We are well aware that community collaboratives are extremely promising as well, and willconsider any way in which we might provide assistance in that area.

I encourage you to shape any of your ideas into a one-page proposal and submit it to CountySuperintendent Bill Cirone, whose office will be collecting the proposals and helping coordinatethe program. We will consider all proposals received by April I, 2011.

We no doubt share the belief that truancy does serious harm to students in a wide variety ofways, and that the seeds for truant behavior are planted at a very young age. We believe that byworking in partnership and tapping into existing resources, our institutions will be in a betterposition to make progress in this critical area.

I look forward to any proposals you have for our consideration.

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Santa Barbara County Education Office4400 Cathedral Oaks Road. P.O. Box 6]07. Santa Barbara. California 93160·6307(805) 964·471 ( • fAX: (805) 964,4712 • Direct Dial: 964·4710 plus extension

SI,NTA BARSARri

County Education OfficeWjllimn ). Cirone, Superintende»!

Seruice and Leadership • UJUJw.sbceo.org

April 6, 20 II

TO:

FROM:

Joyce Dudley

Bill Cirone =tiA ~RE: Truancy RFP Responses

Attached are two responses to the RFP for Truancy Measures you sent to Superintendents.(The RFP is attached for reference.)

One is from Guadalupe, a K-8 district, and asks that the District Attorney's Officeparticipate as a partner in the Community Collaborative they are setting up with fundingsupport from First 5. Since they are in a planning year, the proposal is not very specific.Being very general however, fits the guidelines as we told the districts that your officewould meet, plan, and negotiate specific truancy prevention program support. Ido believeGuadalupe is an excellent candidate for a joint program and it is worth taking this to thenext step-an exploratory planning meeting with Hugo Lara and his team.

Also attached is a proposal from the Santa Maria-Bonita District, a K-8 district. They haveattached their current truancy program which has resulted in an amazing 96 percentattendance rate. Building on this program, they would like to explore a partnership withthe District Attorney's Office to enhance the existing program that would include bothparent education and prosecution. Ibelieve an exploratory meeting with Phil Alvarado andhis team is worthwhile, given the demographics, the fact that Santa Maria Bonita is thelargest district in the county, and their track record in addressing truancy.

In summary, the RFP resulted in two proposals that offer potential for partnership anddevelopment.

We are willing to assist and participate in any way that is helpful.

WJC:mawAttachmentsc: .Ian Clevenger