Learning Communities for School Success Program (LCSSP)

California Department of Education (CDE)

Agency: State

GrantWatch ID #184584

Grant Description

Grants to California K-12 school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education for programs to reduce school absenteeism and dropout rates. Funding is intended to support activities that keep at-risk students in school, such as restorative justice, social-emotional learning, PBIS, culturally responsive practices, and trauma-informed strategies.

The goals of the Learning Communities for School Success Program (LCSSP) are to support evidence-based, non-punitive programs and practices aimed at keeping the state’s most vulnerable pupils in school. These programs and practices must complement and enhance the actions and services identified to meet the LEA’s goals as provided in their LCAP.

An LEA/consortium that receives a grant shall use the grant funds for planning, implementation, and evaluation of activities in support of evidence-based, nonpunitive programs and practices to keep the state’s most vulnerable pupils in school. These activities shall complement or enhance the actions and services identified to meet the LEA’s goals (regardless if the LEA is applying alone or part of a consortium), as identified in its LCAP pursuant to EC sections 47606.5, 52060, or 52066, as applicable. These activities may include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

Establishing a community school, as defined in EC Section 33435. “Community school” means a public school that participates in a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships with one or more community partners for the delivery of community services that may be provided at a school site to pupils, families, and community members.

Implementing activities or programs to improve attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism, including, but not limited to, early warning systems or early intervention programs.
Implementing restorative practices, restorative justice models, or other programs to improve retention rates, reduce suspensions and other school removals, and reduce the referral of pupils to law enforcement agencies.
Implementing activities that advance social-emotional learning, positive behavior interventions and supports, culturally responsive practices, and trauma-informed strategies.
Establishing partnerships with community-based organizations or other relevant entities to support the implementation of evidence-based, nonpunitive approaches to further the goals of the program.
Adding or increasing staff within an LEA whose primary purpose is to address ongoing chronic attendance problems, including, but not necessarily limited to, conducting outreach to families and children currently, or at risk of becoming, chronically truant.
Establishing programs or activities addressing significant community-wide crime problem by implementing interventions addressing the negative impact of the high crime rate on students.

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Eligibility:

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)

Additional Eligibility Criteria:

Applicant agencies are limited to LEAs within the State of California that serve students in K–12, inclusive. This includes school districts, all charter schools, and county offices of education (COEs) in their role as providers of direct student services in COE-operated schools.

All applicants and consortium members must have a CDE-assigned County/District/School (CDS) identification code and must be classified as an active LEA by the CDE.

All eligible LEAs may apply for a LCSSP grant. In selecting grant recipients, statute requires that priority be given to an LEA that meets any of the following criteria:
- Has a high rate (i.e. exceeding the state average) of chronic absenteeism, out-of-school suspension, or school dropout for (1) the general pupil population or (2) for a numerically significant pupil subgroup as identified in the LEAS's LCAP.
- Is in a community with a crime rate that exceeds the state average.
- Has a significant representation (i.e. 15 or more enrolled students) of foster youth among its pupil enrollment.
- Where all schools within an LEA are not included in the grant, eligibility will be based on districtwide data rather than on only the participating schools.

Multiple LEAs may choose to form a consortium submitting a single application. LEAs are encouraged to form a program consortium when the resulting program efficiencies facilitate program success for each consortium member. If multiple LEAs choose to apply as a consortium, each consortium member must be identified as a priority LEA according to the criteria stated above. For more information about consortium applications, see page 10 of the RFA in the Supporting Documents section below.

Individual schools are not eligible to apply. Only the LEA may apply on behalf of an individual school or schools within the LEA’s jurisdiction.

Community agencies, private schools, individual public schools, and state special schools are not eligible to apply for a LCSSP grant. They may, however, participate as a grant partner.

Grant funds are intended to complement and enhance existing programs and must not be used to supplant other local or state funds now being used for existing staff or activities. Funds cannot be transferred to any other program account.

Funds may not be used for:
- Law enforcement activities, including personnel or equipment.
- Expenditures for land, buildings, or other intangible capital assets, including items acquired through leases with option to purchase and capitalized equipment costs in excess of $5,000. Applicants are encouraged to review Procedure 770, Distinguishing between Supplies and Equipment, in the California School Accounting Manual (CSAM) for further discussion regarding capitalized equipment, noncapitalized equipment, and supplies. This manual can be downloaded from Supporting Documents below.
- Telephone systems, fax machines, and telephones, including cell phones and landlines.
- Purchase of vehicles.
- Travel outside of the United States or to banned states, as specified by state travel rules. California state law restricts the use of state general funds to pay for travel costs to states that have laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
- Childcare—possible exceptions are allowed, with evidence that the provision of childcare is necessary to implement a programmatic intervention strategy or training event conducted beyond normal school hours or off site for students, staff, or parents.
- Clothing.
- Food—possible exceptions are allowed, with evidence that the provision of food is necessary to implement a programmatic intervention strategy or training event conducted beyond normal school hours or off site for students, staff, or parents.
- Preparation, delivery, and travel costs associated with the application.

Pre-proposal Conference:

A webinar for prospective applicants is scheduled to be held on Friday, April 8, 2022. Any LEA/consortium interested in applying may participate. The webinar will provide information regarding the application and application process.

To sign up for the webinar and receive the required login information, send an email with “Webinar” in the subject line.

Pre-Application Information:

Timeline:
- March 14, 2022: Request for Applications (RFA) released and posted on the California Department of Education (CDE) website.
- March 30, 2022: Intent to Submit form must be emailed.
- April 8, 2022: Webinar for prospective applicants.
- May 12, 2022: Applications must be received at the CDE, by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) via email (see Application Submission Procedures).
- May 2022: Scoring of applications
- June 10, 2022: Preliminary list of grantees announced
- June 24, 2022: Appeals must be received at the CDE
- July 2022: Grant Award Notifications processed

LEAs may submit only one application per funding cycle.

An LEA/consortium that receives a grant is required to provide cash expenditures or in-kind matching funds or services equal to at least 20 percent of the total grant award. LEA/consortiums are encouraged, to the extent possible, to exceed the 20 percent match requirement enabling it to sustain the activities or programs supported by the grant beyond the three-year grant period. The 20 percent match shall be included separately in the Project Budget and shall not be calculated as part of the proposed grant total.

RFA: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r17/lcsspcohort6rfa.asp

Background: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r8/documents/lcsspprojdes.asp

Further information: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/schoolsuccess.asp

Additional Funding Information:

Estimated Size of Grant:

Funded applicants may receive up to $50 per year per student enrolled in the LEA in accordance with the following minimum/maximum funding levels for the 3-year period:
- For LEAs with 100 or less enrolled: Minimum of $15,000 ($5,000 per year)
- For LEAs with 101 or more enrolled: Maximum of $2,000,000 ($666,666 per year)

Contact Information:

Please email the Intent to Submit form to the California Department of Education at LCSSP@cde.ca.gov.

Submit applications to the email address listed above.

Program Questions: Lisa Reimers, email: LCSSP@cde.ca.gov, phone: 916-319-0729

Downloading Questions: Neda Ismail, email: LCSSP@cde.ca.gov, phone: 916-319-0729