Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #1034FY0102

City of Jacksonville, Truancy Interdiction Program

Requester:

Judith Truett

Organization:

City of Jacksonville, Community Services Dept.

Project Title:

City of Jacksonville, Truancy Interdiction Program

Date Submitted:

1/17/2002 1:39:53 PM

Sponsors:

Stephen Wise

Statewide Interest:

Education, Crime Prevention, and Juvenile Deliquency.

Recipient:

City of Jacksonville

Contact:

Daniel D'Alesio, Jr.

117 W. Duval Street, Suite 210

Contact Phone:

(046) 301-2124 186

Jacksonville 32202

Counties:

Duval

Gov't Entity:

Yes

Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit):

Project Description:

Services to be provided and activities to be supported by Funding:

1.� Intake staff,� equipment, supplies, and transportation support for the operation of three Truancy Centers on the Southside (Southside Middle School site), Northside (A.P. Randolph Academy site), and Beaches Truancy Center (Boys and Girls Club site across from Fletcher High School). These Truancy Centers will provide effective intervention for both habitual truants (as defined by law), and for other children who are beginning to engage in truancy behavior.�

2.� Availability of counselors and case managers to serve the three Truancy Centers for immediate crisis intervention, counseling, and referrals of truants and parents.� These services will benefit not only habitual truants, but will also fill a gap for children who are beginning to engage in truant behavior, but do not meet the statutory criteria necessitating referral to Absentee Intervention Teams (Child Study Teams).� Funded case managers will provide follow-up services and support to truant children and their families

TIP Partners.� City of Jacksonville� (Department of Community Services), Duval County Schools, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, State Attorney's Office, Department of Juvenile Justice, the Beaches municipal police departments, the Youth Crisis Center, the Beaches Full Service Schools Oversight Committee, and Communities in Schools, Inc

Truancy is a gateway behavior to delinquency, and is associated with crimes� committed during school hours.� In 1998, Jacksonville became the first community in the nation to implement a Juvenile Justice Comprehensive Strategy (Comprehensive Strategy), utilizing the innovative, research-based, data-driven, architecture developed by the U.S. Department of Justice.� Centered around a dynamic coalition of government and community leaders,� providers, funders, media, and faith-based organizations, the Comprehensive Strategy focuses on minimizing risk factors, and enhancing protective factors in order to reduce juvenile crime.�

Statistical indicators reviewed by the Comprehensive Strategy revealed that Jacksonville had significant problems with student absenteeism, academic failure, and rising juvenile crime. The Comprehensive Strategy recommended the creation of a proactive truancy program, the establishment of truancy centers, and creative interventions to reduce truancy, increase student and parent commitment to school,� and reduce juvenile crime.� Recognizing that no single entity can solve truancy problems, a collaborative partnership entitled, the "Truancy Interdiction Program" (TIP), was formed in 1998.� TIP is a dedicated partnership of City government, law enforcement agencies, the Duval County Public School Board, the State Attorney's Office, human services providers, businesses, the faith community, and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.�

Innovative elements of TIP: (a) data-based decision-making process of the Comprehensive Strategy; (b) focus on reduction of priority risk factors and enhancement of protective factors to reduce truancy and juvenile crime; (c) maximizing existing resources without duplication; (d)� effective student and family interventions; (e) application of total quality methodology for continuous process

improvement; and (f) three (3) fully-functioning truancy centers to more efficiently provide for in-depth intervention within the 841 square miles of the consolidated City of Jacksonville, including its Beaches communities.

Measurable Outcome Anticipated:

General Outcomes Expected:� The funding under this proposal will: (a) reduce juvenile crime and violence by intervening in truancy behavior - a gateway behavior to delinquency; (b) help deter and prevent the onset of truancy; (c) assist the TIP partners in intervening effectively to reduce habitual truancy; (d) improve attendance and academic achievement of habitual truants; (e) reduce truancy recidivism; (f) enhance student and family commitment to school; (g) enhance school safety; (h) increase promotion and graduation rates; (i) increase the opportunity for more truants on the Northside, Westside, and Beaches area of Duval County to receive more intensive, initial� intervention through a Truancy Center; (j) substantially reduce the transportation time necessary to transport truants who may be picked up� within the 841 square mile jurisdictional limits of the Consolidated City of Jacksonville (the largest city in land area in the United States); (k) increase professional counseling and case-management services for truancy intervention; (l) help make the Jacksonville TIP program a "best� practice" model for replication throughout the State of Florida and the nation

Specific Outcomes Anticipated:

1.�������� Percentage of truants with subsequent improved attendance (Target 75%)

2.�������� Percentage of truancy recidivism (target not to exceed 13 %)

3.�������� Percentage of parents/guardians successfully responding to the Truancy Center calls to pick up a truant child (Target of 90%)

4.�������� Percentage of� parent/guardians who rate their satisfaction with Truancy center process an average score of "good" or better on survey forms (Target of 90%)

5.�������� Reduction in absenteeism rate for Duval County Schools below the State of Florida average.

Amount requested from the State for this project this year:

$200,000

Total cost of the project:

$475,000

Request has been made to fund:

Operations

What type of match exists for this project?

Local

Cash Amount:

$100,000

In-Kind Amount:

$175,000

Was this project previously funded by the State?

Yes

Fiscal Year:

2000

Amount:

$250,000

Is future-year funding likely to be requested?

Yes

Amount:

$205,000

Purpose for future year funding:

Recurring Operations

Will this be an annual request?

Yes

Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?

No

Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?

No

Is there a documented need for this project?

Yes

Documentation:

Truancy database, school records, and juvenile crime statistics.

Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?

Yes

Hearing Body:

Duval Legislative Delegation

Meeting Date:

12/4/2001