FYSCP 2018 - Legislative Report

California Department of Education
Report to the Governor and the Legislature:
Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program
Executive Summary

This report is required by California Education Code (EC) Section 42923(b).

In 1981, the Legislature recognized that a high percentage of foster youth were achieving significantly below grade level, were being retained at least one year at the same grade level, or were dropping out of school. In response, the Legislature declared that the instruction, counseling, tutoring, and provision of related services for foster youth would be a state priority.

In fall 2013, California implemented a historic shift in how it funds its public schools through the adoption of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). This new funding system significantly increases funding for high-needs students and provides greater flexibility to local educational agencies (LEAs) in how to meet the needs of these students. In March 2017, the California State Board of Education (SBE) and CDE launched the new California accountability system, the California School Dashboard (Dashboard). For the first, time foster youth were uniquely identified as a high-needs student subgroup on the Dashboard. The Dashboard provides parents, educators, and members of the public annual information about the performance of districts, schools, and student groups, including foster youth. LEAs are now required to identify in their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) how resources, including LCFF supplemental and concentration grant funds, will be leveraged to best serve students in foster care.

Recognizing the need to align the existing county structure of support for foster youth to a system focused at the LEA level, the Legislature enacted Chapter 781, Statutes of 2015 (Assembly Bill [AB] 854) which amended California EC sections 42921–42927, establishing the Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program (FYSCP). This legislation further defines the approach for county agencies and LEAs to collaboratively meet the educational needs of foster youth. To support this realignment, the Budget Act of 2015 (Senate Bill [SB] 97 Line Item 6100-119-0001) increased the foster youth allocation by an additional $10 million for a total of $25.4 million. The goal of the increased appropriation was to provide integrated educational services to pupils in foster care. The Budget Act of 2018, AB 840, allocated $26.5 million for the FYSCP.

The purposes of the FYSCP are to increase the overall capacity of the education community in counties, to expand access to services, and to assist LEAs in the delivery of direct services for foster youth with the goal of improving educational outcomes.

This report recommends the continuation of the FYSCP. Since these county-administered programs were developed, foster youth educational outcomes have improved, new policies and programs have been developed and implemented at the LEA and county level, and the program has dramatically improved the coordination of foster youth services among county agencies. The development of Executive Advisory Councils (EACs) and formal interagency agreements allow for coordination of foster youth services and the implementation of new policies and practices that have braided resources and eliminated redundant services among county agencies. The county FYSCPs also supported the development of school district and charter school transportation plans as required by Section 6312(c)(5) of Title 20 of the United States Code, of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Report to the Governor and Legislature 2018 (PDF)