FILE:  DCBB

Cf:  DC, DCB

SYSTEMWIDE NEEDS PROGRAM

The Orleans Parish School Board shall establish a Systemwide Needs Program pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:100.12. The purpose of the Systemwide Needs Program is to support initiatives that shall result in districtwide improvements in areas that can be more efficiently and effectively addressed at the system level than at the school level. The School Board shall authorize the Superintendent to create an office to manage and oversee the Program.

The School Board shall create a special fund for the purpose of dedicating money to the Program and shall annually deposit funds into the special fund pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:100.12.  The School District and School Board shall only make expenditures from the special fund as outlined in this policy and state law.  If, at the end of a fiscal year, any funds remain in the special fund, then those funds shall roll-over and remain in the special fund for the subsequent fiscal year.

The office created to manage and oversee the Program shall receive funding from the special fund in as provided by La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:100.12. To the extent that funds are available, the office shall perform the following functions:

1. Oversee the planning, development, engagement, and execution of the improvement plans provided for herein below;
   
   

2. Collect, analyze, and report on systemwide needs program performance data;
   
   

3. Track key plan and program outputs, performance outcomes, and expenditure of funds;
   
   

4. Monitor service offerings by funding recipients and tracking performance objectives;
   
   

5. Perform administrative tasks related to the competitive process provided for herein below, data management, and program budgeting; and
   
   

6. Oversee contract development and management.

The Systemwide Needs Program shall support one or more areas of focus according to an improvement plan developed by the Superintendent and approved by the School Board.  The improvement plan shall:

1. Be for a minimum of three (3) years;
   
   

2. Be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the School Board to impact at least fifty percent (50%) of Orleans Parish public school students or fifty percent (50%) of Orleans Parish public schools over the course of the plan;
   
   

3. Include related performance objectives; and
   
   

4. Include information on the proposed level(s) of funding to be dedicated to one or more area(s) of focus.

In administering the Systemwide Needs Program, the Superintendent shall strive to ensure the following:

1. That funds for the Systemwide Needs Program are coordinated with other funds to increase the effectiveness of the Program and
   
   

2. That as many schools as possible are able to participate in and/or benefit from the Program.

COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOL LEADERS

School leaders as used in this policy shall refer to the chief officer of a school organization or a designee of that chief officer.

Pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:100.12, prior to presenting proposed improvement plans and areas of focus to the School Board for approval, the Superintendent shall develop such plans and proposed areas of focus in collaboration with school leaders. Through school leader engagement, the Superintendent and School District administration shall seek to gather additional insight about the school system’s collective school-based needs.

At a minimum, collaboration with school leaders shall include the following activities, which shall occur prior to the Superintendent’s initial presentation of plans for improvement and areas of focus during a School Board Accountability and Charters Committee meeting or full School Board meeting:

1. District administration shall distribute a survey to all school leaders to collect suggestions for and feedback on potential areas of focus.  The survey may include areas of focus and relevant supporting data proposed for preliminary consideration by school leaders.
   
   

2. District administration shall hold an initial convening open to all school leaders to review the survey outcomes, propose any additional areas of focus for consideration, gather feedback to prioritize all proposed areas of focus, and identify outstanding questions for discussion.
   
   

3. District administration shall hold at least one (1) subsequent convening open to all school leaders to hold follow up discussions regarding the priorities and outstanding questions raised in the initial convening.

In addition to the convenings detailed above, School District administration shall hold a final convening open to all school leaders to review and discuss the Superintendent’s intended improvement plan, proposed areas of focus, performance objectives and any district use of funds to be presented to the School Board.  The School District administration shall demonstrate how school leader feedback and input was considered when developing the proposal.

In addition to, but not in lieu of, the minimum requirements, the School District administration may hold additional convenings and/or establish and convene one or more working groups of school operators and leaders, Superintendent advisory council members, and/or other stakeholders.

SCHOOL BOARD APPROVAL AND REPORTING

After collaboration with school leaders, the Superintendent shall present the proposed areas of focus and corresponding improvement plan to the School Board for approval as follows:

1. The Superintendent shall publicly present the proposed areas of focus and improvement plan for review to the Accountability and Charters Committee of the School Board or at a full School Board meeting.
   
   

2. No sooner than one month after the Superintendent’s presentation of the proposed areas of focus and the improvement plan to the Accountability and Charters Committee of the School Board or at a full School Board meeting, the Superintendent shall submit the proposed areas of focus and improvement plan to the School Board for approval at a public meeting of the School Board.

3. Annually, the district administration shall publicly report, at a School Board meeting, on the performance objective(s) and the expenditure of funds of the Systemwide Needs Program.
   
   

4. The Superintendent shall propose area(s) of focus and improvement plans to the School Board for approval every three years and no more frequently than once every three years.

EXPENDITURE/AWARD OF FUNDS

The Superintendent may implement an approved plan by expending Program funds directly and/or by selecting service providers and/or school operators to implement the pan.

If the Superintendent elects to expend funds directly to implement the plan the following shall be completed:

1. The School District administration shall notify all schools in writing of its intent to expend funds directly. This notice should include but is not limited to the value of funds to be expended and their purpose.
   
   

2. The School District administration shall publicly announce, at a School Board meeting, the intent to use funds directly and the value and purpose of the funds.

If the Superintendent elects to award funds to service providers to implement the plan, the Superintendent shall select award recipients through a competitive process.  Any competitive process shall meet the following requirements at a minimum:

1. Such a process shall seek business and bids from all eligible service providers, regardless of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, veteran-status, national origin, age, or disability.
   
   

2. The School District administration shall notify the public and prospective service providers of its intent to award funds for the School Board- approved areas of focus and improvement plan by announcing such intent at a full School Board meeting and by advertising its process on the School Board’s website.

3. The School District administration shall publicly announce, at a School Board meeting, the recipients that receive awards as a result of this competitive process and the rationale for designating such recipients.

In cases where schools are eligible to compete for awards, then the Superintendent shall implement a competitive process to award such funds to schools that includes following:

1. The School District administration shall notify all schools in writing of its intent to award funds to schools for such purposes and such notice shall include a rubric that the district administration shall use in determining awards.
   
   

2. The School District administration shall provide all applicant schools written rationale for award decisions.
   
   

3. The School District administration shall, in writing, provide all schools with a timeline for determining such awards.
   
   

4. The School District administration shall publicly announce, at a School Board meeting, the schools that have received such awards and the rationale for designating such schools as recipients.

Pursuant to law, recipients of funds from the Systemwide Needs Fund shall demonstrate that at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the funds it will expend to achieve its proposal are from sources other than the Systemwide Needs Fund.

Pursuant to state law, funds awarded to schools may be used only for the following purposes:

1. Procuring materials, services, or other supports from district-approved organizations or vendors.
   
   

2. Providing services for students systemwide that are aligned with one or more School Board-approved areas of focus.

New policy: August 22, 2019

Revised:  March 21, 2024

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann §17:100.12

Board minutes, 8-22-19, 3-21-24

Orleans Parish School Board