Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout98-200 Resolution No. 98-200 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF A LETTER OF AGREEMENT WITH THE KANE COUNTY REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS, that Joyce A. Parker, City Manager, and Dolonna Mecum, City Clerk, be and are hereby authorized and directed to execute a Letter of Agreement on behalf of the City of Elgin with the Kane County Regional Office of Education for a grant to assist in the funding of the Truancy Program, a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part hereof by reference. s/ Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly, Mayor Presented: August 26, 1998 Adopted: August 26, 1998 Omnibus Vote: Yeas 7 Nays 0 Attest: s/ Dolonna Mecum Dolonna Mecum, City Clerk KANE COUNTY REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION CLEM MEJIA County Government Center Superintendent ` • �: ••• 719 S. Batavia Avenue 06(4.411 101 .''~ '[ Illinois 60134 -..�► , Geneva, JULIE VALLEJO " A'rlyw' Phone:(630) 232-5955 Asst Superintendent �``�` Fax:(630)206.5115 LETTER OF AGREEMENT Chief Charles A. Gruber Elgin Police Department 151 Douglas Avenue Elgin,Illinois 60120 Dear Chief Gruber, This letter of agreement and understanding is for the Truancy Programs. My office has agreed to cooperate with your department in the following: 1.) We will fund $20,000.00 to assist in the funding for the Truancy Program for the 1998/99 school year. Payments in the amount of$10,000.00 will be sent to you on July 31, 1998 and September 15, 1998. The Elgin Police Department would be expected to perform duties as assigned by your department. We would ask that the officer be expected by you to communicate,collaborate and cooperate with the Kane County Regional Office of Education and our truancy-at-risk staff. This would include but not be limited to: visiting and/or accompanying our youth outreach workers to identified homes/locations of students referred for truancy services, attending school and/or regional conferences with students and parents present, attending court when available,providing in-service training to ROE staff/or parents on at-risk youth issues,and submitting and discussing date, reports, and evaluations of the program with the Regional Superintendent of Schools or designee. AGRE TO BY THE CITY 0 LGIN Yours in Education, • By 6 c Ci Ma ger Attest: Pat D Santo Kane County Regional Office of Education Director,Alternative Programs `�y OF EtCi 4. \tip z City of Elgin Agenda Item No vqo "firIRUA°'�, August 3, 1998 TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Joyce A. Parker, City Manager SUBJECT: Intergovernmental Agreement/Truancy with Kane County PURPOSE The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the Mayor and members of the City Council with information to consider entering into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Kane County Regional Office of Education for a grant to assist in funding the Truancy Program in the City of Elgin. The Kane County Regional Office of Education has proposed a grant of $20, 000 for the 1998-99 school year. BACKGROUND In 1997 City Council approved the Truancy Ordinance and entered into a truancy program partnership with School Dis- trict U-46 and the Kane County Regional Office of Education for the 1997-98 school year. The program was established to assign a Police/Truancy Officer to focus on the problem of truancy and juvenile crime . Kane County provided a grant of $20, 000 to assist in the effort to hire back police offi- cers . The pilot program in the 1997-98 school year showed a significant effort, highlighted as follows : Officers made approximately 569 contacts related to truancy. The effort identified 86 chronic truants with final disposi- tions as follows : Improved attendance - 32 Moved from the district boundaries - 11 Referred to court - 16 Dropped from school - 9 Truant conduct continued to be a problem - 6 Referred to counseling - 2 Transferred from school district - 2 Suspended or expelled from school - 2 Home school/other alternatives to complete education - 6 In the 1997-98 school year, the school liaison officers and the deans ' offices were used to identify truant students . It was eventually learned that the best contact point in identi- fying the truants was through school district personnel in charge of attendance . The chronic truants and their habits Grant for Truancy Program August 3, 1998 Page 2 rw. allowed for officers to work with them and their families . Of the 86 chronic truants, 32 gained improved school attendance . Working with truants is considered a prevention technique . Students that stay in school are less likely to be involved in crime-related activity. The program was initiated in the second half of the 1997-1998 school year, of which 189 . 5 hire back hours were utilized. The intent for the 1998-99 school year is to double the number of hours . The $20, 000 grant will allow up to 500 hours of hire back time. During the first month of school, two officers will be scheduled at least three times a week to provide immediate attention to previously known chronic truants as well as identify any potential students that may be headed in that direction. After school has been in session for a couple of months, the hours will then be varied. GROUPS/INTERESTED PERSONS CONTACTED Mr. Clem Mejia, Kane County Regional Office of Education; Ms . Patricia Dal Santo, Kane County Regional Office of Education; and Mr. Paul Patterson, Northeast Area Superintendent, U-46 School District . PI- n4 FFINANCIAL IMPACT The $20, 000 grant will assist in offsetting existing police staff salaries that will be associated with the program. ‘044LEGAL IMPACT None . ALTERNATIVES The grant could be refused, and the cost of the Truancy Program would have to be addressed with existing staff and funds would be expended from the current budget . RECOMMENDATION The recommendation is to authorize execution of the Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreement with the Kane County Regional Office of Education for a $20, 000 grant to assist in funding the Truancy Program. ' -spectfully sub itted, r .' ' Q ' I•T ce 'IA. Parker . City Manager JL/mf KANE COUNTY REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION CLEM MEJIA " = County Government Center Superintendent . ••• g 719 S. Batavia Avenue Geneva, Illinois 60134 JULIE VALLEJO Phone:(630) 232-5955 ZATty►!l ice, Asst Superintendent ' Fax:(630) 208.5115 LETTER OF AGREEMENT Chief Charles A. Gruber Elgin Police Department 151 Douglas Avenue Elgin, Illinois 60120 Dear Chief Gruber, This letter of agreement and understanding is for the Truancy Programs. My office has agreed to cooperate with your department in the following: 1.) We will fund $20,000.00 to assist in the funding for the Truancy Program for the 1998/99 school year. Payments in the amount of$10,000.00 will be sent to you on July 31, 1998 and September 15, 1998. The Elgin Police,Department would be expected to perform duties as assigned by your department. We would ask that the officer be expected by you to communicate,collaborate and cooperate with the Kane County Regional Office of Education and our truancy-at-risk staff. This would include but not be limited to: visiting and/or accompanying our youth outreach workers to identified homes/locations of students referred for truancy services,attending school and/or regional conferences with students and parents present, attending court when available,providing in-service training to ROE staff/or parents on at-risk youth issues,and submitting and discussing date, reports,and evaluations of the program with the Regional Superintendent of Schools or designee. AGRE : TO BY THE CITY 0 LGIN Yours in Education, ... By , Y Ci Ma- ger Attest: Pat D Santo Kane County Regional Office of Education Director,Alternative Programs ,.„ MEMORANDUM TO: Lt. McCurtain FROM: Sergeant Henry Smith SUBJECT: Report on the Pilot Truancy Program DATE: July 8, 1998 - in January of 1998, the Juvenile Division implemented our Pilot Truancy Prevention Program. This program was a result of a collaborative effort between the Elgin Police Department, the Kane County Superintendents Office, School District U-46 and Elgin Area Family Services. As a part of out collaborative effort, the City Council approved an Elgin Municipal Code Ordinance that rendered it unlawful for anyone under the age of 18 who is subject to compulsory education or compulsory continued education to loiter unsupervised in public between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on days when schools are in session, Students who were found in violation of this City Ordinance, were charged and faced a hearing process in the local branch court. This provided us with the enforcement mechanisms necessary to address the truancy issue. In our initial proposal, we requested funding from the City Counsel to hire a police officer for the purpose of Curfew Ordinance Enforcement, Coordination of the Program and Monitoring of the Disposition of those Truancy Cases referred to court. The funding for the Truancy Officer was not approved by the City Counsel; therefore, it was decided to use funds provided by the Kane County Superintendents Office for the Truancy Program for the purpose of a Hire Back Detail. The Hire Back Detail was developed for the purpose of making home visits regarding truant students. Those officers were also involved in some preventive patrol efforts similar to that of the Curfew Program as well. These officers made daily contacts with various Elgin area schools and performed several tasks related to Truancy Enforcement and follow-up with parents and schools. We also assigned a Juvenile Officers to coordinate this program. This officer had initially been assigned to the Curfew Program and we anticipated his expertise in working with Curfew Program and the local branch court would • assist us in development with the enforcement aspect of the Truancy Program. This officer was also given a task of collecting data as it relates to the schools, juveniles and parents contact as a result of the Truancy Program. There were 19 officers assigned to the Truancy Detail as a result of the Hire Back Program. These officers worked a total of 189.5 hours. ( The cost of the Hire Back Detail can be provided by the Police Departments Administrative Staff). The Hire Back Detail started during the month of January and the dates were alternated from month to month, rotating Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to Tuesdays and Thursdays. For example, during the month of January the officers worked Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. During the month of February they worked Tuesdays and Thursdays continuing this process through the month of May. There was a total of 17 schools contacted as a result of the Truancy Program. (See the attached list of schools). . The officers involved in this program made approximately 569 contacts regarding truancy. These contacts consisted of contacts with schools, students and parents. As a result of our detail and truancy efforts, there were 20 juveniles arrested for juvenile related incidents as well as truancy during the Pilot Program, Of those contacts' two were referred to the Peer Jury Program, one to the Consequences Program and four to Counseling with the Elgin Social Service Department. We also identified 86 chronic truants and monitored those students and were in contact with those students for the entire Truancy Pilot Program process, Statistics on the contacts with those 86 students will follow later in the report. There are also 26 incident reports generated as a result of the Truancy Program. In our initial proposal, we had identified one specific area that we want to target regarding the Truancy Program. That area was daytime vehicle burglary. During the first quarter of the year 1998 we were able to make a comparison of vehicle burglary arrests to the year 1997. Crime Analysis statistics show that in 1997 there were 90 vehicle burglaries reported. In 1998 there were 54 vehicle burglaries reported, showing a percentage change of-67%. We also noted during this same time span that in 1997 there were 14 arrests of juveniles ages 1-16 and in 1998 there was one juvenile arrested. A percentage r` change again of a -93%. These vehicle burglaries and arrest statistics were taken from the hours of 0800 to 1600 hours during the time period noted. (See the attached graph risk information). In an effort to develop the feed back from the schools, we sent out an evaluation form regarding the Pilot Truancy Program. Of 17 evaluations sent out at the time of this report, we have received 10 responses. Overall, the evaluations received from the area schools were positive. in summary, all thought that the program was needed and that they would like to see the program continue for the school year 1998-1999. They also noted in the evaluations that the officers involved in the program were very helpful. in summarizing the suggestions for improvement in the program, overall most anticipate seeing the program at the offset of the school year 1998-1999, It is our belief that if we continue the program as we have with the Hire Back Detail that this could help set the tone and reduce the number of truancies experienced by the Elgin area schools for the school year 1998-1999. A summary report on the 86 chronic truants: After identifying 86 students who were chronic truants, officers involved in the program r'ri""tracked these students and the final dispositions on those students are as follows: 1. Improved attendance 32 2. Moved from school district boundaries 11 3. Referred to court 16 4. Dropped from school 9 5. Truant conduct continued to be a problem-6 6. Referred to counseling-2 7. Transferred from school district-2 8. Suspended or expelled from school-2 • Section Other: which includes; Students being referred to night school programs. Students being referred to GED program. r* Home School and other Alternatives to complete their education.-6 In conclusion, overall we feel that our Pilot Program proved to be very successful. For what we were able to learn in terms of contacting schools, development of proactive approach with parents and students and in court referral process. All provide for important mechanisms to improve the program for the school year 1998-1999. We also anticipate being able to enhance the approach developed in the Pilot Program to have a greater impact and develop a better method of feed back and communication with those schools in the Elgin area. We anticipate with the additional funding received from the Kane County Superintendents Office, also to be able to implement our computer tracking program, again that will assist us in collecting data on truants for a quicker response to proactive measures of impacting this problem. r few 4