| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #1464 | |||||||||
| City of Jacksonville Truancy Interdiction Program | |||||||||
| Requester: | Ms. Judith A. Truett | Organization: | City of Jacksonville, Community Services Department | ||||||
| Project Title: | City of Jacksonville Truancy Interdiction Program | Date Submitted | 1/14/2003 3:26:38 PM | ||||||
| Sponsors: | Don Davis | ||||||||
| Statewide Interest: | |||||||||
| Crime prevention, education and juvenile delinquency | |||||||||
| Recipient: | City of Jacksonville | Contact: | Thomas P. Moyer | ||||||
| 117 West Duval Street, Suite 210 | Contact Phone: | (904) 630-1212 | |||||||
| Jacksonville 32202 | |||||||||
| Counties: | Duval | ||||||||
| Gov't Entity: | Yes | Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): | |||||||
| Project Description: | |||||||||
| Truancy Interdiction Program (TIP) Proposal: Funding support for the continuation of the City of Jacksonville, Truancy Interdiction Program as indicated below: Activities 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. Placement of a master's level counselor at each Truancy Center 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. Truancy is a gateway behavior to delinquency, and is associated with crimes commited 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 minimzing risk factors, and enhancing protective factors in order to reduce juvenile crime. Statistical indicatiors reviewed by the Comprehensive Strategy revealed that Jacksonville had significant problems with student absenteeism, academic failure, and rising 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. After reviewing the results of a pilot program, TIP began full implementation in school year 1998/1999. TIP partners participated in data analysis, process management review, process mapping, and other total quality procedures to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the program, and to enhance the solidarity and scope of the collaborative effort. The TIP process, including the operation of truancy centers, efficiently uses law enforcement to identify and intercept truants, without detracting from other important law enforcement duties. TIP enhances the quantity and quality of counseling, educational, and family management interventions in order to increase truant and parent commitment to school, reduce truancy recidivism, and thereby help to reduce juvenile crime. 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) expansion of the number of 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. General Outcomes Expected: The funding under this proposal will (a) reduce juvenile crime and violence by intervening in truancy behavior - a gateway behavior to delinqency; (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; (1) help make the Jacksonville TIP program a "best practice" model for replication throughtout the State of Florida and the nation. | |||||||||
| Is this a water project as described in Chapter 2002-291, Laws of Florida? | No | ||||||||
| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: | |||||||||
| a. Percentage of truants with subsequent improved attendance (Target 50%) b. Percentage of truants with subsequent attendance problems such as tardiness (Target not to exceed 15%) c. Percentage of truancy recidivism (target not to exceed 15%) d. Percentage of parents/guardians who successfully respond to the Truancy Center calls to pick up a truant child (Target of 95%) e. 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%) f. Reduction in absenteeism rate for Duval County Schools below the State of Florida average. | |||||||||
| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: | $380,000 | ||||||||
| Identify item(s) in the FY 2003-04 Appropriations Bill to be reduced: | |||||||||
| Specific Appropriation #: | 1190 | ||||||||
| Specific Appropriation Title: | Legislative initiatives to reduce and prevent juvenile crime | ||||||||
| Amount to be reduced: | $380,000 | ||||||||
| Total cost of the project: | $525,000 | ||||||||
| Request has been made to fund: | Operations | ||||||||
| What type of match exists for this project? | Local | ||||||||
| Cash Amount | $ | In-kind Amount | $145,000 | ||||||
| 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: | $428,000 | To Fund: | Operations | ||||
| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? | Unknown | ||||||||
| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? | Unknown | ||||||||
| Is there a documented need for this project? | Yes | ||||||||
| Documentation: | TIP database, school records and juvenile crime statistics. Mandated under F.S. Section 984 | ||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||
| Hearing Meeting Date: | 11/13/2002 | ||||||||