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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution - 3488 - Grant Application - USED - Library Literacy Projects - 11_08_1990Resolution #3488 November 8, 1990 Item #15 JCR:da RESOLUTION BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LUBBOCK: THAT the Mayor of the City of Lubbock BE and is hereby authorized and directed to execute for and on behalf of the City of Lubbock a Grant Appli- cation and associated documents for library literacy projects by and between the City of Lubbock and the U.S. Department of Education, which grant application shall be spread upon the minutes of the Council and as spread upon the minutes of this Council shall constitute and be a part of this Resolution as if fully copied herein in detail. Passed by the City Council this 8th ATTEST: tte Boyd, City `Secretary APPROVED AS /TO /CONTENT: Rita Harmon, Assistant City Manager APPROVED AS TO FORM: J-ofin C. Ross, Jr., City Attorney day of November 1990. e c Xf. B. C. McMINN, MAYOR Pl- 341�s'__Z OMB Approval No. 0348-004. APPLICATION FOR 2. DATE SUBMITTED FEDERAL ASSISTANCE November 9, 1990It'Ww 1. TYPE OF SUBMISS10f4: s. DATE RECEIVED BY STATE Slate Application Identilisr Application Preapp;icatiarl ❑ Construction ❑ Construction 4. DATE RECEIVED BY FEDERAL AGE IiCY Federal Identifier (� Non -Construction ❑ Non -Construction 1. APPLICANT INFORMATION Legal Narns: Unit: City of Lubbock, Texas Address (give, city, county, state, and zip code): Fandhone number of the person to be contacted on matters involving Lubbock City -County Library (give ams code) Rippe; 1306 9th Street 806-767-2822 Lubbock, TX 79401 a. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (EIN): F. TYPE OF APPt1CAW.- (ent@i appeopHals ;@lisp in box) El 9 A. State H. Independent School Dist. 6 0�0 0 5 v l B. County 1. State Controlled Inslitutlon of Highw Learning x C. Municipal J. Private Unlversity, O. Township K Indian Tribe L TYPE OF APPLICATION �j New ❑ Continuation ❑ Revision E Interstate L. Individual F. Intermunicipal M. Profit Organization 4 Raision, enter appropriate letters) in box(es): ❑ ❑ O. Special District N. Other (Specify): A. Increase Award B. Decease Award C. Increase Duration D. Oacrease Duration Other (sp@city): 6. NAME OF FEDERAL AGENCY. U.S. Department ter. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC A=SfANCE NUMBER: 8 4 • 1 6 7 11. DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF APPLICANT'S PROJECT: Closing Date: 11/09/90 _- Application for Fiscal Year 19S1. Federal nTLE'LSCA VI Library Literacy Program grant funds to be used between October 1, 1991 and September 30, 1992 to fund library 13L Apt" APFEC'TED BY PROJECT (Citi@s, counties, states. @sc.): literacy projects. Lubbock County, TX IS. FOOP03ED PROJECT: 14. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS OF: " Star; Data Ending Date a. Applicant : b. Project 10/01/91 09/30/92 19th Texas :19th Texas IL ESTIMATED FUNDING: 19. IS APPLICATION SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY STATE EXECUTIVE Ow DER 1217E PROCESS? a YES. THIS PnEAPPLICATIOWAPPLICATION WAS MADE AVAJLASLE TO THE a Federal S .00 34,935 STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER t2372 PROCESS FOR REVIEW ON: DATE to Applicant S '00 10,400 . c Suter / .00 1 000 b NO. ❑ PRORAM IS NOT COVERED BY E.O. 12372 d Local / .00 ❑ OR PROCiPAM HAS NOT BEEN SELECTED BY STATE FOR REVIEW e 011aY / .00 500 f. Program Income 1 .00 IF. IB THE APPLICANT DELINQUENT ON ANY FEDERAL DEBT? ❑ Yes N 'Yov.' attach an explanation. "allo g TOTAL 1 .00 46,835 111. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF, ALL DATA IN THIS APPLICATIORPREAPPLICATION ARE TRUE AND CORRECT, THE DOCUMEW HAS BEEN ONLY AtTIgR12ED BY THE GOVERNING BOOY OF THE APPLICANT AND THE APPLICANT WILL COMPLY WITH THE ATTACHED ASSURANCES IF THE ASSISTANCE IS AWARDED a. Typed Name of Aulhorized Representative b. Title c Telephone number B. C. MQMinn Mayor 806-767-2009 d Signature of Autlwrized Represantative a Date Signed C p evwua rtinns Nnt sa _ - - Standard Form 424 IREIV 4 88 H1 Auml;aized for Local Reproductlon Prescribed by UMU ;.ocular A•10. A DOMD AOM APPLICANT: Lubbock City -County Library 1306 Ninth St. Lubbock, Texas 79401 TITLE OF PROJECT: Lubbock Read to Achieve PROJECT DIRECTOR: Jeffrey Rippel Director, Lubbock City -County Library REQUESTED FUNDING: $34,935 PROJECT PERIOD: October 1, 1991 to September 30, 1992 C T T MM AD V. The purpose of the Read to Achieve project is to reduce the incidence of illiteracy in Lubbock County. The Reading Achievement center in the Lubbock City - County Library coordinates literacy efforts and serves as a referral center for those needing literacy assistance. The project co-ordinator recruits volunteers, arranges for their training, monitors student progress, and secures instructional space in the library and elsewhere. Read to Achieve will also provide organizational assistance to groups -- including clubs, churches, and businesses -- wishing to establish volunteer, non-profit literacy programs. BACKGROUND According to the Lubbock Human Needs Assessment, 1988, Environmental Scan: "Based on local, state, and national data, probably 20,000 adults in Lubbock County are functionally illiterate. Another 20,000 are marginally illiterate, or read below eighth -grade level." (p. 15) The 1980 census found that 19,695 residents of Lubbock County 25 years or older had completed fewer than nine years of school. While some of these people are doubtless currently reading, at a grade level above their years of formal school completed, research studies confirm the intuition that people who drop out of school have, on average, an academic achievement below their peers at the time they leave school. And even completion of high school is no guarantee of literacy. Project LIFE, a model literacy program sponsored by South Plains College -Lubbock in 1987-88, found that 56% of those enrolled in their literacy classes, and reading below an eighth grade level, had received high school diplomas. There are at present limited opportunities for adults needing literacy instruction in Lubbock. Lubbock human Needs Assessment: "Available community resources to address illiteracy include adult education, vocational training, and remedial learning classes. There is, however, a serious gap between those who seek help and those who need help." (p.15-16) 1 The Read to Achieve project was established at Lubbock City - County Library June 1, 1990 under the auspices of the Lubbock Area Coalition for Literacy. In its first four months of operation, from June through September, Read to Achieve has established and operated a reading hotline (747-READ), for both providers and seekers of literacy assistance. 240 inquiries have been received. Three workshops have been held, training 63 volunteer tutors. 62 people seeking literacy assistance have been interviewed; 26 students have been paired with tutors and begun literacy training, and 23 have been referred to the Private Industry Council (employment related literacy training), the Lubbock Independent School District, and the Scottish Rite Learning Center (for dyslexia). The Private Industry Council provides literacy instruction only to those who meet Job Training Partnership Act qualifica- tions. (They are allowed a 10% "window" of students who do not meet the qualification.) Their current budget assumes that they will serve approximately 75 literacy students in the 1990-91 fiscal year. The Adult Learning Center of the Lubbock Independent School District has a program of GED preparation, high school evening classes, and ESL and amnesty instruction. However, their staff are required by state law to devote 75% of their time to work directly with students; when class preparation time is allowed for, there are 0i few resources left for publicity and coordination with other programs, or for seeking and training volunteers. And people with a long experience of school failure find difficulty in returning to school for help. The Scottish Rite Learning Center serves only those with physically based dyslexia. The Learning Center works primarily with children, but has established one class for adults. Previously, volunteers with the Lubbock Baptist Literacy Association provided individual Laubach tutoring; however, since Read to Achieve was established the primary activity of the Literacy Association has been to train Laubach tutors, who are then referred to Read to Achieve for matching with students. Project LIFE, mentioned above, operated under a grant for model programs which provided one year funding only. It is no longer in existence.. No other adult literacy training opportunities in Lubbock have been identified. 3 PLAN OF OPERATION The project is designed as a literacy information clearing house, providing a single source of information for those seeking literacy assistance, those able to provide assistance, and others interested in the problem of illiteracy. Potential students are assessed and either referred to an appropriate outside agency or matched with volunteer tutors. Specific objectives will be: --to operate the Reading Hotline, a single_ source of. Infor- mation for both providers and seekers of literacy assistance, -- to assess potential students and refer them to programs appropriate to their needs, -- to arrange training for volunteers, -- to match students and volunteers and provide them with materials and space for learning sessions, -- to promote the establishment of new volunteer -based adult literacy programs by community organizations, help them train volunteers, and provide on -going expertise; and --to publicize literacy instruction opportunities in the community. Read to Achieve will continue to serve existing literacy participants in the grant period as well as seek new parti- cipants. The clearinghouse function is well established and 4 working successfully. The emphasis in 1991-92 will be to heighten community awareness, sustain and strengthen community support and undergird a fledgling service whose future remains precarious until permanent funding is assured. This will be addressed in the public relations objective. The program of work will include: September 1991 Finalize grant contract Conduct tutor training workshop Prepare and distribute radio PSA's October 1991 Prepare and distribute brochures in schools Advertise with billboards November 1991 Conduct tutor training workshop Prepare and distribute television PSA Evaluate student progress December 1991 Advertise with billboards January 1992 Conduct tutor training workshop Prepare semi—annual report and mail to Lubbock Area Coalition for Literacy membership 5 February 1992 Prepare and distribute television PSA Hold recognition gathering for volunteers March 1992 Conduct tutor training workshop Conduct fund raiser Evaluate student progress April 1992 Prepare and distribute radio PSA May 1992 Conduct tutor training workshop Advertise with billboards June 1992 Evaluate student progresss Prepare semi-annual report and mail to Lubbock Area Coalition fof Literacy membership July 1992 Conduct tutor training workshop August 1992 Prepare final grant report Ongoing Activities Respond to hotline inquiries Recruit students and volunteers Assess students 0 Refer students Match students and volunteers Speak to community groups Seek sponsors for literacy programs Prepare narrative and financial reports Conduct general administrative tasks Seek sources of financial support Maintain liaision with social service organizations Seek additional promotional opportunities The Read to Achieve project has always provided service to members of traditionally underrepresented groups. In the four months the project has been in operation, 62 persons have been assessed for tutoring or referral. 54% of these have been Hispanic and 12% Black, compared to the City of Lubbock Planning Estimate for 1990 of 22% Hispanic, 8.6% Black for the city as a whole. 61% have been women. Although only 5% of those seeking help have been elderly, the fact that 26% of the volunteer tutors are over 65 indicates that the.elderly are aware of and supportive of the project. The project coordinator works with Goodwill Industries of Lubbock, which has sent four handicapped persons to the project; and the Texas Department of Human Resources has referred thirteen of its clients to the project. 7 PERSONNEL The project will be under the supervision of Jeff_ Rippel, Director of the Lubbock City -County Library and the West Texas Library System since 1988. Ile received an M.L.S. from the University of Texas in 1973 and has 15 years of supervisory experience in libraries in Texas and South Carolina. As branch librarian for the Waco -McLennan County Library, he established an adult learning center offering GED preparation and ESL teaching. Fiscal control will. be provided by J. Robert Massengale, Assistant City Manager for Financial Services. The project coordinator is Leigh McPhaul. She is a certified teacher with a B.S. in education and two years of classroom experience. She has been a Great Books coordinator in a public school. She has been a volunteer for nine years with the Junior League of Lubbock. During that time she served as member -at -large on the Board of Directors, Assistant Arrangements Chairman, and as a placement coordinator for volunteers. She works thirty hours per week and will devote her full working time to the project. The Lubbock Area Coalition for Literacy will serve as a citizen advisory group. The Coalition adopted bylaws on September 8, 1989, has received an IRS identification number, and a statement of exemption from Federal Income Tax under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. The purpose of the Coalition is to 0 develop and support literacy services, and membership in the Coalition is open to any person in sympathy with this purpose. The Coalition board represents a broad spectrum of community leadership and interests. Board members include a City Councilman representing a largely minority district, the director of a social service organization, an instructor of reading at South Plains College, and an experienced literacy tutor. The board will receive monthly reports on the project and will continue to seek other funding sources to establish the project on a continuing rather than a year-to-year basis. W BUDGET Salary, Wages, and Benefits. Salary expenses will be those of the project coordinator working 30 hours per week at $11.66 per hour, an annual salary of $18,190. Contributions for Social Security at the rate of 7.65% will total $1392. No other benefits will be provided. The coordinator is the key to all areas of the project: coordinating literacy efforts, providing expert assessment and referral services, matching students and volunteers, publicizing literacy services, and supplying encouragement and expertise for literacy programs. Other personnel associated with the project will not be paid from grant funds. The salaries of full time library employees proportional to their time spent on the project will be approximately $3400, with fringe benefits of $840. Travel. $350 is provided for travel outside Lubbock County. This amount is calculated on the basis of two overnight trips for training within Texas. Travel will require approval of the library director. Supplies. $1700 is allowed for expendable office supplies and for photocopying. $5000 is allowed for non —expendable equipment 10 (unit cost less than $5000, hence not counted as "Equipment"). The major item will be a PS/2 compatible computer with the dual purpose of instructional use directly with students and adminis- trative use such as maintaining information on students, volunteers, and supporters, and preparing publicity. In October, 1990, a price of $4846 was quoted for a package including a computer, standard peripherals such as a printer, and database management and word processing software. The library has been providing the project with access to computers in Administration and Public Services offices, but these are geographically scattered and frequently unavailable. The library will provide the use of major office furniture without cost to the grant. $1500 is allocated to supply expendable instructional materials at an estimated cost of $10 per participant. Library Materials $500 is allocated for instructional software. The library will continue to use local funds to maintain a special collection of circulating materials designed for adults with low reading skills. Other. $400 is allocated for travel by the coordinator within Lubbock County, to meet with sponsors of literacy programs, to 11 counsel and assess students, and to make presentations to interested groups. Travel is estimated at an average 30 miles per week for each week of the project, at $0.25 per mile. Funds for workshops are estimated at $60 each for six work- shops. This provides materials for volunteers and an honorarium to the workshop instructor. The experience of the West Texas Library System is that instructors are available at this cost. Space for the workshops will be provided without cost to the grant by the library, by program sponsors, or by other agencies. $300 is allocated for postage. $850 is allocated for telephone expenses. A commercial telephone line has been installed in the library for the exclusive use of the project; a single telephone access point for both literacy service providers and those seeking literacy help is a basic objective of the project. $1500 is allocated for advertising. The City of Lubbock Public Information office will'provide approximately $2000 of production time for television "spots" at no cost to the grant. Indirect charges Indirect charges will be payable to the City of Lubbock at the rate of 9.03% of direct charges to reimburse the cost of fiscal administration of the grant. 12 EVALUATION PLAN The success of the program will be measured against the following performance targets: Activity Reading Hotline contacts Student assessments and referrals Community organizations contacted Volunteers trained Student hours in newly established programs Target 600 160 36 150 1200 Progress of students will be measured according to the instructional system used by the individual literacy program. For example, progress of Laubach students will be measured according to the number of workbooks completed. Progress will be recorded on the individual student's record. Students in programs not providing measurement will be re —assessed each six months with the San Diego Quick Test. The project coordinator will keep accurate and complete records of all data necessary to determine the project's success in meeting its stated goals. 13 ADEQUACY OF RESOURCES The grant will provide a project coordinator who will devote his/her full working time to the purposes of the project; it will also provide funds for contact with the Lubbock community, both providers and those in need of literacy services, through varied modes -- face-to-face, written, telephone, and commercial television. The Lubbock City -County Library will provide office space, furnishings, and utilities. The major cost of providing literacy services is instruction which is supplied by the in -kind contributions of the volunteers. There is ample evidence that people wishing to make these contri- butions exist. Attendance at training workshops is excellent to date and a large percent of those trained become active tutors. The financial resources requested in the grant application, supplemented by the in -kind contributions pledged by the Lubbock City -County Library and other groups are adequate to meet the stated objectives of Read to Achieve. 14 COOPERATION AND COORDINATION The Texas Literacy Council produces a statewide registry of all literacy providers which it has been able to identify. All of these groups which are active in Lubbock County have been contacted. The Read to Achieve project, in four months of operation as of October 1, 1990, has established a working relationship with the adult literacy programs of Lubbock County. The West Texas Library System, the Texas State Library's agency for encouraging literacy programs throughout the area, is headquartered in and administered by the library. They have assisted in presenting the three tutor -training workshops already provided by the project and will continue to sponsor workshops with the Read to Achieve project through 1990-91 fiscal year. The biennial budget proposed for 1991-92 encourages increasing independence of local library literacy programs. Lubbock Baptist Literacy Association, long the chief program in Lubbock for volunteer work with adults with literacy problems, has given the Read to Achieve project all its volunteer tutor registers. The director of the Literacy Association program, a certified Laubach tutor -trainer, has continued to conduct workshops for volunteers and has referred these volunteers to Read to Achieve for matching with students. 15 Two reading instructors from South Plains College -Lubbock volunteered to conduct the three tutor training workshops presented by Read to Achieve in its first four months. The Private Industry Council provides literacy instruction to those who meet Job Training Partnership Act qualifications. PIC and the Read to Achieve coordinator work together to place people applying to either agency for literacy assistance in the progrF. appropriate to their needs. PIC has awarded the Read to Achieve project a grant for part-time clerical assistance in the 1990-91 fiscal year. The Texas Employment Commission certifies the qualifications of those entering the PIC program and refers those of its clients who need literacy help. The Scottish Rite Learning Center in Lubbock works only with those whose literacy problem is -due to a physical disability. Persons assessed by Read to Achieve and found to need these specialized services have been referred to the Learning Center. Literacy Volunteers of America has held workshops in Lubbock, but is not currently organized in the Lubbock area. 16 CONCLUSION By granting this request for funding, the U.S. Department of Education will give valuable and needed support to existing adult literacy programs which have been strengthened by the establish- ment of the Read to Achieve clearinghouse. It will allow the public library to continue to be the vehicle for training volunteers and connecting them to those who seek literacy instruction, for making established programs more effective, for establishing new programs, and for promoting community awareness of literacy training opportunities. The effective use of funds will build upon work in progress, enrich local efforts, and attract additional resources to combat the devastating consequences of adult illiteracy. 17 Check one: PART III - BUDGET INFORMATION FY 1991 LSCA VI - Library Literacy Program Applicant is a State library X Applicant is a local public library Budget by Category FEDERAL OTHER LSCA Title VI SOURCES A. Salary and Wages $ 18,190 $ 3,400 B. Fringe Benefits $ 1,392 $ 840 C. Travel $ 350 $ D. Equipment $ 0 $ E. Supplies $ 8,200 $ F. Contractual Services $ 0 $ G. Library Materials $ 500 $ 1,500 H. Other $ 3,410 $ 6,160 I. Total Direct Charges (add lines A-H) $ 32,042 $ 11,900 J. Indirect Charges (9.03% of Direct) $ 2,893 $ K. TOTAL PROJECT COSTS (add lines I & J) $ 34,935 $ 11,900 L. Program Income