SB 364

This bill enacts the "Tennessee Full Service Community Schools Act, "" which authorizes each local board of education (""board"") to form a full service community school that integrates pipeline services and systems of support into each of the schools operated by the board to improve student learning and to foster stronger families and healthier com munities . Such a full service community school must strive to become a center for the community served by the LEA by providing opportunities, programs, and services for school stakeholders, which includes students, families, educators, community members, and local organization s, business es, or agenc ies ("" community partners ""), both during and outside of the school day. As used in this bill, ""p ipeline services"" means a continuum of coordinated academic, health, and social supports, services, and opportunit ies designed for children from birth through their entry into postsecondary institutions to support successful education and career attainment, such as (i) h igh-quality early education programs; ( ii ) h igh-quality school and out-of-school-time programs and strategies; ( iii ) e xpanded learning opportunities; ( iv ) s upport for a child's grade-level transition into elementary school, from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school, from high school to a postsecondary institution, and fr om a postsecondary institution into the workforce; ( v ) f amily and community engagement and supportive interventions, which may include programs designed to engage and support the needs of families at school or at home; and ( vi ) s ocial, health, nutrition, a nd mental health services and supports. FULL SERVICE COMMUNITY SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM This bill creates a full service community schools grant program to be administered by the University of Tennessee (""the university"") to promote the establishment and su stainability of full service community schools throughout this state. Subject to the availability of funds and beginning January 1, 2026, full service community schools grants must be made available to boards to facilitate the development of long-term co m munity partnerships and to secure the necessary resources for planning, staffing, and for the provision of essential services to students and families in the community in accordance with the full service community school's operational model. A grant appli cation received by the u niversity must be evaluated and approved on the basis of the requirements of this bill and any requirements developed and adopted by the u niversity that are consistent with this bill. This bill requires a board that applies to rec eive a grant to outline the full service community school's partnership commitments to demonstrate the alignment, longevity, and accountability of each partnership necessary to sustain the full service community school's operational model effectively, as e videnced by a memorandum of understanding executed by the board and each community partner for the full service community school. If the number of applicants exceed the number of grants available in a fiscal year, then the u niversity must award grants in the following order:  An LEA that demonstrates the technical and financial capacity to sustain the full service community school's operational model beyond the initial grant period, the LEA's readiness to implement the full service community school's operational model, and the strength of the qualifications of the community partnerships formed by the LEA's board, in the order in which the u niversity receives the completed grant applications .  An LEA that is expanding its full service community school through feeder-patterns with other schools in the LEA. In order for a board to receive a second or subsequent grant, this bill requires the board to secure matching funds through established community partnerships. DUTIES OF GRANT RECIPIENTS This bill requires a board that receives a grant to do all of the following :  Designate a full-time employee whose position is dedicated to coordinating and implementing grant requirements .  Maintain and provide documentation of the collaborative practices between school stakeholders, as evidenced by the board's creation of a decision-making body composed of various stakeholders .  Conduct a comprehensive needs and assets assessment of the LEA and the community it serves, in collaboration with relevant school stakeholders .  Based on the results of the comprehensive needs and assets assessment, develop an action plan to establish a full service community school .  Develop a logic model that outlines the full service community school's inputs, outputs, activities, and intended outcomes, to establish a clear framework for the full service community school's implementation and evaluation .  Collect data on implementation of the full service community school and report the data to the u niversity, at intervals established by the u niversity, for the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of the full service community school. This bill requires t he u niversity to provide continuous evaluation and support to grant recipients, which includes technical assistance in data collection, analysis, and assessment of outcomes relative to the goals of the full service community school. This bill requires g rant recipients to participate in periodic monitoring, conducted by the u niversity, of the full service community school's logic model. The u niversity must evaluate the full service community school's progress toward short-term and long-term goals of the full service community school, examining how program inputs and activities align with the school's intended output s and outcomes. The u niversity may recommend changes to the full service community school to improve a full service community school's fidelity and effectiveness. IDENTIFICATION OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUPPORT This bill authorizes the u niversity to collab orate with at least one statewide coalition composed of practitioners, administrators, advocates, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities to support the formation and effective administration of full service community schools by focusing on and s h aring best practices regarding p rofessional learning opportunities, s hared governance structures, p olicy and advocacy for sustainable resources, s trategic partnerships, d ata systems, and c ontinuous improvement. Such best practices must be published on the u niversity 's website."