REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 10/04/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Services Department
SUBJECT:
Title
GRANT FUNDING FROM THE CALIFORNIA LIBRARY LITERACY SERVICES PROGRAM IN THE AMOUNT OF $65,412 FOR ADULT AND FAMILY LITERACY SERVICES
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to accept and appropriate the California Library Literacy Services Program grant to continue the Corona Public Library’s adult and family literacy programming. The total award for the Fiscal Year 2024 beginning July 1, 2023, is $65,412 ($25,154 Adult Literacy Services and $40,258 Family Literacy Service).
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Accept grant funding from the California Library Literacy Services in the amount of $65,412 for the Corona Public Library’s Adult and Family Literacy Grant project.
b. Authorize an appropriation and estimated revenue increase in the amount of $65,412 ($25,154 Adult Literacy Services and $40,258 Family Literacy Service) to the Community Services Department’s operating budget in the Adult and Family Literacy Grant Fund 442.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to adjust the budget accordingly if the Grantor distributes additional funds to grant participants.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Adult Literacy Program has been in existence since 1994. It is funded almost exclusively through grants from the California State Library, for which the City must apply annually. This funding supports the purchase of supplies and resources, such as educational software and online resources for our volunteer tutors and their adult learners. Training for volunteer tutors and staff is also funded as is the partial funding of an existing part-time position. The annual funds are supplemented with other grants, donations, and general City revenues when they are available. The Adult Literacy grant has allowed for the creation of a partnership with Corona Norco Unified School District (CNUSD) Adult School.
ANALYSIS:
The Corona Public Library (CPL) has been awarded $40,258 for fiscal Year 2024 to support existing family literacy programming in the community. These funds will be used to strengthen the services provided to learners enrolled in the California Library Literacy Services program and support the library in reaching out to and engaging underserved adults and families. Some of the grant dollars also fund a portion of two existing part-time staff positions involved in literacy programming.
The CPL was also awarded $25,154 in Fiscal Year 2024 to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring for adults. Tutoring encompasses a myriad of skills, including reading, math, financial literacy, and basic computer skills.
The project funding is provided by the State of California and administered by the California State Library. The grant period is July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. The project’s final expenditure date is December 31, 2024.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation and estimated revenue increase in the amount of $65,412 ($25,154 Adult Literacy Services and $40,258 Family Literacy Service) to the Library Services operating budget in the Adult and Family Literacy Grant Fund 442 for the California Library Literacy Services Program. These grant funds do not have a matching requirement. Grant funds must be fully expended in accordance with the City’s approved budget by December 31, 2024.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is a financial transaction between the California State Library and the City of Corona, and there is no possibility that adopting this resolution will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: KATHERINE BACKUS, MANAGEMENT ANALYST I
REVIEWED BY: DONNA FINCH, INTERIM COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Grant Approval Letter