REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Adopt a Resolution to Accept Six Grant Awards from the California Public Utilities Commission’s California Advanced Services Fund (CASF), Approve Budget Modification No 17 for a total of $313,446 and Authorize the City Manager to Execute the Required Grant Documents for Each Grant Award
Report
BACKGROUND
In 2018, the City of Sunnyvale and the Sunnyvale School District (SSD) entered into an agreement to jointly fund a grant writer position. This position was established to pursue funding in support of the Columbia Neighborhood Center (CNC) service area. This area is recognized as one of the City’s most diverse and economically-challenged communities. A CNC Joint Task Force (comprised of City and School District representatives) meets on a quarterly basis to review CNC programming and to develop strategic direction for CNC operations as provided for in the CNC agreement between the parties. In this capacity, the CNC Task Force identified the following four strategic priorities for grants seeking: 1) Promoting academic success for low-income youth; 2) Closing the digital divide; 3) Expanding enrichment opportunities; and 4) Healthy Youth/Healthy Families.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) established the CASF for the purposes of supporting broadband adoption programs in communities with low broadband access. CASF grants may be used to support projects in two areas: 1) Digital Inclusion Projects that provide digital literacy training and public education to communities with limited broadband adoption and 2) Broadband Access Projects that provide publicly available or after-school broadband access that may include free broadband access in community training rooms or other public spaces.
Six schools in the Sunnyvale School District (Bishop Elementary, Columbia Middle, Ellis Elementary, Lakewood Elementary, San Miguel Elementary, and Vargas Elementary) were identified as meeting the grant eligibility criteria. As required by the CPUC, individual applications were prepared and submitted for each school site. The scope of work proposed focused on the delivery of basic digital literacy training to parents with children enrolled in one of the six school sites with an emphasis of serving low-income adults that speak English as a second language, who have limited education (high school degrees or less), and who are digitally excluded. The CPUC defines “digitally excluded” as those who lack broadband service at home.
On December 31, 2018, the City received notification that all six grant applications had been approved for funding. Four school sites (Bishop, Columbia, San Miguel and Vargas) were each awarded $58,033 of the $62,583 originally requested and two sites (Ellis and Lakewood) were awarded $40,657 of the $42,107 originally requested for a total of $313,446 for all six sites.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 7.1.5 Donations, Contributions and Sponsorships:
Council Policy 7.1.5 Donations, Contributions and Sponsorships:
The City Manager may apply for grants of any dollar amount, but shall notify the Council when grants are being pursued. Council approval of a budget modification to appropriate grant monies is required before funds can be expended by staff. Such a budget modification shall include the use to which the grant would be placed; the objectives or goals of the City which will be achieved through use of the grant; the local match required, if any, plus the source of the local match; any increased cost to be locally funded upon termination of the grant; and the ability of the City to administer the grant. For grants under the amount of $5,000 that do not have any external reporting requirements or any local match requirement, Council approval of a budget modification is not required. The City Manager is authorized to accept and administratively appropriate the grant funds.
This grant does not meet all of the criteria to be administratively appropriated by the City Manager; therefore, a budget modification is required. Grant funds from CPUC have external reporting requirements and fall under the federal single audit guidelines.
Pursuant to Sunnyvale Charter Section 1305, at any meeting after the adoption of the budget, the City Council may amend or supplement the budget by motion adopted by affirmative votes of at least four members so as to authorize the transfer of unused balances appropriated for one purpose to another, or to appropriate available revenue not included in the budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” with the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(4) in that is a fiscal activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potential significant impact on the environment.
DISCUSSION
As information and essential services for residents are more commonly being offered on-line (i.e., utility billing; library services, research databases, employment applications; activity registration; school assignments, grades, and communication with school staff, etc.), households that do not have reliable internet service at home may be delayed in receiving information and in some cases, not able to access information at all. CPUC describes this as residents being “digitally excluded.”
Partnering with SSD to address this need for parents and children in their schools was a natural addition to current CNC programs and services. As proposed, the CASF grants will be used to provide a minimum of eight hours of basic digital literacy training to 650 parents with children enrolled at one of the six identified school sites. This work will be completed in collaboration with Sunnyvale School District, the Community Tech Network, and Comcast’s Internet Essentials program.
City staff will facilitate and coordinate the program, focusing on outreach, marketing and administrative reporting. Community Tech Network (CTN), a leading digital inclusion nonprofit organization, will provide the training-utilizing bilingual instructors and a Spanish-English curriculum. Parents completing the training will gain proficiency in “internet basics” ranging from how to use email, online map services, online banking, Google Docs, and other topics.
Another key partner will be Comcast’s Internet Essentials, a national program that aims to help close the digital divide by offering internet-ready devices at the discount rate of $150 per device and broadband service to qualifying low-income adults at $10 per month. All eligible participants who complete the training program will “earn” an internet-ready Chromebook and be provided with assistance on how to enroll for the discounted broadband service.
SSD will assist with participant recruitment, outreach and support. SSD will also provide classrooms to conduct these classes at each of their school sites.
At the conclusion of this program, 650 Sunnyvale parents will have gained new technology skills; developed a greater understanding of online services and security protocols; had the opportunity to earn an internet-enabled device for their families’ personal use to access online services at home; learn the benefits of consistent internet service at home and be provided with assistance in subscribing to a monthly broadband service for their family.
Grant Requirements
Enclosed as Attachment 1 are the grant award letters for each grant. While the number of individuals to be served and the dollars awarded vary as noted above, the key requirements for each grant are as follows:
1. Agency must accept the award within 30 days of award.
2. Agency must begin project within 6 months of grant approval.
3. Agency must submit three progress reports over the course of the grant period (24 months).
4. Agency must maintain documentation for a period of three years following the submission of the final report.
5. Agency must provide a minimum of 8 hours of digital literacy training to each participant.
6. Agency shall perform education and outreach to educate the community of available broadband internet services.
7. Agency shall provide technical services, either by phone or in person, within 24 hours; and
8. Agency shall complete the project within 24 months.
Granting Agency
The CPUC regulates privately owned electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, railroad, rail transit, and passenger transportation companies. It is responsible for the Broadband Adoption Account, created via Assembly Bill 1665, that provides grants to increase publicly available or after-school broadband access and digital inclusion, such as grants for digital literacy training programs and public education to communities with limited broadband adoption. The CPUC gives preference to programs and projects in communities with demonstrated low broadband access, including low income communities, senior citizen communities, and communities facing socioeconomic barriers to broadband adoption.
FISCAL IMPACT
The CASF grants are reimbursement grants with allowance for up to three payment requests throughout the term of the grant. The grants require a 15% match which will be met through the City’s contribution of existing CNC staff resources. The value of city staff time is estimated to be $21,723.20 for four applications and $10,885.90 for two applications for a total of $108,664.60.
Examples of full-time staffing support to be provided include management oversight, grant monitoring assistance from Grant Writer; clerical, logistical and administrative support; staff involvement in maintaining relationships with schools and other partners. Funding for this support is allocated in Program 656, Youth and Family Resources, in the Department of Library and Community Services Operating Budget.
As noted above, each program participant who successfully completes the program will “earn” a Chromebook for their personal home use. The total cost to provide devices to all participants is estimated to be $97,500, based on a device cost of $150. The CASF grants allow for $60,000 to be spent for this line item. Staff is requesting to use $25,000 from undesignated donations to the Columbia Neighborhood Center (890230-Columbia Neighborhood Center Donations) and $12,500 from Project 805150 - Library Foundation Projects Grant to augment the grant funding. The project, which has a current available budget of $232,362, holds Library Foundation Grant Funds that are available to use as matching funds to supplement current library services. These funds have been planned for the Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center. Use for this alternative purpose will not have a significant impact on the Branch Library project. The Columbia Neighborhood Center donation funds are eligible to be used for the other schools. Currently there is a balance of $26,453 in the donation fund.
Increased Cost to City Upon Grant Termination
None
Budget Modification No. 17 has been prepared to appropriate grant funds awarded by California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in the amount of $313,446.00 to provide digital literacy education in six Sunnyvale School District schools.
Budget Modification No. 17
FY 2018/19
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|
Current |
Increase/ (Decrease) |
Revised |
|
General Fund |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues |
|
|
|
|
California Public Utilities Commission Digital Literacy Grant Funds |
$0 |
$313,446 |
$313,446 |
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|
|
|
|
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Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
New Project - CPUC Digital Literacy Grant |
$0 |
$313,446 |
$313,446 |
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CPUC Grant Funding Breakdown by School |
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Bishop School |
$58,033 |
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Columbia Middle School |
$58,033 |
|
San Miguel School |
$58,033 |
|
Vargas School |
$58,033 |
|
Ellis School |
$40,657 |
|
Lakewood School |
$40,657 |
|
Total: |
$313,446 |
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Adopt a Resolution to Accept Six Grant Awards from the California Public Utilities Commission’s California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) for Digital Inclusion and Literacy Training for a total of $313,446 for six SSD sites, Approve Budget Modification No 17 for a total of $313,446 and Authorize the City Manager to Execute the Required Grant Documents for Each Grant Award
2. Do not Adopt a Resolution to Accept Six Grant Awards from the California Public Utilities Commission’s California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) for Digital Inclusion and Literacy Training for a total of $313,446 for six SSD sites and Reject Budget Modification No. 17 to appropriate grant funds awarded by California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in the total amount of $313,446.00 and do not authorize the City Manager to Execute the Required Grant Documents for Each Grant Award.
3. Other action as determined by Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Adopt a Resolution to Accept Six Grant Awards from the California Public Utilities Commission’s California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) for Digital Inclusion and Literacy Training for a total of $313,446 for six Sunnyvale School District sites, Approve Budget Modification No 17 for a total of $313,446 and Authorize the City Manager to Execute the Required Grant Documents for Each Grant Award
Staff
Prepared by: Angela Chan, Youth and Family Resources Manager
Reviewed by: Cynthia E. Bojorquez, Director of Library and Community Services
Reviewed by: Timothy J. Kirby, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Grant Award Letters
2. Resolution to Accept Six Grant Awards