The outreach consultant position, which is unique in California education, calls for a special person familiar with the operation of the school and yet tied to the community from which the children come. The name signifies a person who reaches out to the community for help and resources (outreach) and who is also a resource, a catalyst, or a change agent for the total school staff (consultant). By quickly identifying the school's students who are most at risk and marshaling the resources of the school and the community, she or he can meet the needs of the students in at-risk situations. The importance of this position cannot be overestimated. The most effective outreach consultant supports high expectations and a nurturing environment in the total school. When all the staff members own the responsibility for identifying and helping students at risk of failure, the outreach consultant is performing optimally. This responsibility is best met when it is "given away" and shared with the entire staff.

Is the Outreach Consultant (ORC) the same as a Dropout Prevention Specialist (DPS)?

 The DPS position was designed after the ORC job description, hence the two are essentially the same. The
 ORC is a position title written expressly for the School Based Pupil Motivation and Maintenance Program
 whereas the DPS position could be established at any school whatever its funding or lack of funding.

 What is the specific task of the Outreach Consultant?

 The consultant assists the school in developing a "safety-net" for children, a school success plan for those
 students who are currently unsuccessful or otherwise not benefiting from the regular school program. The
 consultant develops "resiliency factors" to strength children’s’ resistance to the problems they face at school
 and in their lives. These "clients" could be identified as "Title One" or "Special Education," ESL or GATE
 students or simply, "problem children." They could be children with truancy or tardiness problems,
 disciplinary problems, or who are frequently ill, hungry or without proper clothing. The SB 65 plan
 coordinates the resources and services of the whole school and the surrounding community in identifying and
 meeting the needs of those children so that they can be successful in school and be on track for a successful
 place in our society.

 How is the position funded?

 For the schools identified, SB 65 provides about $45,000 to support the position. While this money comes in
 a lump sum to the district, it is school-based funding meant exclusively to support a full-time outreach
 consultant position at that one school. The exclusive use of the funding is to pay for the salary, fringe benefits,
 training, clerical and materials support (not to exceed $1000), mileage and travel expenses for the consultant.
 The School-Based Coordination Act's (AB 777) funding coordination provisions allow districts to use other
 state categorical funds or federal Title I funds to supplement state funding for the outreach consultant
 position. Title One funds are likewise available because "educationally disadvantaged" students are a major
 focus of the work of the Outreach Consultant and must be identified for service by the M&M program in the
 school plan.

 How is the Consultant funding planned and reported?

 The annual budget is prepared and approved by the school site council and sent to the California Department
 of Education (CDE) as part of the annual school application. Each school must report to the CDE how the
 $45,000 will be spent in the next fiscal year. The expenditure report, also required annually by the Department
 of Education, reports actual expenditures for the year. Additional expenditures, apart from the actual salary
 and expenses of the outreach consultant, must be authorized by the School Site Council. It is not discretionary
 money allotted to the school or the district. The district may, however, take allowable indirect costs from the
 grant at the same percentage rate taken from any state categorical grant. This rate is reported to the State by the
 school district on the J-380 form in the Consolidated Application submitted annually to the Department of
 Education.

 What is the school's role in hiring the Outreach Consultant?

 The school or district should examine carefully the role this person is meant to perform before hiring or even
 listing the position. It is within the discretion of the school or the district to hire either a certificated or
 classified individual. The person hired must be the best available to complete the demanding role at the school
 site. Of primary consideration is the level of credibility that the staff will accord this special person or persons.
 The position can be split into two half-time (50%) persons.  It was certainly not intended as a way for
 districts to hire the least costly person, whatever the talents, education or experience of that person, merely to
 keep within the amount allotted by the state. Recent reform efforts ask the outreach consultant to be familiar
 with school change processes and writing applications that include student performance outcome measures.
 The authors envisioned that within a few years the school would coordinate its categorical funding so that the
 entire cost of the position could be assumed by the school. Many districts, appropriately, have supplemented
 the funding provided by the State to employ the person most capable of performing these functions.

 What is the Job Description for the SB 65 M&M Outreach Consultant?

 It is the appropriate function of the consultant, at a minimum, to:

 1) Assist the school in the early identification of students at risk of failing or leaving school prematurely, and
 applying appropriate interventions, both instructional and auxiliary services, referrals to in-school services and
 community agencies and, if necessary, alternative educational programs to meet the needs of these students. At
 the elementary school level early identification and intervention should include, but not be limited to, the
 assessment of primary grade students to identify and commence remediation of developmental and other
 learning difficulties. (EC 54726, <d>, <e>)

 2) Assist the school in regular (at least four meetings a month) meetings of the Student Study Team. This is
 meant as a positive school intervention to identify and meet student needs. Each meeting must include, as a
 minimum, the student, a parent or guardian, at least one of the student’s teachers, the principal or designee and
 other school and community resource personnel as appropriate. (EC 54726 <b>)

 3) Assist the school in providing a staff development program for teachers, other school personnel, and
 volunteers regarding the needs of the students, appropriate dropout prevention strategies and suggest the
 replication of successful programs or strategies that enhance the success needs of high-risk students. (EC
 54726 <a>)

 4) Assist the school in monitoring and increasing attendance among high-risk students, reduce truancy,
 tardiness, and frequent absenteeism. This is a supplementary function to the existing attendance
 responsibilities of the school.

 (EC 54720, 54721 <a>)

 5) Assist the school in securing outside resources, volunteers, private business support and other in-kind
 assistance from non-school sources. It is appropriate for the outreach consultant to coordinate school, public
 agency, private contributions and community child services to further support the academic success of the
 student. EC 52890 (b), 54721 (d).

 6) Assist the school in establishing procedures for coordinating state and federally-funded services at the
 school level to assist pupils to participate successfully in the core academic curricula and specialized curricula
 related to jobs and career opportunities. The use of the School-Based Coordination Program and the
 School-wide Coordination of Chapter 1 is an integral part of the SB 65 School-Based Pupil Motivation and
 Maintenance Program. (EC 54726 <c>)

 7) Assist the school in establishing a properly constituted and elected School Site Council, developing a
 student dropout prevention plan, instituting procedures for coordinating services from funding sources at the
 school level and other elements of the School-Based Coordination Act (AB 777, 1981). (EC 54726 <c>)

 8) Assist the school in providing all necessary data relative to the needs of Compliance Reviews, Motivation
 and Maintenance annual applications and other evaluative information. (EC 54726 <f>)

 9) Assist the school in providing curriculum, teaching strategies, vocational training that is relevant to career
 opportunities and subsequent transition to life-sustaining employment. (EC 54721 <d>, 54726 <g>)

 10) Assist the school in increasing learning levels for students at risk in literacy, basic skills development, and
 career-oriented curriculum content. (EC 54726 <f>, <g>)

 11) Assist the school in developing a plan that integrates and coordinates the skills and talents of the outreach
 consultant. See also the Qualifications for the Outreach Consultant at the end of this chapter. (EC 54726 <h>)

 12) Assist the school in providing supplemental instructional and auxiliary services to meet the special needs
 of students identified as being at high risk of not succeeding in the regular school program, specifically
 non-English speaking or limited-English-speaking students, including instruction in a language those students
 understand, educationally disadvantaged students; gifted and talented students; and students with exceptional
 needs. (EC 54726 <d>).

 13) Assist the school in other activities and objectives established by the School Site Council. This includes
 specific dropout prevention strategies instituted by the School Site Council. (EC 54726 <i>)

 What functions are not appropriate for the Outreach Consultant?

 The very nature of the SB 65 Pupil Motivation and Maintenance program and the role the outreach consultant
 is designed for makes the following prohibitions self evident. This is a positive program, meant to deal with
 students in a supportive, non-punitive fashion. Its language identifies the outreach consultant as a support to
 the child. It is also supplemental (because of its funding source) and meant to provide an extra resource to the
 school over and above the functions of school's regular personnel and existing dropout prevention efforts. It is
 child-centered, that is, meant to meet the individual child's needs with both school and community resources
 and services and change the school's program to better prepare the child to be successful in life and the core
 academic curriculum at the school.

 Therefore to safeguard the integrity of the School-Based Pupil Motivation and Maintenance program and in
 accordance with categorically-funded positions, the Outreach Consultant may not:

 1) Function as a teacher, regular teaching substitute, homeroom teacher or in any way supervise the delivery of
 the core curriculum normally assigned to a teacher employed by the base funding of the school district.

 2) Supervise students, teachers, or other school personnel or act in an administrative capacity replacing
 administrative or supervisory personnel, including normal assignments to yard or bus duty, hall or
 after-school student supervision.

 3) Serve in any negative, disciplinary or punitive responsibility with students, assign negative consequences or
 perform the duties of the person normally required to provide discipline to students. The Consultant may not
 serve in detention room, on school attendance review boards (SARB or SART), on expulsion, due process or
 suspension teams, may not suspend or recommend student for suspension or expulsion.

 4) Serve in a purely clerical role similar to school clerks, attendance or business clerks, secretaries or
 instructional aides. The outreach consultant may assist the school’s attendance function by home visits,
 monitoring attendance and coordination with teachers but may not be the primary or major attendance worker
 at the school.

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