(Doc Name h:\legwork\house\amend\h-wm\008\john de la howe-erickson.docx):
EXPLANATION: Amendment for the John De La Howe school
Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 7, JOHN DE LA HOWE SCHOOL, page 329, paragraph 7.5, lines 29 - 35 and Page 330 lines 1-4, by striking the proviso in its entirety.
Amend the bill further, as and if amended, Section 7, JOHN DE LA
HOWE SCHOOL, page 330, after line 4, by adding an appropriately
numbered paragraph to read:
/ (JDLHS: JDLHS Foster Care Youth Success Pilot
Program)There is created the John de la Howe Planning Committee
(Planning Committee) that shall be comprised of a Representative
appointed by the Speaker of the House, a Senator appointed by
the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, an appointee of the
Governor, the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Joint
Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children, and the
Director, or their designee, of the Department of Social
Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of
Education, and Clemson University to develop vocational and
agriculture-related training programs, life skills training, and
an independent living program for at-risk youth aging out of
foster care and other state services.
For Fiscal Year 2017-18, all
financial, programmatic, personnel, and facility management and
operations of the John de la Howe School shall be placed under
the control and management of the Planning Committee. The
members of the John de la Howe Board of Trustees and the
president (i.e., superintendent) shall be suspended and
terminated effective July 1, 2017. Any contracts for employment
or other services, other than for routine procurements for
facility operations, entered into prior to July 1, 2017, shall
be terminated effective July 1, 2017. As deemed appropriate by
the Planning Committee, other remaining employees shall continue
employment at John de la Howe School or shall be assisted for
transfer to other state agencies or considered for contract
employment pursuant to the new contract for children's program
services.
John de la Howe School and the
legacy of the will of Dr. John de la Howe shall be preserved by
the implementation of a vocational, life skills, and independent
living program to serve older at-risk children who are aging out
of foster care and other state services. The Planning Committee
shall be authorized to allocate, expend, and utilize the funds
and FTE's appropriated to John de la Howe School as it sees fit
to employ and manage employees, to maintain and operate school
grounds and facilities, and to contract for services to operate
the vocational, life skills, and independent living programs
that shall include a GED and school drop-out recovery program,
agricultural-related training, vocational training, graduated
levels of independent housing, and statewide aftercare
assistance in the transition of the youth to independent living
and employment. Each student in the independent living program
shall have an individualized vocational and educational plan
based on their course of study that may include completion of
GED programs, attainment of a high school diploma, vocational
certifications, and agriculture-related training programs.
By July 31, 2017, the Planning
Committee shall submit a Request for Proposal to the State
Fiscal Accountability Authority, Procurement Services for the
new children's program services and have the new program
operational as soon as possible thereafter. By December 1, the
Planning Committee shall report to the House Ways and Means
Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Governor
regarding program development, facility maintenance and
operations, and budget expenditures. By March 1, 2018, the
Planning Committee shall submit its recommendations to the
General Assembly and the Governor regarding the continuing
organization, administration, operation, budget, programs, and
governance of the John de la Howe School.
/
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend totals and titles to conform.