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(DISCUSSION) Reports back from working sub-groups.
a. finance
Comm. Hale reviewed the discussion of the group (notes available from JPC office). Main issue was how to maximize revenues to the Ranch. He emphasized that there were good staff there as well as some who were not doing their jobs, and thus making it more difficult for the others.
He mentioned the email citing the website to link to the guidebook on Title IVe and TANF, that all members should look over and understand. This is one stream of revenue for the Ranch.
b. school/vocational
J. Fithian reported that there was an informal meeting between Comm. Chuck, himself, L. Jackson-Simpson, and J. Knox. They reviewed the state regulations regarding education, but there aren’t any baseline requirements for vocational education. They considered what different industries look for in prospective employees, and thought to create the vocation programs to meet those needs, or to take the programs currently at the Ranch and tailor them to meet the same needs. The school to career program would require a grant and would be too ambitious and long-term a task to undertake for now. Even the SFUSD doesn’t do that right now. The group will be meeting again Friday the 2nd. D. Sanders commented that he wanted to connect with the culinary arts “community”, automotive “community” to see what they could offer the Ranch.
L.Holmes said that there should be some potential for revenue support from the Dept of Rehabilitation for individual transition planning. Likewise, from the school district. Fithian agreed that it was a good potential. He said that San Mateo County has a great connection with the Dept of Rehab.
Comm. Queen offered that City College has a great culinary arts program, as well as automotive, so maybe that’s a place to start. He also mentioned that getting with industry leaders from the ground floor in designing voc. programs could get the buy-in as partners that would keep it going and up to date. Comm. Hale said that Dean Hunnicutt was interested in creating training programs that lead to jobs. This might help the Ranch. He referred to in-house expertise like Karen Sadbury, PO, who used to run employment programs in Texas.
The Chief said she wants to arrange for a meeting with Dean Hunnicut. She discounted the ability to do auto mechanics. Comm. Hale said it could be offered in the community, with the Dept being the liaison between the two, and getting title IVe still.
L.Holmes mentioned On the Job training and “Enclaves” as means of getting support for vocational training.
c. therapeutic/life skills
Comm. Ricci handed out the notes from this workgroup and summarized that the general discussion brainstormed what needed to be done. Some of the points were that the type of population will drive the types of programs/services offered at the Ranch, and how long those programs should be. The goals had to be laid out clearly in order to have a cohesive program that would meet the identified needs of the youth and the City. The aftercare services were also considered essential for a successful Ranch program. The notes are available from the JPC office.
Comm. Queen asked what was lacking in the 6 mos. program. Sanders said it was just not enough time to break down barriers, develop a rapport and get on board with a positive program plan.
The Chief said, “to the question of what is missing, I think it’s that what we need to look at is, programming drives the timeframe that the youth is there. I think the issue that we hear about is what is the programming that we can add that will augment and upgrade the services that are there, because that is what drives the time. It’s the programming and the plan that is for the right folk, what is it that they are to achieve within a certain time frame. Those are the determinants for a time frame. It is cut back when we were short a staff, because we knew we’d be short a staff, we had a shortness of programs… A lot of that has been tightened up. I think we’re on the ground floor of the elevator. We need to augment and upgrade the programming that’s there so that we can extend the time. But remember, programming and the length of that program is determinant by the programming, the services that are provided. So we need to be looking at what is the augmentation of the programs that are provided. And I think, what I’m hearing is that the ground floor is there in terms of we’ve tightened up all the kind of case programming, all the DRBs, we have gotten… the (inaudible) is together….we’ve got to augment and put some more flesh on these bones. We’re at bones now. So that’s when start talking about how we’re going to extend the time. “
G. Bieringer noted the needs of mental health and substance abusers, many of whom are at the Ranch, had to be accounted for. He repeated the need to establish the type of youth we want to serve there.
The Chief commented that she wanted to get more therapy type activities going there, which would require DPH/DHS assistance. She also said the staff needed to be upgraded in order to get the Ranch eligible for certain reimbursables.
Comm. Chuck said we need to set baseline standards.
The Chief said we need sustainable funding. She commented that Glen Mills has so much money that they can “cream” the applicants. They don’t take anyone who cannot compete athletically. She said it was important to have sustainable funding because the Ranch has been subject to off and on funding and it has had a very pejorative impact on programs and what we can do for the youth.
Comm. Hale said that getting a sense of what is the best practices others are employing, is needed so that the politicians like Sophie Maxwell can be convinced that they should support the Dept adopting those practices.
Fithian recounted that we need a much more effective marketing of what the Ranch does (compared to, for example, what Glen Mills does).
Berkowitz said there is an unofficial website… www.logcabinranch.org.. Which covers many aspects of what Fithian had talked about.
LB Jackson announced that on April 25, Parents of Murdered Children would be presenting at their Victims Impact program. This is part of the Restorative Justice program.
M. Gilchrist, commented about how the Ranch is under-funded.
L.Holmes said that whether any ideas are feasible is dependent on whether there is enough money. What we need is to project the money needed to do what it is we want to do, and then decide what can and should be done first, second, etc.
G. Bieringer said that it is critical to have a good plan otherwise there will be no money for it.
Comm. Hale didn’t want to be restrained by budget concerns. Even if there is not enough money to implement it all, there should be a full plan out there.
Comm. Hale mentioned that there were two grants that we will miss, hundreds of thousands of dollars, because we just didn’t go after it. So, he wanted everyone to just concentrate on developing the program. The dollars will be found later.
(public comment)
there was none.
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