REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 17, 2024
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools for the Love for Literacy Project
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve non-financial Memorandum of Understanding, including a non-standard term, with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, for the Love for Literacy project at the County’s detention facilities, to support incarcerated individuals and their families, for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027.
2. Authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator to execute, on behalf of the County, the non-financial Memorandum of Understanding with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, for the Love for Literacy project, subject to County Counsel review.
3. Direct the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator to transmit the Memorandum of Understanding to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Kelly Welty, Chief Deputy Director, 387-3760)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator (Department) and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) for the Love for Literacy project (Project) is non-financial in nature.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended MOU provides for the continued cooperation between the Department, through its Community Service and Reentry Division (CSRD), and SBCSS to give incarcerated individuals and their children aged 0 to 8, the opportunity to engage in literacy activities, through the Project, to support positive literacy outcomes via parent-child connections and equitable access to high quality, developmentally appropriate literacy resources. The Project is provided at the County’s detention facilities and includes activities such as, but not limited to, reading developmentally appropriate eBooks, playing skill based digital games, and exploring digital writing and music.
The Department and SBCSS entered into an earlier MOU to develop and implement a pilot Project during the period of October 16, 2022, through June 30, 2024. Activities related to the Project continued while the parties negotiated the new terms of the MOU, arriving to a final version of the MOU on November 12, 2024. The MOU is being submitted to the Board of Supervisors for approval at the earliest available meeting after the required reviews.
While the parties successfully negotiated this MOU, it includes a non-standard term as follows:
1. The MOU with SBCSS allows for mutual indemnification.
• The County standard contract requires the contractor to indemnify the County in accordance with County Policy 11-07
• Potential Impact: The MOU will require the County and SBCSS to indemnify each other based on comparative fault. The County could be liable for potential harm or loss incurred by SBCSS.
While this is an exception to the County’s standard contract language, the Department recommends approval of this MOU to help fulfill CSRD’s Title 15 obligations to provide adult education programming to inmates housed in County detention facilities, and for the purpose of assisting with inmate rehabilitation and successful reentry into the community. County Counsel and Risk Management have reviewed and provided input on the MOU.
Approval of Recommendation No. 2 will authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator to sign the MOU in compliance with SBCSS requirements.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Miles Kowalski, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 22, 2024; Risk Management (Greg Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst, 386-9008) on November 22, 2024; Finance (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) December 1, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on December 3, 2024.