REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 12, 2023
FROM
JEANY ZEPEDA, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Give Something Back Foundation and University Enterprises Corporation at California State University San Bernardino
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve a non-financial contract, including a non-standard term, with Give Something Back Foundation and University Enterprises Corporation at California State University San Bernardino, through First Star California State University San Bernardino Academy, to increase access to higher education among foster youth, retroactively effective August 22, 2023 through August 21, 2028.
(Presenter: Jeany Zepeda, Director, 387-2792)
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
This item is non-financial and has no impact on Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended contract will allow Give Something Back Foundation (GSB) and University Enterprises Corporation (UEC) at California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), through First Star CSUSB Academy, to support Children and Family Services (CFS) with the goal of preparing foster youth academically and socially for higher education. First Star is a national program that provides services to foster youth, with its local chapter located at CSUSB. UEC at CSUSB operates and administers all of the on-campus programs and acts as the contracting entity, with First Star providing services.
GSB is an educational philanthropy that provides coaching, college readiness programs, and scholarships to underprivileged youth across the Country. GSB aims to provide students with the academic and financial support to help them go to college and graduate in four years. Selected scholars can attend one of GSB's partner universities or colleges in California and receive a scholarship for tuition, fees, and room and board.
In California, GSB partnered with CSUSB, University of La Verne, and Chapman University to establish and maintain the college scholarship fund. The scholarships benefit students who have faced extreme hardship, including current and former foster youth. In addition to providing scholarships, GSB pairs students with qualified mentors who support the students academically, help them stay on track, reach successive goals, and navigate the complexities of college preparation.
First piloted at University of California Los Angeles in 2011, the First Star Academies now operate at colleges across the nation. First Star Academies are the country's only long-term programs for high school foster youth. The programs include both immersive residential summers on a university campus and monthly sessions during each school year designed to help foster youth reach academic and personal success.
Students receive educational guidance from qualified mentors, visit California campuses regularly to engage in various academic activities, and prepare to matriculate into and graduate from college. UEC, in consultation with First Star Academy, provides the selection and provision of CSUSB's housing facilities, meal services, and security and supervision of the academy students while on the CSUSB campus during the program.
San Bernardino County has been working with GSB and First Star CSUSB Academy since 2018 providing a college-preparation and support program. Under the terms of the recommended new contract, CFS will continue to act as a liaison and identify San Bernardino County foster youth aged 12 to 18, and send referrals of potential candidates to GSB and First Star CSUSB Academy. CFS, GSB, First Star CSUSB Academy, and UEC will continue to work cooperatively to provide foster youth with appropriate academic, financial, and social support to succeed in higher education.
Because the Board of Supervisors (Board) and insurance carriers of the contractors require mutual indemnity, the County standard agreement was negotiated to include the following non-standard term:
The County is required to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each contractor and its authorized officers, employees, agents and volunteers from any and all claims, actions, losses, damages and/or liability directly arising out of County’s sole negligence, willful misconduct, and the negligence and misconduct of County’s authorized officers, employees, agents and volunteers in the performance of this contract.
• The County standard contract does not include any indemnification or defense by the County of a contractor.
• Potential Impact: By agreeing to indemnify GSB and UEC, the County could be contractually waiving the protection of sovereign immunity. Claims that may otherwise be barred against the County, time limited, or expense limited could be brought against GSB and UEC without such limitations and the County would be responsible to defend and reimburse the contractors for costs, expenses, and damages.
CFS recommends the approval of this contract, including the non-standard term, to allow CFS to support foster youth in preparing, academically and socially, for higher education. The current contract expired on August 21, 2023. This non-financial contract is being submitted to the Board at the first available meeting upon completion of contract negotiations and vendor review. The youth currently in the program will not lose services. However, the County’s requirements for indemnification, insurance, and privacy may be difficult to enforce during the break between contracts, prior to approval of the recommended contract by the Board. Approval of this item retroactively will preserve contractual requirements with no lapse in contractual timelines.
The contract will be monitored by review of monthly reports to ensure compliance with the administrative and program requirements of the contract. The contract may be cancelled for any reason with 30 days’ notice.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on August 15, 2023; County Counsel (Kaleigh Ragon, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on August 16, 2023; Risk Management (Victor Tordesillas, Director, 386-8623) on August 29, 2023; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on August 22, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on August 23, 2023.