Agenda

Return

C. 46

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	David Twa, County Administrator
Date:	December 4, 2018

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Poetry Out Loud Grant from the California Arts Council

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 12/04/2018

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Julia Taylor, 925.335.1043

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: December 4, 2018
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the County Administrator, or designee, to apply for and accept grant funding from the California Arts Council, a State agency, in an amount not to exceed $5,000 for the County to provide the Poetry Out Loud program for the period October 1, 2018 through May 31, 2019.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Upon approval, the County will be eligible for up to $5,000 in State grant funds to support the Poetry Out Loud program. The grant does not require a match; however, the County typically contributes additional funds to support this program. The Fiscal 2018-19 Budget included a General Fund allocation for the Arts Commission to support this program. The Arts Commission always seeks in-kind donations of goods and services to enhance the program.

BACKGROUND:

Poetry Out Loud (POL), a national recitation contest, is a high school program that AC5 has participated in since 2008. POL is typically administrated by two AC5 Commissioners and a POL Coordinator. The Coordinator conducts outreach and signs up schools to participate. The Coordinator also manages the workflow of Poetry Teachers AC5 contracts with. The POL Coordinator meets with each school's teacher coordinator to help plan their Poetry Teacher visits and school competition scheduling. Schools may receive assistance with staffing each competition, including judges and a scorekeeper.

A "school winner" is chosen from each school. The Poetry Teachers work with these students to prepare them for a countywide competition, which AC5 hosts in a theater venue to give students a professional experience. County public access TV (CCTV) records the event and broadcasts it numerous times each year. The Poetry Teachers work with the County winner to assure he/she is prepared for the State competition. The community usually celebrates our winners at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors, where they are often asked to recite their poems.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If this action is not approved, the County will not compete for grant funding that supports the advancement of arts among County youth. The many High Schools interested in participating in Poetry Out Loud will not be able to offer this enriching experience to their students.