HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2o - Donation for a Ten-month Subscription and Online Homework Services
DATE: September 5, 2017
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Darlene Bradley, Director of Library and Museum Services
SUBJECT: DONATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $13,300 FROM THE FRIENDS OF THE ARCADIA PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR A TEN-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION
FOR THE EASY ENGLISH NEWS AND THE ONLINE HOMEWORK
HELP SERVICE BRAINFUSE
Recommendation: Accept SUMMARY
The Friends of the Arcadia Public Library wish to donate $13,300 to the Arcadia Public
Library for a subscription of the Easy English News for tutors and students of the English Conversation Class and for one-half of the subscription cost of Brainfuse, the
online homework help service for students from Kindergarten through 12th grade.
DISCUSSION
In accordance with City Administrative Policy, all donations in excess of $1,000 shall be approved by the City Council. The Friends of the Arcadia Public Library wish to help
support the Arcadia Public Library for the following purposes:
• Purchase a monthly subscription of the Easy English News for each student and
tutor in the amount of $1,300. Students and tutors find this resource to be very
helpful in learning more about American culture.
• Purchase one-half of the subscription for Brainfuse, in partnership with the Arcadia Unified School District, to provide real time tutoring to students. In
addition to one-to-one homework help, this subscription also provides state
aligned skill building and a 24-hour writing lab. The Friends of the Library and the
Arcadia Unified School District each pay one-half of the cost of the $24,000
subscription. This service provides online assistance to students daily from 2:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
Donation from the Friends of the Arcadia Public Library September 5, 2017
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ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental
Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the
environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA. FISCAL IMPACT
These funds come from the Friends of the Library memberships and book sales in their
Friends of the Library Book Store. This donation makes possible the Easy English News and the online homework help service for the community over and above what is allotted through the City of Arcadia’s General Fund. Without this generous funding, the
Easy English News and the Brainfuse online homework help would not be possible.
RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council accept a donation in the amount of $13,300
from the Friends of the Arcadia Public Library for a ten-month subscription for the Easy
English News and the online homework help service Brainfuse.