Community School Grants Awarded

TThe California State Board of Education and the California Department of Education announced on May 18 that nineteen Kern County Local Education Agencies (LEAs) were awarded California Community School Partnership Program grants totaling more than $65.5M. The grant program supports schools’ efforts to partner with community agencies and local government to align community resources to improve student outcomes. These partnerships provide an integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement.

Community school strategies can be an effective approach to mitigate the academic and social impacts of emergencies that affect local communities, improve school responsiveness to student and family needs, and to organize school and community resources to address barriers to learning. Community schools often include four evidence-informed programmatic features, which are aligned and integrated into high-quality, rigorous teaching and learning practices and environments.

The Four Pillars of Community Schools are:

Integrated Support Services — Supports student success by meeting their academic, physical, social-emotional, and mental health needs.

Family and Community Engagement — Involves actively tapping the expertise and knowledge of family and community members to serve as true partners in supporting and educating students. Learning opportunities for family members as well as structures and opportunities for shared leadership are other important elements of authentic family engagement.

Collaborative Leadership — Establishes a culture of professional learning and practices for educators and administrators, collective trust, and shared responsibility for outcomes in a manner that includes students, families, and community members.

Extended Learning Time and Opportunities — Extended learning time and opportunities that include academic support, enrichment, and real-world learning opportunities (e.g., internships, project-based learning). Expanded learning opportunities can also include tutoring and other learning supports during school hours.

LEAs were allowed to apply for grant funding in two categories — planning or implementation. Planning grants are intended for school districts that do not currently have community schools but wish to explore implementing them. Implementation grants are for new community schools, or for the expansion or continuation of existing community schools.

Planning Grants were awarded to the following: 

Arvin Union School District — $200,000
El Tejon Unified School District — $200,000
Fairfax School District — $200,000
Kern High School District — $199,554
DiGiorgio School District — $200,000
Maricopa School District — $200,000
Vineland School District — $200,000

Implementation Grants were awarded to the following: 

Bakersfield City School District — $5,700,000
Buttonwillow Union School District — $1,187,000
Delano Union School District — $13,775,000
Edison School District — $2,850,000
KCSOS Alternative Education — $1,187,000
Kernville Union School District — $3,325,000
Lamont School District — $3,325,000
Lost Hills School District — $9,500,000
McFarland Unified School District — $7,125,000
Southern Kern Unified School District — $7,125,000
Standard School District — $5,700,000
Wonderful College Prep — $3,325,000

So, what is a Community School anyway? Watch the video to find out…