It’s official! We learned on April 26, that Los Banos Unified School District will receive $20,187,500 over five years as part of more than $1.2 billion in total funding awarded to 288 school districts and charter schools in the third cohort of the Community Schools Implementation Grants set for approval on the agenda of the California State Board of Education on May 8.
The California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) is the nation’s largest investment in the community schools model and is designed to transform educational outcomes for students through a whole child and whole family approach.
This approach attempts to bring an array of services to the school site and the community to support students and improve the conditions for teaching and learning. In this model, schools function as neighborhood hubs that promote interaction among families, school administration, staff, and teachers to help families be more involved in the decisions about their child’s education.
LBUSD personnel worked collaboratively with parents, teachers, classified staff, and administrators to develop a common vision for implementing a whole-child approach to serving all students.
The district will use these funds to invest in a Family Resource Center in the Los Banos community to provide services for families such as family therapy, substance abuse prevention workshops, educational workshops, job training, and more. The district will also hire social workers to work with students and their families as well as a community liaison at each school site to assist families in connecting with services inside and outside of the school system.
The partnership program represents a massive opportunity to support our students, their families, and our community. We are excited that the California Department of Education awarded LBUSD the 8th highest implementation grant award in this cohort and look forward to continuing to transform the educational outcomes of our students.
Dr. Sean Richey is commended for having the foresight to successfully pursue these resources for the district and leading the competitive application process.
