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On May 18, 2022 the California State Board of Education unanimously approved West Contra Costa Unified with $30,000,000 in grant funding as a part of the Community Schools Partnership Program (CSPP).

The five-year grant will support the development and implementation of a districtwide equity strategy aligned to the California Community Schools Framework

The schools below have been awarded implementation grants during the first round of funding:

Sylvester Greenwood Academy
Stege Elementary
Riverside Elementary
Lincoln Elementary
Coronado Elementary
Verde K-8
Bayview Elementary
Lake Elementary
Ford Elementary
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
Michelle Obama Elementary
Lovonya DeJean Middle School
Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
Nystrom Elementary
Edward M. Downer Elementary
Montalvin Manor K-8
Dover Elementary
Grant Elementary
Peres K-8
Helms Middle School
John F. Kennedy High School
Richmond High School

Community Schools

What is a Community School?

A community school is the heart of a community, uniting diverse and engaged stakeholders to make the school community stronger and support the Whole Child — meaning children are not just supported in academics but are learning in environments that make them feel safe, valued, engaged, challenged, and healthy. Community schools provide not only tremendous opportunities for learning and success for students, but also offer hope, opportunity, and transformation to entire communities. Today, there are more than 5,000 community schools nationwide, and this number continues to grow. Currently, there are twenty-two Community Schools in WCCUSD. On April 11, 2022, WCCUSD applied to expand its Community Schools program by ten schools, to a total of thirty-two schools. At the May State Board of Education meeting, WCCUSD will be notified of the status of approval

What are the benefits of Community Schools?

A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources with an integrated focus on academics, health, social services, leadership, and community engagement. Its integrated focus leads to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities.

Community schools help foster:

Lower rates of absenteeism
Better work habits, grades, test scores, and behaviors
Higher enrollment in college preparatory classes
Higher graduation rates

CTA and NEA advocate for more money from the state and federal government to fund the Community Schools Model. President Biden’s budget proposal making its way through Congress requests $443 million for community schools, a 14-fold increase over the current level of $30 million. Recently in the 2021 California state budget, $3 billion was allocated for the expansion of community schools. Because of this unprecedented investment in Community Schools, UTR strongly advocates that educators, families, students, and our community partners have equity of voice in decision-making power and policy-setting as WCCUSD increased the number of schools applying for the Community Schools Partnership Program grants through the California Departement of Education.