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Newburgh district announces My Brother’s Keeper certification; leaders tout community events
Summary
District leaders announced NECSD (Newburgh Enlarged City School District) achieved certification as a My Brother’s Keeper community and highlighted large community events including a backpack giveaway that served about 1,400 students.
The Newburgh Enlarged City School District on Aug. 12 announced it has been certified as a My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) community, a recognition affiliated with the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. Board members and district leaders described the certification as a national-level recognition and said the district will expand MBK initiatives.
Board President John Dorey read an email to the board describing the MBK certification and its intended benefits. A district speaker who addressed the board said MBK certification ‘‘formally designates us as a certified MBK community, joining a network of districts and municipalities committed to improving outcomes for boys and young men of color, as well as other underserved youth.’’ The announcement noted that NECSD’s MBK work aligns with ongoing grants and community partnerships.
Why it matters: MBK certification links Newburgh to a national network that emphasizes a set of outcome milestones and can create access to programming and partnership opportunities the board said it wants to expand locally.
What leaders said and planned - Board member Phil Howard described the certification as a significant recognition and said the district aims to expand MBK programming to middle and elementary grades. Howard said, “This is huge. We’ve been doing an incredible job with our My Brother’s Keeper initiative … it’s a game changer.”
- A district official characterized MBK as the Obama Foundation–aligned alliance and listed the program milestones discussed at the meeting: entering school ready to learn; reading on grade level by third grade; graduating high school on time; completing post-secondary education; creating safe spaces for youth; and ensuring out-of-school youth are employed. The speaker also named other certified communities cited in the announcement: MBK Tulsa, MBK Omaha and MBK Yonkers.
- Board members and staff also praised a recent community event. Board president and others reported that a ‘‘backpack giveaway’’/back-to-school event served about 1,400 children and included health, food and family resources; participants and volunteers were commended for the turnout.
What the board did not vote on at this item: The MBK certification was reported to the board as a recognition and discussion item; no board action or funding allocation was recorded on the public motion related to the certification during the meeting.
Next steps: Board members expressed intent to expand MBK programming and to “push this down” to middle and elementary schools; staff said they will continue grant management and community engagement work to support program expansion.
