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New community school coordinators outline four‑year grant, seek city partnerships
Summary
Two newly hired community school coordinators for the local school district described a four‑year grant to build school‑linked family and student services and asked the city to partner on after‑school and community programs.
Colleen Windward and Bonnie Spees introduced themselves to the council as the district’s new community school coordinators and summarized a four‑year grant the district received to establish sustainable community school programs.
Windward said the coordinators will build bridges between students, staff, families and community resources. The program will include student programming, family support programs (food drives, coat drives) and partnerships with local nonprofits and businesses to provide after‑school activities and skill‑based instruction.
Windward and Spees said they are currently collecting data to identify needs at specific schools and described visits to other districts to study existing community school models. They told councilors that recreation programs, local businesses and nonprofits — including the food bank and Main Street groups — could provide volunteer instructors, host programs and supply services.
Why it matters: Community school coordination can expand after‑school programming, address family needs, and link municipal services such as parks and recreation to school‑based programs.
Council response and next steps: Council members suggested recreation programming and local organizations that could partner; the coordinators said they will continue needs assessment and follow up with city departments and nonprofits to design sustainable programs.
