District outlines expansion of family resource centers, community schools and immigration support

The Board of Trustees heard a presentation July 29 about the district—s Alisal Family Resource Centers and the Community Schools implementation grant, including staffing plans, services for immigrant families and ongoing efforts to place coordinators and parent-education specialists at every school. The presentation matters because the community-schools grant funds staff who will coordinate family engagement, attendance interventions and literacy supports across 12 sites; district staff said those positions are central to the grant—s goals and to meeting families—immediate needs. Julio Castro, director of family and community engagement, told the board the district operates three family resource centers adjacent to school sites and is using a hybrid staffing model with one director and two managers overseeing centers. Castro said the community-schools implementation grant funded most coordinator positions and that the district must provide a 33% local match. He described current vacancies for two parent-education specialists and said interviews were being scheduled with HR. Castro described the resource-center staffing mix (secretaries, family-service specialists, paraeducators/adult basic educators, child-care providers and a McKinney-Vento clerk at the Allisal Family Resource Center who handles uniforms, supplies and referrals). He said the family-service specialists help families complete forms and applications at no cost, work that some outside agencies charge for. On services for immigrant families, Castro said the PPS social-work team has trained FACE staff to help parents complete caregiver affidavits and family-safety plans; he emphasized the centers do not offer legal advice and that staff refer families to community partners for legal questions. Castro described past collaborations with Monterey College of Law, whose students and clinics have offered "know your rights," immigration and tenants-rights workshops countywide. Trustees and staff discussed implementation plans for the 12 community schools, which Castro said follow the California Department of Education—s template focusing on school climate and family engagement, literacy and chronic absenteeism. Castro said coordinators will form site advisory teams, and that goals may be revised if school needs change during the year. A parent commenter (identified in the record as a long-term parent and translated by an interpreter) asked the board to extend the Buckhorn Early Learning Center—s hours so parents who work outside the center—s current three-hour sessions can access full-day services, and to move monthly board meetings to 6 p.m. so working parents can attend. The parent also said several families had reported their children were denied bilingual instruction in more than one subject and challenged a district assertion in internal audits that "100% of our children are educated in the language their parents decide." The district did not present a counter figure in the meeting. Trustees praised the FACE and community-schools staff for outreach and noted that implementation plans, which were on the consent agenda for approval, describe home visits and other attendance strategies. Trustee Beatriz Perez and Trustee Ilpa Sparela encouraged close communication among principals, coordinators and parent-education specialists so new positions—workloads remain aligned with job descriptions. Castro said the district is pursuing additional grant funding and noted that the community-school physical spaces and coordinated services are intended to remain useful beyond the four-year grant period. He invited trustees to inspect implementation plans and attend on-site community events the district listed as upcoming. If board approval of the implementation plans appears on a future consent agenda, Castro said staffing vacancies for two parent-education specialists (named in the presentation as positions for sister Chavez and Jesse DeSantis) would be addressed through HR screening and interviews.