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District outlines expansion of community schools and family resource centers; aims for site-based coordinators at 12 schools
Summary
Director Julio Castro described a districtwide community schools strategy and the work of three family resource centers. The plan includes a community school coordinator at each campus, more parent-education specialists, year-round services and partnerships with health and social-service providers.
Julio Castro, director of Family and Community Engagement, told the board that Alisal Union School District’s community schools strategy will expand site-based supports and formalize services currently run through three family resource centers.
Castro read language from the California Community Schools Framework and said the district’s approach uses four pillars—academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement—to “empower our families” and address barriers to student learning. He said the district is working from a needs-and-assets assessment conducted in 2023 and will require each school to submit an implementation plan for board review.
Services and partnerships: Castro listed existing services provided by the family resource centers, including childcare for parent classes, language interpretation, housing assistance through the McKinney-Vento liaison, mobile health clinics and food distribution in partnership with Salinas Valley Health, Aspire Health and the Monterey County Food Bank. He said partner organizations include Partners for Peace, Salinas Adult School and local community groups that provide legal, health and cultural supports.
Staffing and timeline: Castro said the goal is to place a community school coordinator at each of 12 schools and expand parent education specialists from six to a full complement. He reported eight coordinators currently onboard, said three coordinator hires were board-approved at the meeting and one vacancy remains (application window closing May 2). He described home visits, year-round center hours and community events—haircut clinics, holiday drives and a parent summit—as part of the work to build trust and increase access.
Why it matters: Castro said many families didn’t know what services were available and asked that supports be located closer to school sites; converting space at each campus is intended to reduce barriers to access. He also emphasized sustainability and partnership-building to maintain services beyond the grant period.
Questions from trustees focused on how the program will amplify student voice, how coordinators conduct outreach and whether the resource center staff are bilingual. Castro said coordinators and parent education specialists will do home visits and that most staff are bilingual Spanish-English.
