Sac City Unified details use of $25 million in community‑schools funds and next steps to sustain services

District community‑schools staff told trustees that the first year of full implementation used more than $25 million in state funds to hire specialists, expand partnerships and host more than 300 family engagement events across 18 sites.

Sarah Lip Buenaventura and a team of community‑school specialists presented highlights including: recruiting 163 new parent volunteers; more than 300 site events; partnerships for ESL classes, arts and mobile museum experiences; and student support centers providing increased access to mental‑health services. They also reported collecting "street data" from more than 8,000 voices to inform site priorities.

The presentation stressed four pillars — integrated student and family supports, family engagement, collaborative leadership, and expanded learning time — and outlined next steps: centering student agency through project‑based learning, shifting events toward academically focused "edutainment," strengthening site councils and PTAs, and building staff collective efficacy.

Why it matters: Community schools are a multi‑year strategy designed to integrate services on campus and improve equity; the state implementation funds support staffing and partnerships that district officials say cannot be sustained without consistent community involvement or continued funding.

What the board heard: Positive site‑level feedback and requests from principals and families for continued cultural events, improved facility conditions and equitable field‑trip access. Trustee comments emphasized the need to plan for sustainability if grant funds expire.

Provenance: Presentation began at 02:18:35 and included a short student/parent video and site data highlights. The board discussed program continuity and the relationship between one‑time grant funding and long‑term goals.