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District staff outline community-schools expansion, tutoring and parent supports
Summary
District community-schools staff told parents the program is expanding bilingual tutoring, reported small but measurable gains on recent assessments at several schools, and announced a Dec. 11 in-person parent support meeting for families of high-achieving students. Parents raised concerns about workshop timing and access; staff said they will post
Amalia, district coordinator for the community schools program, told parents at a regularly scheduled meeting that the program is following a four-pillar model—integrated student services, expanded/enrichment learning, family and community connection, and leadership and collaborative practice—and that implementation work and grant-funded activities began about a year ago.
"Quisiera ponerles al día con relación de lo que viene pasando hasta ahora," Amalia said, describing coordinator outreach to families, school-site planning and a set of community partnerships the district has secured.
Doctora Kane, who reviewed assessment results for English, math and science, said the district has seen "small but significant" improvements compared with pre-pandemic performance and pointed to pockets of growth at several schools. She cited examples such as an 8-percentage-point gain in third-grade English proficiency at Green and double-digit gains at Mitchell in some grade levels.
Kane emphasized the need to accelerate improvement for students who remain below grade level and said site councils will use ongoing formative assessments (i-Ready and site benchmarks) to decide whether to continue current practices or change strategies.
A parent who spoke during the meeting said many workshops are scheduled in the morning, which makes attendance difficult for working families. "He estado bastante involucrado con la escuela, pero siento que estoy un poco separada, porque la mayoría de estos talleres son a la mañana," the parent said. Amalia said sites are surveying families about preferred times and will explore evening and online options.
Staff described expanded after-school tutoring (RAP) that now includes two bilingual tutors per site and plans to hire additional tutors; coordinators said they prefer small groups of three to five students per tutor. Amalia said the district has invested funds to recruit bilingual tutors and that families can sign up through site coordinators or a QR code.
Community partners have contributed resources: Big Sunday donated 2,000 books to schools, the PTA has provided food, and Vallarta supplied gift cards, officials said. The district also described partnerships with mental health providers to offer parent trainings on immigration, grief, parenting strategies and supporting students academically.
Amalia reminded parents of the district's uniform complaint procedures and parents' rights, urging families first to raise concerns with their principal and, if unresolved, to use the formal complaint process available on the district website.
The district scheduled a parent support group meeting for families of high-achieving (GATE) students on Dec. 11 at 9 a.m., to be held in person, and said it will post an assessment calendar and the state dashboard at the next meeting so parents can review data earlier in the year. Staff also reiterated volunteer opportunities (library help, field trips) and warned that fingerprinting and tuberculosis testing should be started well in advance of volunteer events.
The meeting closed with reminders about upcoming meetings, registration links and encouragement for parents to engage with site coordinators and take advantage of multilingual supports. The district said it will return to present the state dashboard and the assessment calendar at the next meeting.
