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Local nonprofits and volunteers present programs that feed, teach and mentor Erie students

Erie Public Schools Board of Directors · February 12, 2026

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Summary

At the Feb. 11 board meeting, community partners — Hooked on Books for Kids, the Jefferson Educational Society, LEAF, Anansi Collaborations and the Bluecoats — described literacy, civic, environmental and mentoring programs that partner with Erie Public Schools and offered free or low‑cost student services and classroom supports.

Several community organizations briefed the board about ongoing partnerships with Erie Public Schools during the committee‑of‑the‑whole portion of the Feb. 11 meeting.

Hooked on Books for Kids: Dean, representing the all‑volunteer nonprofit, said the organization distributes books through partner nonprofits, provides one book per year per Erie City School student on request, and runs a Books for Birthdays program. "Since our founding in 1990, we have given out over 600,000 books to underprivileged children in Erie County," Dean said, and added that organizations can request up to 400 books per year.

Jefferson Educational Society: Dr. Farati described a $1,000,000 board‑approved bicentennial program to bring public speakers and reenactors into district schools and offered to coordinate future speaker visits at no cost to students.

LEAF (Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park): Hannah Rhodes said LEAF aims to plant native trees at city schools and tie those plantings to hands‑on kindergarten lessons; she reported LEAF has placed trees on roughly 88% of campuses and served more than 800 Erie students in the past two years.

Arts integration and Bluecoats: Marky Swalas (arts integration) and Kevin Stevenson (cofounder, Bluecoats) described projects that use arts, video production and volunteer mentoring to build student skills and support school culture. Stevenson said Bluecoats assist with arrival/dismissal, mentoring and violence‑interruption activities in schools.

Why it matters: The presentations underscored the district’s reliance on a network of nonprofits and volunteers to deliver reading materials, environmental education, arts experiences and school safety supports. Board members thanked presenters and asked about partnerships' scalability and links to district curriculum and staffing.

Next steps: Partners offered to share materials and coordinate with community school directors; district staff said they will continue to integrate partner programs into school action plans.