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Orange Unified outlines community-schools rollout, trustees press on training and sustainability
Summary
District staff described multi-cohort California Community Schools grants that fund leads, counselors and parent centers at 15 schools; trustees and speakers sought clearer training expectations, sustainability plans for post-grant years and more parent/staff engagement.
Orange Unified School District leaders on Oct. 17 laid out the district's multi-year Community Schools program and fielded extensive questions about training, budgeting and how the work is documented.
"A community school is a place and a set of partnerships that connects school, family, and our community," said Dr. Sandy Schafer, the district's director of accountability, in a presentation that traced grant awards, staffing and allowable uses. Dr. Schafer said cohort 1 sites received roughly $250,000—300,000 per year for the first four years, with allocations reduced to 75% in the grant's fifth year to encourage local sustainability planning.
The district explained how grant funds are typically used. "The community lead salary and a full-time counselor are paid from each school's allocation," Dr. Schafer said. She and April Lou, teacher on special assignment for student and parent engagement, described parent centers, professional development for leads, and examples of integrated student supports such as pantry operations, basic health referrals and adult classes.
Trustees pressed staff on what "appropriate training" means for temporary or "walk-on" coaches and other personnel. Trustee Yamasaki asked whether the policy language that requires "appropriate training" could be clarified so schools require consistent, verifiable onboarding. Staff said mandatory pre-employment trainings are delivered through the district's Keenan system and include items required by statute; additional professional learning is being rolled out through the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) and site-level work.
Several community leads and principals described local practices. "We've started asset mapping and walking our neighborhoods to identify the nearest dental or health services," April Lou said, noting that much of the program's design rests on locally gathered needs assessments, LCAP results and site-level input.
Board members and community speakers repeatedly asked about sustainability after grant dollars decline. Dr. Schafer said district staff are exploring braided funding strategies (e.g., state grant, LCFF or Title dollars) but have not finalized a long-term plan and cautioned against supplanting federal funds. "We are looking at what other grants might be available to braid resources without supplanting," she said.
Trustees also asked how parent and student voice are incorporated. Staff described a two-tiered structure: a district steering committee and school-level community school councils (mini steering committees) that bring together parents, staff, students and partners to define site needs and budgets.
The presentation prompted calls for clearer written timelines and action plans. Trustee Kelly suggested publishing a year-one checklist and measurable goals so sites and the board can track progress. Dr. Schafer said the team is building documentation (spreadsheets and a district website) and is preparing annual progress reporting to meet evolving CDE accountability requests.
The district said community-school pages for each site should be live on the district website within a week, and staff emphasized that grants require detailed local documentation to support audits. The presentation closed with trustees expressing support for the program and a request for regular updates on staffing, budgets and measures of impact.
