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District details Community Schools rollout, cites per‑school funding and engagement work
Summary
The board received an update on the Community Schools initiative: five schools are in implementation, most sites receive $250,000 annually (Laurel receives $300,000), steering committees and family workshops are underway, and the district is preparing implementation applications and ongoing outreach.
The San Mateo-Foster City School District presented a detailed update on its Community Schools initiative, describing the transition from planning to implementation at five sites and outlining funding, family engagement and program plans.
Dr. Raba (presentation name transcribed) told trustees that five schools are participating in implementation work this year; Laurel Elementary was allocated $300,000 annually while three other schools were allocated $250,000 each under the planning grant. The presentation emphasized multi‑stakeholder steering committees, PK family workshops that brought historically under-engaged families into repeated sessions, and the development of family resource centers and after‑school toolkits targeted to student interests.
Site steering committees produced prioritized toolkits during a November convening, identifying programs such as soccer (AYSO), Boys & Girls Club activities, ukulele, dance and instrument instruction. The presenter said family centers are being established at several sites and that student voice guided many program choices.
Trustees asked about connecting the Community Schools model to the high school district and about outreach methods that captured voices beyond the most responsive families. The presenter described deliberate use of ELAC (English Language Advisory Committee) meetings, in‑person outreach and qualitative small‑group conversations to ensure inclusion of multilingual and historically under-engaged households.
Trustees raised sustainability concerns because the state grant is time-limited. The presentation noted CDE scoring rules for expansion (the unduplicated pupil count threshold historically at 80%) and said Fiesta Gardens did not meet the threshold in 2022–23 (57.8%), which affected award eligibility. The district said it will continue to compile application artifacts and aims to submit implementation applications in early February, with a Feb. 7 deadline noted for some grant materials.
Board members urged continued districtwide communication about Community Schools and asked that the district provide simple, public-facing descriptions of what Community Schools look like at each site as programming scales. Trustees also encouraged the district to explore stronger links with high school partners in future planning.
The district indicated it will return with more detailed metrics and updated funding allocations as programs finalize agreements with community providers and as site steering committees refine budgets.
