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Alejandra Lopez presents community‑schools model, urges coordinator funding and shared decision‑making
Summary
Alejandra Lopez, president of the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, told the Education Opportunities Committee that community schools combine strong curriculum and teaching with coordinated wraparound services and inclusive governance, and that funding a dedicated community‑schools coordinator is critical for implementation.
Alejandra Lopez, a second‑grade teacher on leave and president of the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, told the Education Opportunities Committee that a well‑implemented community schools model pairs strong curriculum and high‑quality teaching with embedded supports such as health care, mental‑health counseling, food pantries and tutoring.
"When our union ... talk about community schools we include so much more," Lopez said, outlining pillars that also include inclusive leadership, a culture of belonging and family‑community partnerships. She said the model needs a thorough needs‑and‑assets assessment at the start and a community‑schools coordinator to align partners on a single campus.
Lopez cited national examples and research to make the case for scale. She noted a 2021 California investment of $4,100,000,000 in community schools and contrasted that with about $670,000,000 in earlier federal investments, saying the California program prioritized historically underserved students through an equity lens.
Committee members pressed on how the city’s delegate‑agency funding aligns with school needs. A councilmember who praised the presentation warned that funds for delegate agencies face possible cuts in the coming trial budget and urged that the committee use the community schools framework to defend those investments.
Melody Weasley, the city’s Human Services director, said city staff routinely coordinates with San Antonio ISD and invites district representatives to panel reviews so funding is not allocated in a vacuum. Lopez added that the recommended coordinator is often an existing campus staff member and that the position typically requires at least 1 full‑time equivalent to be effective.
Committee members raised implementation questions including whether to pilot the model across several districts, how to find funding for a coordinator FTE, and whether to target limited resources to a focused set of campuses or spread supports more broadly. Lopez suggested pilots across districts could help share lessons and drive funding strategies.
The committee did not take formal action; members asked staff to continue conversations with ISDs and explore pilot and funding options as part of upcoming budget discussions.
