Six Central Unified School District elementary schools will get new student and family services after the district was awarded an $8.2 million grant through the California Community Schools Partnership Program.

The program provides extra funding to high-needs schools to provide services such as health care, mental health services, family services, and other assistance. The goal of community schools is to identify which services will help meet the social-emotional needs of students and their families and provide them under each school’s roof, enabling students to succeed academically.

Central Unified will create neighborhood hubs at Biola-Pershing, Hahn Phan Tilley, Madison, Roosevelt, Steinbeck, and Teague elementary schools beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

“We aim to graduate tomorrow’s leaders and believe community schools will accelerate student outcomes by expanding learning time, addressing social-emotional well-being, and meeting the physical and mental health needs of our students and families,” Superintendent Ketti Davis said.

Meeting Students’ Needs

They won’t be the first community schools in the city of Fresno. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond recently singled out Fresno Unified for using its community schools funding to provide food and clothing pantries, family resource fairs, alternative transportation, and community school coordinators at school sites.

The result: improved student attendance, daily attendance, and participation from parents and teachers, Thurmond noted.

Community schools partner with education, county, and nonprofit entities to provide health, mental health, and social services, with a strong focus on community, family, and student engagement.

Altogether California has invested $4.1 billion in community schools, the largest such investment in the nation, Thurmond said.