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California community schools could receive another investment in the billions

Community School with Students
Harika Maddala/Harika Maddala/Bay City News
/
Bay City News
Students of College Park High School cross the street outside the school after school hours, in Pleasant Hill, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2022.

Community schools offer expanded resources to students and their families. Some provide health care or social services. Others even include housing on campus.

Last year, the state allocated three billion dollars to convert schools in high poverty areas into this community school model. Monday’s proposal would add another$1.5 billion dollars to that budget, which is going to be dispersed over seven years.

Officials like California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd argues that additional funding is essential because “this isn’t a one-time solution," he says.

The first community schools grant recipients were announced last month. Among them were the Alameda and Santa Cruz County Office of Education, as well as the Monterey Peninsula and Mt. Diablo Unified School Districts.

Hanisha Harjani is in the KALW Summer Training Program and produces news stories for Crosscurrents