The United Teachers of Richmond, in collaboration with the West Contra Costa School District,  has developed extensive contract language for community schools. Article 53 states,

“Community schools provide not only tremendous opportunities for learning and success for students, but also offer hope, opportunity, and transformation to the entire community.” This transformative change represents an effort to move away from the top down business model, and toward a more inclusive and democratic system where educators and parents take an active role in decision making and defining the educational priorities of our schools. The state of California has made available significant funds to facilitate this process. For my school, Lake Elementary $132,000 is provided this school year.

Now that we have this language and vision, the implementation should be carefully monitored and supported. At the site level, a Community Schools Action Collaborative consisting of 50% family, community and students and 50% union members plus the site administrator shall be established. Also a Community School Director, CSD, shall be selected. Although not specifically stated, the Action Collaborative should decide how this money is spent. It would not be appropriate for the site administrator and/or the CSD to spend that money over the heads of community and union members. A practice at this point that is not uncommon, I have heard from my conversations with community schools personnel.  That is business as usual. We want change. We need to make sure every community member and staff member are aware of the promise and opportunities of this new movement. The contract provides time for union members to be informed. This needs to happen sooner rather than later. It should not be that the people who are tasked with leading this transformation have not read article 53 Community Schools. Again from my conversations I have heard that many have not done so at this point in time. We do not want this opportunity to slip through our fingers. 

We are just over a month into the school year and there is time to get it right. We have the possibility of transformative change and importantly we have funds. How those monies are spent and who decides how those monies are spent is a big part of that transformation. Let’s all get involved and make the change.

Eric Swabeck

3rd grade teacher, Lake Elementary