Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1419056
a n d s c h o o l s u p p l i e s t o m e n t a l h e a l t h s e r - vices. Form erly a sp ecial education t each er there, Douglass continues to serve the school community, forging connections and helping families do more than just hold on. O n e Fr i d ay a t 5 p . m . , a p h o n e c a l l c a m e f r o m a m o t h e r w h o n e e d e d f o o d f o r t h e w e e k e n d , s a y i n g t h a t b e i n g a b l e t o m a k e her family a traditional Nigerian meal would mean ever ything during difficult times. Since items from food banks don't typically include t h e n e c e ss a r y i n g re d i e n t s f o r su c h a m e a l , D o u g l a s s a n d h e r c o l l e a g u e p o o l e d t h e i r m on e y, d eliv erin g $50 to th e m oth er s o sh e could cook the food that would bring smiles to her family 's faces during difficult times. " Th ere are a lot of stories like that for us, and it's brought us closer to our families when we needed to be. If the pandemic didn't hap- p en , I don' t think w e w oul d 'v e b e en abl e to dig this deep," says Douglass, a UTLA member. " We've been able to connect with our families and students on a deeper level, and it will be lifelong." A movement born out of struggle While community schools as a concept have been around since the turn of the century (thanks to famed social worker Jane Addams and educator John Dewey), the movement to create these cen- ters of transformative change got a huge boost in 2019 when UTLA members included community schools in their demands during their historic strike. Th ey w on funding for 30 community schools and additional UTLA positions as part of Los Angeles Unified's Community Schools Initia- tive. With California now investing more money into the community schools movement than all other states combined, Goldberg says, it's import- ant to remember the sacrifice educators made to win this funding for students and families. "Part of the reason we can do this is because of the courageous efforts of our locals. It allows us to bring CTA support and infrastructure to these struggles that have been so powerful and mean- ing ful," Goldberg says. "What UTLA has done is the gold standard for community schools." UTLA's victory has blossomed into a $3 billion wind- fall for community schools — one-time Proposition 98 "We are committed to improving the educational experience of our young people. Community schools provide the framework for how we do that." —Leslie Hu, United Educators of San Francisco Nick Chandler at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Community School in San Francisco. He helped the school open its gym to BVHM families who are unhoused in 2018, a program that continues today. " Your school has needs. As a community school, you identify and elevate those needs. It is our role to elevate and push until that need is met." — Nick Chandler, United Educators of San Francisco 21 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 21