Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1527898
C O M M U N I T Y S C H O O L S A rundown of the Learning Lab inaugural program: DAY 1 Participants gathered at AUHSD offices for introductions before Leading & Learning visits — informational tours at either South Junior High or Katella High schools (the Learning Lab will soon offer elementary school tours as well). ese campus walks and classroom visits focused on programming related to community schools, as did presentations by staff, administrators, students, parents and community partners. Every community school is unique in that each school's stu- dents and community have unique needs. South's community school coordinator Denise Osorio, for example, explained that outreach to parents is not necessarily school-based. "Many of our students and families live on the other side of the city where parking is difficult," she said. "Parents don't want to give up their parking spaces. We decided to hold a barbecue in a park in that area, which was very successful [in engaging parents]." Similarly, the school maintains a dry goods pantry with food and supplies for families but works with community partners to offer fresh produce at various spots that are within walking distance of families' homes. In another project, students in art and woodworking classes designed, built and painted benches a calming shade of green, placed around campus where students and others can rest and connect. e benches also bring awareness to mental health, featuring a QR code that takes users to mental health resources. Afternoon activities included a "station rotation" where participants chose from various topic areas for more inten- sive discussion, including collaborative leadership practices, community partnerships, sustainable funding/budgeting, har- nessing student voice for community problem-solving and civic engagement, community school assets/needs assessment, and centering community-based learning. DAY 2 Participants met at ASTA offices for an opening panel discussion with AUHSD Community Schools Steering Committee members on committee structure, the process of building consensus and sharing leadership, school board resolutions, and more. CTA Board Member, CTA/NEA Coordinator and former ASTA President Grant Schuster facilitated the discussion, emphasiz- ing that building trust and "going slow so we can go fast" were essential for the committee. "At first it was hard to nail down what this was all about," said ASTA President Geoff Morganstern. "But we knew from the very beginning that we wanted all our educational partners at the table." AUHSD Community Schools Director Carlos Hernandez talked about steering committee consensus-building: "Boy, that's hard," he said. "But it is so worth it and it's the right approach. We go farther together." Separately, MV TA President Leticia Urias, whose team of 16 included the superintendent, three assistant superinten- dents and eight teacher leads, echoed the challenges. "It has taken a long time to build a relationship with the district and it takes continuous effort on both sides to keep it going. We have labored hard to make sure all partners are at the table and all voices are heard." Participants reviewed CTA's Community Schools 5-Step tool- kit along with NEA's "Five Steps to Kickstarting Community Schools." Morganstern underscored the importance of codify- ing community schools in the contract. "Maybe your MOU is imperfect," he said. "But that's okay — we did a second MOU to address additional issues." Community schools teacher lead Nikki Resch and site coordinator Isabel Tabares-Torres next explained their Participants learned about the nuts and bolts of shared governance, among other critical components of community schools, and worked on their own teams' steering committee structure and plans. 19 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 24