Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1543424
Whittier Elementary Teachers Association, with 310 members, has a Community Schools MOU in place. Its K–8 district has 11–12 total sites (the virtual learning academy is separate). "We jumped in with eight community schools at once, two are middle schools," recalls WETA President Julie McCarty. "We got a state Implementation grant in April 2022, but the first year we spent planning instead of imple- menting because this was all brand new to us." According to McCarty, WETA leadership with community schools stems from its ongoing participation in various CTA and NEA programs. "In summer of 2022, four of us went to CTA Summer Institute's Community Schools strand not knowing anything. It com- pletely changed our direction. We learned how to take the lead and make shared decision-making a sustainable model. We went back to the district with so much knowledge. " The following CTA Summer Institutes we sent a large group of educators, including our program specialist and many of our site coordinators. We've held strategy sessions with CTA staff. We've learned from other locals. We hope to send another team this year to Summer Institute. We truly feel that this is one of the most valu- able trainings offered for community schools." In addition, WETA has participated in • The Community Schools strand at CTA Issues Conference (now CTA Organizing Academy). • NEA's Social & Racial Justice Conference. • NEA's Community Schools Benchmark Academy. • A CTA social and racial justice workshop in Whittier, which included district administrators. WETA has also sent different teams — including classified staff, who are community schools' community liaisons — and district administrators to multiple sessions of NEA's National Community Schools Learning Lab in Anaheim. The almost-900 members of Central Unified Teachers Association (CUTA) work in a school district just outside of Fresno. The district started with one community school, then added five more. " The first school is further along, with a food pantry in a temperature-controlled building, and a clothing closet," says CUTA President Laura Bolton. "Some of our community schools are really rural, there are no community resources nearby, so they look different than those closer to city areas. "We achieved a signed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) agreement on community schools with our district on Sept. 30, 2025. It is four pages and focuses on shared decision-mak- ing and governance. "We attempted to bargain for three years to get an MOU approved. We had a ton of turnover in the district office, with two superintendents and two interim superintendents, so there were a lot of stops and starts. We used a CTA template WETA Organizing Chair Allyson Banales-Pfeifer, President Julie McCarty and Human Rights and Equity Chair Alie Mercado. The Teague Elementary temperature-controlled food pantry. 1 Get informed and take the lead to chart your path through trainings, other locals' experience 1 2 Strategize and implement what works best for your local and each site's unique needs; use other locals' MOUs or articles as models 2 30 cta.org Feature