Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1543424
Food distribution at a Pittsburg community school. Continued from Page 31 4 Negotiations: Take necessary actions, hold district accountable 4 Medical support? There is no one answer for all sites. "With a shared leadership model, these are the cookies on the plate, so how do we use them? The funding will be gone in five-to-seven years. We front- load what we want and need and then taper it down, so at the end, it's part of your school plan." b. United Teachers of Richmond (UTR), with approx- imately 1,500 members, was among the first locals in the state to bargain community schools language into its contract. Even before that, UTR worked with inter- est-holders to ensure multiple voices were captured: The local, its district and several community partners worked on the CCSPP application together and after funding was received, all three parties worked on language that was codified in a contract article in the 2022–23 school year. The article expires in 2031. "Some district officials didn't understand why this had to be in the contract, since we were in agreement," says Cathy Baker, UTR's Elementary Director currently on special assignment as an NEA/CTA Community Schools support specialist. "An assistant superinten- dent who felt this way at the time recently told me, 'Now I get it.'" UTR's contract article has served as a model for other locals. "It stipulates that each community schools site must have a community schools director — a full-time, paid position that is open to all, includ- ing educators, district staff and community partners." Baker notes that many UTR members serve as community schools teacher leads, positions that offer educators stipends and time while they con- tinue to teach. Almost 30 of 54 sites in West Contra Costa are community schools, a mix of elementary, middle and high schools. UTR is currently starting to address the sustainability of community schools, engaging the district and community partners in discussion. b. a. Pittsburg Education Association (PEA) boasts 98% union membership, with 604 members. All 13 schools in its district are community schools. Nine schools have CCSPP grant money; four are funded through their Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) process. Pittsburg schools and students have seen impressive gains in literacy, math and sci- ence assessment scores following adoption of the community schools model, and were honored for their accomplishments in October at a press event by State Superin- tendent of Schools Tony Thurmond. "We bargained CS lan- guage in an MOU and got it signed on April 11, 2024," says PEA President Medi- na-Owens. "Now we're focused on implementation and enforcement." "It took eight months to get the MOU signed. Our district had passed a resolution making a commit- ment to community schools, but management was hesitant to sign a binding document because of the shared leadership component. PEA had to take actions — we rallied; we spoke to the school a. "We had to educate everyone about community schools, so that they know grant money is to pay for coordinators — who are not just extra office workers — and to build teams and work with parents." —STA President Dr. Chris Anderson 33 W I N T E R 2 0 26 Celia Medina-Owens