The Californer - California: Governor Newsom, Superintendent Thurmond announce over 8 million to support another 458 community schools

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May 7, 2025

Governor Newsom, Superintendent Thurmond announce over $618 million to support another 458 community schools

What you need to know: The State Board of Education voted today to approve funding to support 458 schools sites and build on the nation-leading community schools initiative, which provide families the resources and support they need to thrive, like health care and mental health and social service.

Governor Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that the fourth and final round of community schools implementation grants – totaling more than $618 million – were unanimously approved at the May meeting of the State Board of Education earlier today.

The $4.1 billion California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) is the nation's largest investment in dismantling barriers to learning that lead to inequitable student outcomes. Community schools partner with education, county, and nonprofit entities to provide integrated health, mental health, and social services alongside high-quality, supportive instruction with a strong focus on community, family and student engagement.

"California continues to find and support innovative ways to make schools a place where every family and student can succeed. Today, we build on our nation-leading community schools program – more than 450 additional schools, offering everything from free meals twice a day to mental health counseling to before, after, and summer school programs to thousands more students."

Governor Gavin Newsom

With the addition of today's allocation, California is now funding a total of nearly 2,500 community schools to leverage community resources in support of student wellbeing and academic success. These schools represent some of the highest-need school communities in the state of California.

California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond: "I am proud to see our Community Schools initiative continue to grow as the final cohort of grantees receive funds. These grants support our schools to address foundational needs for learning, making sure that our students are healthy and able to learn. Our Community Schools continue to serve as exemplars of programs that activate resources across the whole school community to educate the whole child. I am proud to see California continue to be at the forefront of recognizing that student wellness is a cornerstone of learning."

State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond: "Well-resourced community schools have proven to increase attendance, achievement and attainment for students, transforming their lives and improving the well-being of families, thus uplifting entire communities. Children succeed in the classroom when they are healthy, happy, and in a learning environment where they are surrounded by knowledgeable and caring adults attuned to their needs. I appreciate Governor Newsom for continuing to prioritize the community school approach in California."

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Community schools initiative

Community schools are a key initiative of California's historic transformation of public schools that includes universal free school meals, universal transitional kindergarten, before- and after-school learning and investments in teacher training, coaching, recruitment and retention. Established in 2021 when the California Legislature passed the California Community Schools Partnership Act, and expanded in 2022, the CCSPP statewide technical assistance infrastructure supports schools and LEAs to coordinate the implementation of these initiatives for maximum impact and sustainability.

The Board's action today awards more than $618 million to 121 LEAs across the state. Those funds will support a total of 458 schools in implementing a community schools approach at their sites. The list of awardees is available through the May 7, 2025 SBE Agenda (see Item 9, Attachment 1).

Today's allocation builds on nearly $1.3 billion that the SBE approved last year to support 998 school sites, the $750.5 million approved in '22-23 to support 570 school sites, and the $625.5 million approved to support 458 school sites in '21-22 – the first year of the program.

Funding at work

Elk Hills Elementary is a K-8 school in the Elk Hills Elementary School District in Kern County. The school, which received CCSPP funding in 2021, organizes its community school around five priority areas: (1) early childhood education, (2) expanded learning, (3) math and literacy education, (4) family and community engagement, and (5) social and mental health services. Through this approach, Elk Hills has gradually seen improvement in a number of areas, including math and ELA scores, according to last year's data from the California School Dashboard. Included in those results was a significant decrease in chronic absenteeism attributed to relationship-centered structures and practices that aim to enhance school connectedness among students and families.

Folsom Cordova Unified School District is a community schools district that uses "Coordination of Services Teams" to provide comprehensive support for students facing challenges. As a result of CCSPP funding, at Mills Middle School, reading outcomes have improved for five student groups in one year (African American, English Learners, Hispanic, Socioeconomically Disadvantaged, and Students with Disabilities). This engagement to support students has also supported staff retention, which has dramatically improved at this high-need middle school.

Buena Vista Horace Mann is a K-8, Spanish dual immersion, community school in the Mission District of San Francisco. A first-round CCSPP implementation grant recipient, the school utilized funding for an on-site therapist, summer school and after-school enrichment programs. The school blends state and local funding sources to offer extensive basic needs, health, and wellness resources to students and families, including on-site behavioral and mental health services and a stay-over program for families experiencing homelessness, which supports stability and safety. This approach has enabled Buena Vista Horace Mann to dramatically reduce its chronic absenteeism rate.

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For more information on the California Community Schools Partnership Program, please visit CDE's community schools webpage.

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