Harborside and Palomar Elementary Schools were selected as community schools, which serve as a community hub and provide services to students, families, and the community, the Chula Vista Elementary School District announced.
Community schools may provide services that include health care, mental health therapy, after-school programs, and adult education classes. According to the Chula Vista Elementary School district, community schools regularly partner with community organizations to provide these services, support students’ academic and personal development, and bolster the community.
"We are pleased to start implementing the Community School program in preparation for the upcoming school year,” said Superintendent Dr. Eduardo Reyes. "We believe through this new program we will be able to provide a well-rounded education for students and support their families and nearby communities.”
Both Harborside and Palomar Elementary Schools were selected through an application process that required 80% of students needed to be unduplicated, meaning low-income, foster youth, or homeless.
The district will hire a Community School coordinator who will assist in implementing the program. The school sites will have a site coordinator for the implementation process, according to the district.
Vision to Learn and Campus Clinic will partner with the district to provide services for the two schools, with more to be placed in the coming months.
Gov. Gavin Newsom passed Assembly Bill 130 in 2021, which provided $3 billion to establish new and expand existing Community Schools in the state through the California Schools Partnership Program. The Chula Vista Educators Representative Council passed a resolution in April 2022 to bring the model to the district.
The Chula Vista Elementary School District received a $200,000 planning grant in May 2022 from the California Department of Education.
