Mariposa County Unified School District is striving to make a difference through the California Community Schools Partnership Program.
“One of the great things about this grant is that even though it’s only four or five schools that received the grant, we’re doing work directly with those schools but all schools benefit in the end,” said Stephanie Evans, Community Schools Coordinator.
The Community Schools Grant is essentially money from the California Department of Education to create, engage and collaborate better with communities to contribute to more shared leadership and more shared community partnership.
“We can’t do this work alone,” Evans said.
“It’s about what the schools need and that spreads out to what the rest of the district needs.”
There are four MCUSD schools who received or will be receiving Community Schools funding.
From 2024-2029, altogether receiving over three million dollars are Greeley Hill Elementary, Lake Don Pedro Elementary, Mariposa Elementary School, Spring Hill High School and Monarch Academy (2025-2030).
“We reapplied for all schools that didn’t get it last year and we were able to receive funding for Monarch Academy,” said Evans.
The work of Community Schools benefits all of MCUSD.
“The things that we do for some schools ripple out to the other schools.”
The application process
“Fifty percent of our population would need to be unduplicated,” Evans said.
“Unduplicated students are English language learners, students experiencing poverty, special education students, foster youth and unstably housed students; a student can not be counted twice.”
Also part of the criteria is a higher than state average dropout rate, suspension/expulsion rates, child homelessness, foster youth and or justice involved youth.
Unduplicated MCUSD Students percentages for 2024-2029:
MES: 77 percent
Spring Hill: 97 percent
Lake Don Pedro: 81 percent
Greeley Hill: 80 percent
MCUSD unduplicated received for 2025-2030:
Monarch Academy: 79 percent
Secondary Criteria includes more than 80 percent of unduplicated students and a need for integrated services, a commitment to provide multiple site based supports and identifying a plan to sustain community school services after the grant expires.
“This is seed money for just the five years to solidify and create systems to reduce the burden on principals and teachers to meet the needs of our students,” Evans explained.
“The goal is to get to a bigger level.”
The district applied twice for all MCUSD schools but MCHS, Woodland, El Portal and Sierra Home School did not receive the grant this year.
“We really thought the high school might get it this year but it was extremely competitive,” Evans said.
“We were excited Monarch got it.”
Community Schools goals include working together with shared goals, learning from the community, building strong partnerships and sustaining staff and resources.
The pillars for these goals are integrated support services, family engagement, collaborative leadership and expanded and enriched learning.
“This means we’re making decisions together,” Evans said.
“We’re really doing our best to engage community partners, families and students in what it is that we’re planning to do.”
Mariposa Elementary School
Community schools benefits include increased family engagement and community engagement at Back to School events, Fall Festival and Open House.
“We had 18 community collaborations at MES Events,” Evans said.
“That’s where the magic happens and people get ideas on how we can do things better. We do this at all schools.”
MCUSD has maintained funding for the school’s second counselor.
MES has continued with the Positivity Project which includes lessons around character, citizenship and positive contributions.
MES has focused on strengthening social and emotional learning support and all students receive 2nd Step Lessons.
There has also been increased behavior support for students and increased food security support.
“This year we were able to give 52 bags of food to 14 families who needed it,” Evans said.
“We were able to bring food to families who needed it to all of our schools this year.”
MCUSD instituted wellness transportation for students.
“There’s families who can’t always get to appointments,” Evans said.
“We wanted to set up a system to get families to where they need to go so we can improve student outcomes and achievement.”
Triple P Parenting classes were implemented and more are planned as well as increased access to community supports and local resources.
The district has also worked to increase communications with annual staff and family and community partners newsletters.
Greeley Hill Elementary
Community Schools benefits include food security support and 123 bags of food were provided over several weeks to 21 families.
“They’ve always been giving out food to those who need it so they were the center of this small project,” Evans said.
“We were able to see logistically how they were doing it and we were able to build it for the rest of the schools.”
MCUSD is creating specific North County resources and is in the process of hiring an SEL aide.
The district is working on increasing access to community supports including local resources and partnering to help develop North Campus Health, Wellness and Community facility.
“Health and Human Services is putting a north campus right next door to Greeley Hill,” Evans said.
“So we have this magic hub happening between the library, the school and north campus which is really exciting to be a part of.”
The district is working to have increased communications with annual staff and family and community partners newsletters.
Greeley Hill is also increasing family engagement by including Triple P parenting classes.
Lake Don Pedro Elementary
Community Schools benefits for LDP include the purchase a van to support increased after school student engagement in sports and extracurriculars.
The district is heading up a collaborative effort to have every student reading at grade level.
“They have hired an SEL aid and we’re focused on strengthening SEL support,” Evans said.
Along with increasing access to community supports and local resources, MCUSD has increased food security support and 109 bags of food were distributed to 22 families.
LDP is also participating in Triple P Parenting classes with more planned as well as increased communications with annual staff and family and community partners newsletters.
Spring Hill High School
Community partners Happy Goat and Master Gardeners are working with Spring Hill to create a campus garden.
There’s also been an instituted connection to Merced College.
“We have someone coming up to Spring Hill Spring Hill on a regular basis to help support enrollment for Merced College,” explained Evans.
“When they graduate we’re not just letting them go, we have other supports for them if they would like.”
Like the other sites, Spring Hill will have an SEL aide, Triple P Parenting classes, increased behavior supports for students and campus activities.
Spring Hill has experienced increased enrollment with improved graduation rates and MCUSD is continuing to see a decrease in Spring Hill suspensions.
The district is helping to increase food security support and 26 bags of food were distributed to six families.
“Next year we will have more information about Monarch,” Evans explained.
“You’re not seeing it now because they haven’t started yet, this will be their first year.”
For more information about Community Schools and to see the presentation in its entirety, visit Board Docs at go.boarddocs.com/ca/mcusd/Board.nsf/files/DKK32S04CB39/$file/Final%20Board%20CCSPP%202024-2025%20Presentaion%20(1).pdf
Evans can be reached at sevans@mcusd.org
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