Community Schools Action Team

Purpose
One of the issues to come out the Commission's strategic planning process was the need for access to services. There is also awareness that there is an increasing need for services and accountability and a decrease in available dollars. 

Many believe that the community schools approach can lead to an answer. A community school is not only a place, but a partnership between the schools and community resources. Its integrated focus on academic, services, support and opportunities leads to improved learning, stronger families and healthy communities. Schools become centers of the community and are open all day, every day, evenings and weekends. The Community Schools Action Team was formed to look at this approach.

Membership
The committee consists of representatives from the Commission on Children and Families, and various community stakeholders including representatives from schools, service providers and community groups.

Current Goals
The committee is currently studying the feasibility and sustainability of community schools in Washington County.

Meetings
Please check the CCF Calendar to view the next meeting date and location.

Past Projects
November 2008 – Community Summit was held to develop a list of volunteers to staff a team to look at sustainability of community schools. Attendees included a broad range of stakeholders including: superintendents, counselors, business owners and rotary club members. Ted Wheeler, Chair of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners spoke about why his board is supportive of community schools.

November 2007 – In response to the Community Schools survey, where access to health and mental health services was identified as a need, a School-Based Health Initiative was formed. Community Schools Action Team will divert their resources to this initiative.

May 2007 – Action Team members attend the National Community Schools Conference in Portland.

June 2006 – The Acton Team met with superintendents to discuss findings from the survey. Three areas of focus came from the survey, expanding after school and before school programs, expanding resource centers and improving students' access to health and mental health services. Several schools expressed interest in having staff participate on the action team.

May 2006 – The Community Schools Action Team reviewed data from the Community Schools Survey, a survey of school principals asking about them to assess their needs and primary issues.

December 2005 – Initiative was launched to develop a countywide approach for enhancing community school program in the county's seven school districts. As the first step in this effort a Community Schools Survey was developed this survey is intended as a tool to gather information about that partnerships, programs and resources currently exist in schools throughout the county. It was also designed to identify opportunities for how the community can work with districts and individual schools to expand successful programs and support students and their families as well as to add to existing programs and partnerships. MeetingsPlease check the CCF Calendar to view next meeting date and location.