Community Schools program is working—don’t limit access

Capitol Weekly welcomes Opinions on California public policy or politics. Please read our guidelines for opinion pieces before submitting an Op-Ed. Submissions that do not adhere to our guidelines will not be considered for publication. 

OPINION – Not every child is ready for traditional classroom-based schooling.  Whether it’s unmet mental health needs, unstable home life or learning English as a second language, some kids have barriers to learning that must be addressed before they can fully succeed in school.

Currently, California might eliminate certain schools engaged in that specific work. A plan within the proposed state education budget proposes to exclude some of the highest-risk students from programs designed to support their success.

In 2021, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Education, the Legislature established the “Community Schools Partnership Program” to address this issue. California schools, districts, and charter schools, such as Gateway, are moving beyond traditional classrooms to support the whole child.

This shift includes services like counseling, family support, mentoring, workforce readiness and building community partnerships, turning local schools into community hubs where entire families can access resources.

And for five years, we’ve seen real successes. Barriers broken down. Students doing better. Whole families served and critical safety nets expanded. The program is working – schools around the state are fulfilling the promise of the Community Schools Partnership Program.

At Gateway Community Charter Schools, this isn’t just a theory—it’s real life. Gateway serves nearly 6,000 students across the greater Capital region. Nearly 75% of these students are socioeconomically disadvantaged. More than 40% are English learners and more than 200 are homeless or in foster care.

At schools like ours, a threat to the Community Schools Partnership Program isn’t an academic exercise—it would remove the supports our families and students rely on.

Many of our students need help breaking down barriers to receiving a quality education. Gateway has used these state dollars to strengthen mentoring, attendance support, family outreach, workforce readiness, ESL access for students and parents, youth enrichment and community partnerships.

These aren’t “extras”—they are exactly the type of supports the state envisioned when it created this program. They keep vulnerable students and their families engaged, connected and moving towards success.

Excluding schools like Gateway would not be rooting out failure. It would be cutting off schools with a strong track record of serving students who are too often left behind.

Access to the Community Schools Partnership Program should be based on need, not labels. It should be based on results, not categories.

Gateway Community Charters already functions as a community school for the families it serves. It builds relationships, coordinates support and creates stability. When other schools couldn’t meet our students’ needs, we gave them a chance to stay in school and build a future.

This program is about helping students facing the biggest barriers, and schools like Gateway should be included because that is exactly what we’re here to do.

The governor, the Department of Education and the Legislature should fund all students in the Community Schools Partnership Program—we shouldn’t be excluding the schools doing the work and the students who need it most.

Jason Sample is a lifelong educator and the Superintendent of Gateway Community Charter Schools.