Watsonville, CA - Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) is thrilled to announce the receipt of a substantial grant to enhance its community schools initiative. The grant, announced today by the Office of Governor Newsom, totals $32 million dollars is to be spent over 5 years, and will support the comprehensive implementation of a transformational community schools approach at 24 PVUSD schools and deepen existing systems of support. Awarded school sites will foster a collaborative and shared leadership process that engages the entire school community in creating conditions for students to thrive and succeed. During a two- year planning period, educational community members co-created this guiding PUSD Community Schools

Vision: "A PVUSD community school places the student at the center of everything. Community members, organizations, educators and families coordinate resources in and out of school to prioritize each student's growth, wellness, and sense of belonging. Conditions are strengthened, barriers broken and successes are celebrated as we work, learn, love, and thrive

together with families and community to prepare students for their promising futures." Community schools are a holistic approach to education that focuses on meeting the academic, social, emotional, and health needs of students and their families. Each community school will determine priorities that remove barriers to learning and create a positive and inclusive school culture. Schools may choose to provide a range of integrated services such as mental health counseling, medical care, expanded learning

opportunities, and/or family engagement activities. PVUSD Superintendent Dr. Heather Contreras expressed gratitude for the significant investment this grant represents in our community, stating, "This funding will allow us to expand our commitment to the Whole Child, Whole Family, Whole Community framework and approach, which has already shown great success in supporting our students, families and educational community. By providing essential services within the school

environment, we can ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed academically and socially." The grant will be used to hire Community Schools Specialists as well as fund school-level professional development and integrated supports to respond to each community school's priorities. The district office will also invest in continuing to strengthen whole-child and whole-family systems for high-quality community school implementation. All community school sites will work closely with students, families, staff, and community partners to ensure that the resources and supports provided are aligned to the expressed priorities

of each school and the community it serves. For more information about PVUSD's community schools initiative, please contact Dr. Heather Contreras at

heather contreras@pvusd.net.