To help students struggling with poverty, trauma, Milton school looks to community partners
Leah Harrison, executive director of the Children's Home Society of Florida, said the organization wants to partner with the Milton school in the Panhandle region, which stretches from Escambia County to Jackson County.
'We have identified six to eight high-needs schools statewide, including Rhodes Elementary. We have met with the team there. They are incredible, and we're so excited about the potential partnership,' Harrison said.
Community Partnership Schools funding for the 2025-2026 academic year was awaiting approval from the state legislature, which extended its session through early June. Schools can apply for CPS grants beginning July 14.
Rhodes Elementary opportunity: Community Partnership School changed lives in Pensacola. Can it do the same in Milton?
The Santa Rosa School Board has not approved the measure, but Superintendent Karen Barber said the district will apply for a CPS grant as soon as possible.
'We have been in close communication with Children's Home Society and will be prepared to apply shortly after the grant window opens in July,' she said.
If Rhodes Elementary is selected a CPS, Harrison said the first year an $80,000 planning grant will be used to hire a director this fall to work with the University of West Florida on a needs assessment for the school.
During the first three to five years (after the planning year), the school will receive about $270,000 in grants, annually from the state. After five years, the grants will drop to $120,000 annually.
'We count on a lift from our community partners as the state funding decreases,' Harrison said, adding the director will also establish relationships with Rhodes Elementary teachers and students during that planning year.
If Rhodes Elementary becomes a CPS, it would be the fourth one in this area. Escambia County Public Schools' C.A. Weis Elementary, Bellview Middle and Pine Forest High are all Community Partnership Schools.
Initiated in partnership with Children's Home Society, the University of Central Florida and community organizations to address educational and social challenges in underserved areas, the CPS model offers mentoring, after-school programs, continuing education and health services to students, their families, teachers and community residents.
Community Partnership Schools also benefit from a 25-year agreement and collaboration with four core partners – the lead nonprofit agency (the Children's Home Society, which oversees 31 of the state's 44 CPS programs), a local school district, a secondary education partner (UWF), and a healthcare provider (Community Health of Northwest Florida).
In April, Kacie Reaves, Rhodes Elementary principal, said the school becoming a CPS will be lifechanging for students and parents.
'Around 80% of our kids live at or below poverty level. We have a lot of kids who have been through trauma. We have a lot of foster families. We have a lot of single-parent homes,' she said.
During the 2024-2025 school year, Rhodes Elementary had 740 pre-K through fifth graders, with 626 or 87.2% of those students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
Barber added the Santa Rosa County school district is dedicated to prioritizing student well-being as well as academic success.
'We understand that meeting the basic needs of our students is the critical first step in fostering meaningful learning and growth,' she said. 'By addressing this, we aim to provide a supportive foundation that empowers our students and families to achieve their full potential. Our goal is to have this opportunity available in Santa Rosa County District Schools, as we know this would be a great resource for our students and families.'
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: W.H. Rhodes Elementary prospective Community Partnership School
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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Excitement amid cuts: CPS families on the first day
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In the months leading up to Monday, Aug. 18, CPS officials were focused on closing a $734 million budget deficit — all while navigating a power struggle fueled by a months-long conflict between City Hall, the Chicago Teachers Union and district leadership. Over the summer, CPS released school-level budgets, the financial roadmaps that guide spending at individual schools. Principals spent hours adjusting operational planning based on the allocations they received. According to a CPS news release, the district allocates resources based on specific student needs and school programs — including services for English language learners, students with disabilities and those requiring social and emotional support. Cruz doesn't follow the politics of the district or its budget, but finds purpose in her involvement with half a dozen parent associations. Like other families, she leans on the district for resources and support for her five kids, three of whom have autism. 'We have to make this work,' she said. Inside a two-flat in McKinley Park, Victoria Naranjo, 34, put together her daughter's lunch: cookies, fruit, an empanada. Her 6-year-old, Yohanna Seaños, bounced around the kitchen, too excited to sit still for breakfast. Her hair was freshly washed, with two curls hanging down her forehead. Framed on the wall in the kitchen is a certificate of recognition, acknowledging Yohanna's growth the previous school year. Above the table is a series of professionally done school photos. 'Last year, in just six months, she learned to speak full sentences in English,' boasted her father, Jose Ramos, 37. The family arrived in Chicago from Caracas, Venezuela, about a year ago, fleeing violence and seeking better healthcare and education for their children. Yohanna's younger sister, 4-year-old Mya, had been diagnosed with tuberculosis and later suffered a stroke that left her with permanent cognitive delays. 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Cruz and her husband, Ivan, had to get their three daughters and eldest son out the door before 8:15 a.m. When their younger son, Lionel, starts classes in early September, the mornings will get even more hectic. 'It's crazy, but we manage,' Cruz said. Her hands rested over her swollen belly: She's eight months pregnant. The couple, both Mexican immigrants who came to Chicago decades ago, met at a nearby church when they were teenagers. The family's experience with CPS has been mixed. Eleven-year-old Lionel is autistic, and before he transferred to a school outside the district two years ago, there was only one special education classroom assistant to manage his classroom. He was almost expelled after he pulled the fire alarm, Cruz said. 'It wasn't working before,' she said. 'They didn't know how to take care of him.' Lionel now attends a therapeutic day school in Clearing. While her experience with Lionel was rocky, other investments in CPS give Cruz hope. George Washington High School in the East Side neighborhood — where her oldest daughter attends and Cruz serves on the Local School Council — was selected as one of the district's new sustainable community schools. The school will receive an additional $500,000 to partner with nonprofits and provide wraparound social services to students. 'That makes a difference,' she said. At 8:17 a.m., the family piled out the front door. Jadelinn and her 5-year-old sister, Jayne, each held paper towels and tissue boxes to give to their teachers. They wore matching pink backpacks. 'I'm gonna see all my friends,' Jadelinn said, jumping up and down in front of her parents. After their parents dropped them off, the sisters didn't look back.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘There definitely was a need': CPS, communities host back-to-school events to big crowds
Christy Bolden shepherded her four kids around the Piotrowski Park field on a toasty August afternoon. The retired nurse browsed booths offering school supplies, informational flyers and free food at a CPS 'Back-to-School Bash.' Tuesday's event, one of four held around the city, helped Bolden defray the costs of school supplies for her children, who attend Smyth Elementary School on the Near West Side and CICS Bucktown, she said. 'Things have just skyrocketed in price: the paper, the pencils, disinfecting wipes, everything they need,' Bolden said. 'I don't want them to go to school unprepared like some of the other kids.' Bolden and her kids are among the many Chicago families who flocked to back-to-school events in late July and early August that provided free supplies at a time when parents across the U.S. report struggling to afford educational materials. Several local events reported increased attendance compared with previous years. 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'Nobody knows exactly what the prices are going to be, for example, a month from now, or what the supply will be, which I think is an indication of why they started shopping earlier,' Karr said. For several CPS families, the district's recent back-to-school bashes offered opportunities to ease those worries, pick up school supplies, and learn more about resources available to students. The events saw over 2,500 people attend, CPS Chief of Family and Community Engagement Fanny Diego Alvarez said. Justine Bartido also attended CPS' event at Piotrowski Park to pick up backpacks, writing utensils and notebooks. Her family also snagged science kits containing materials for at-home experiments students can try. The Back-to-School Bash ran out of the kits less than two hours into the event. 'The travel will be worth it for the supplies,' said Bartido, who lives in Lakeview. Bolden, the mother of four, learned about CPS' financial deficit at the Kids First Chicago Booth at Piotrowski Park, which she said was concerning. 'It's already hard to keep books in the schools — and the things that they need,' Bolden said. 'So we don't need to cut anything, or anyone … The classrooms are crowded.' If the funding cuts are severe enough, Bolden said she would consider homeschooling her children. Essyl Ghim, 39, also brought her son Bek Lee to grab school supplies at Piotrowski Park. Lee is entering second grade, and it was Ghim's first time at a back-to-school event. In addition to picking up supplies, Ghim's family is trying to rest up ahead of the school year's start. They also need to buy gifts for Lee's teacher and his classroom wish list, Ghim said. Lee said he's most excited to see his old kindergarten classmates and learn more about math. He has 'no idea' what he's doing to get ready to return to school — his mom is handling most of those preparations. 'And my dad,' he chirped. Like Bolden, Ghim is also worried about funding decreases that could affect CPS, she said, including cuts to free and reduced school lunches. 'I'm nervous,' she said. 'I don't know what to expect.' Parents and guardians echoed similar sentiments at the Aug. 7 event at Gately Park Stadium in Pullman. CPS parent Sofia Delgado has five children: four at school and an 11-month-old. Several of her children learn in classrooms with extra educational support, which she worries might evaporate this year. 'Just getting them what they need for school, I think that's important to me, and once they're in school, making sure they're safe, making sure that they have all the resources they need inside of school, especially because I have one that's special needs and two in blended programs, so technically, special needs as well,' Delgado said. Her four children in school picked up backpacks for the school year at the event. For Kimber Brown and her two children attending Ashburn Community Elementary School, the event's draw was free physicals and vaccinations. Brown's daughter, Kallie, is starting kindergarten and needed a health exam. 'That's why we came here, and (CPS) said that supplies and stuff was given out, so anything for free, we'll take,' Brown said. Brown's other two children, in prekindergarten and day care, also received backpacks and school supplies. This year's back-to-school events are more centralized compared with previous years, interim CPS CEO Macquline King said, which makes it easier for other government agencies and community groups to converge. Individual schools provided more of these opportunities in the past, she said. One of King's goals with the bashes was to 'build certainty' for parents, she said. While these events aren't meant to address concerns about CPS funding and staff cuts, King said they are showing families what resources are available. 'The services they receive, it's a value to me,' King said. 'It's a value to the district as a whole. We want to make sure that they know that everything they need, Chicago Public Schools is going to provide.' Other families are finding free supplies and services at events hosted by community organizations, like churches and nonprofits. Greater Mountain of Hope Ministries near West Englewood hosted one of these events on Aug. 2 and saw their best turnout ever while providing over 200 free bookbags and haircuts, according to pastor Eric Newson Sr. 'We can feel the appreciation and the gratitude from them,' he said, 'because there definitely was a need.' A few days later, Beegr8t Organization, a community-based children's programming nonprofit, supported the Brainerd-Washington Heights community through a recent school supplies giveaway to provide students a 'strong start' to the school year, founder Tanika Hinton said. The organization gave away free clothing, shoes, books and backpacks to children and placed leftover supplies on a table outside their building for passersby to take as needed. 'We don't want school supplies, backpacks, to be a barrier. We want to set them up for success,' Hinton said.
CBS News
04-08-2025
- CBS News
Johnson, CTU, CPS announce expansion of sustainable community schools in 3 Chicago neighborhoods
Chicago Public Schools is celebrating a new milestone Monday morning ahead of the start of the school year. CPS, along with the Chicago Teachers Union and Mayor Brandon Johnson, announced the addition of 16 sustainable community schools, bringing the total to 36. The new schools were added in the Austin, Belmont Cragin, and Englewood neighborhoods, joining the other 20 designated in 2018. "Sustainable community schools provides wrap-around services, resources, partnerships into our schools, so students and families have access into what they need," Johnson said. "What they need every single day to thrive. Today, I'm proud to announce that 16 more schools, almost double the current number of sustainable community schools will begin to transform community schools in this coming year." According to the teachers' union, sustainable community schools create villages of neighborhood elementary and high schools, ensuring every child has access to world-class education within walking distance of their home. CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said, "That is why we have advocated for Sustainable Community Schools rather than school closures and privatization. It is why we fought so hard for a contract that invests in our children and their families. And it is why we fought to elect a mayor who understands that schools are anchors of communities." CPS has plans to reach 70 total sustainable community schools by the 2027 school year.
