Members of the Poughkeepsie City School District’s Community Schools Department joined representatives from districts across New York and other supporters in Albany late last month for the 10th annual Community Schools Advocacy Day.

The Poughkeepsie contingent met with lawmakers representing our region to discuss the importance of funding for Community Schools and its programs.

The advocacy day, Feb. 26 this year, was established as a way to help lawmakers understand how connecting schools, homes and the community benefit the entire area.

“We asked for a $5 million increase to community schools funding, as well as earmarking $100,000 toward supporting a (statewide) Community Schools coordinator,” Poughkeepsie’s Community Schools Executive Director Natasha Brown said. “We also are seeking funding to have a Community Schools liaison – an organization or agency that will connect the various Community Schools departments.”

Community Schools are a good investment; research shows for every dollar spent the return is at least $7 worth of progress toward improving student outcomes, including increasing attendance, reducing disciplinary incidents and increasing graduation rates, according to research circulated by the state Community Schools Network. Brown said the Poughkeepsie group worked in association with the Community Schools Network in coordinating the visit to Albany. The Network coordinates the schedules for each group to decide which group meets with which lawmakers.

“We left a presence with them. All of our lawmakers were very supportive,” Brown said. “In order for the Community Schools model to remain successful, we need to have reliable funding streams. We should not have to, year-to-year, figure out how we’re going to pay for an initiative we’ve implemented.”

In 2020, the district designated all seven of its schools as Community Schools. Across the country, community schools build bridges between school, home, and community to facilitate a holistic approach that will better guarantee that children find success in and out of school.

To learn more about the state Community Schools Network visit its site and read about the network’s 2025 budget priorities here, including requesting the state dedicate $100 million in categorical funding to support the more than 500 Community Schools statewide.