Inside Full-Service Community Schools by Joy Dryfoos

Author:Joy Dryfoos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse
Published: 2019-01-16T00:00:00+00:00

City Operated: Buffalo, New York

The Buffalo, New York, Mayor’s Community Schools Project (MCSP) is a unique effort within city government to foster community schools. Mayor Anthony Masiello has brought together many different resources to create initiatives in 15 schools in his city. Amy Prentiss of the city’s Division of Citizen Services acts as community-school liaison.

In 1994, Mayor Masiello launched the MCSP, making community schools one of the main education objectives of his administration. The groundwork had already been laid when two schools received funding from the New York State Education Department’s Community School Program in the early 1990s. These schools receive grants of $175,000 to $200,000 a year to hire a community education leader or community school coordinator, pay teachers and aides for after-school programming, and contract with outside agencies.

The mayor first used Community Development Block Grants, selecting three schools in partnership with the Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools. Additional funding has been sought from an array of public and private sources. Twelve schools are now funded by the city program and three by the state.

City grants of $5,000 to $25,000 are also made to community-based organizations to support after-school services. Schools contribute the cost of keeping buildings open. In addition, the MCSP administers a portion of Buffalo’s local law enforcement block grant, which is used in schools for multicultural drum and dance classes and a swimming program.

Currently, Buffalo’s MCSP has working relationships with more than 100 organizations, including youth agencies, businesses, TV stations, health and social support groups, churches, and Americorps volunteers. No two schools have the same menu. Several have school-based health clinics, others have family resource centers, child care, employment training, adult literacy, antiviolence projects, and just about any program you can think of (including the dog training mentioned in Chapter 3).

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