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San Leandro resident Rose Padilla Johnson has spent close to 30 years assisting the under-served population of the Davis Street Community Center. As CEO of the Center, Rose Padilla Johnson is in charge of a program that provides this population assistance with employment, health, housing, and education in San Leandro, among other basic needs.
In California, providing students with a good education has always been a part of the political platform, especially in under-served and low-income communities. Recently, both lawmakers and school administrators have concluded that a longer school day might be the remedy for low-achievement.
Last year, Senator Kamala Harris introduced the Family Friendly School Act, which would lengthen the school day and provide for summer programming. The purpose would be to align parent and student schedules to relieve the pressure working-class families face when trying to support a family while raising children.
If passed, the grant would award $5 million, five-year awards to elementary schools. These funds would go toward providing athletic, academic, and enrichment programs to K-6 students.
However, for districts in the Bay area, the extended school day would be to address academic deficits their children face and declining enrollment in poor-performing schools. Last year, the Bay Area school district agreed with the teacher's union to extend the school day while providing teachers with a $10,000 stipend as a part of a pilot program to improve these weak areas.
Of many of the educational programs in the Bay Area, Stege Elementary School would be one example of a school that might benefit from this type of program. As one of the lowest-performing schools in California, it also suffers from retention issues as parents move their children into area charter programs to improve their education.
This agreement between the two entities includes providing enrichment classes, similar to the ones in the Family Friendly School Act, and extra preparation and collaboration for teachers. Teachers will also undergo training to more effectively teach this population of students.
