The needs are too great and resources too limited for all of us
concerned with education not to cooperate and partner with each
other and with municiple and private agencies.
Schools are one of the greatest community resources. Too often
they sit idle and underused. Learning labs that are full during the
school hours are empty evenings and weekends. Parents and
other adults would benefit greatly from access to these resources.
Seeing first-hand the impact of law enforcement and behavioral
health services on campuses showed me the power and promise
of these partnerships. Resources must be inventoried and
redistributed: why should the county rent space from private
landlords when they could access comparable space from schools
after school hours? Why should school pools sit underutilized in
summer months when neighborhood families could benefit from
them? We need to expand the partnerships we currently enjoy
because students and families need and deserve our collective
energy and impact.
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