[December 01, 2008] SUSD looks to create full-service hubs: Schools would stay open late, offer medical care, activities Tweet STOCKTON, Dec 01, 2008 (The Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Within two months, it's possible one of Stockton Unified's schools will become a six-nights-a-week hub of activity. Students will have access to tutoring and computers. There will be sports leagues and adult education classes. Free dinner will be served. And community members will have access to medical and dental care, and assorted social services. The lights may stay on until 10 p.m. It's a concept Superintendent Tony Amato discussed upon his hiring in July: the full-service community school. And Stockton Unified special-assignments teacher Clem Lee, the defeated mayoral candidate, said it is coming in late January to a yet-to-be-determined school in the district. Referring to Amato last week, Lee said: "He sees this as one of many ways of mitigating the challenges our urban students face in closing the achievement gap." Amato said: "The best resource in any neighborhood is always the school. They have a gymnasium, computers, a stage, sometimes a swimming pool, large cafeterias and almost unlimited meeting space. What's more natural than opening a well-resourced building?" If the vision reaches fruition, it would mark the first such use of school facilities in San Joaquin County, according to Gary Dei Rossi, the assistant superintendent of educational services at the County Office of Education. There are plenty of after-school programs throughout the county, he added, but none stays open into the night or offers the comprehensive services Amato envisions. Amato said if the initial full-service community school is a success, he will look to open six more by early next fall -- meaning there would be one in each of the seven trustees' areas. For the first such school to be labeled a success, Amato said, "a few hundred" people would have to be using it nightly. "I'm not opening a major school for 60 people," Amato added. Though new to Stockton, the full-service model has been around for years. Amato, who is from New York, said the Children's Aid Society has been operating full-service schools there for nearly two decades. During his stint as superintendent of an upper Manhattan district from 1986 to 1999, Amato said he opened eight full-service schools. The big issue, of course, is finding funding. Amato said the district has some restricted-use money it can pump into the project, though he added the caveat that the plan could be hindered if the staggering economy results in significant budget cuts. The district also is looking for a partner to operate the project, much as the nonprofit Children's Aid Society runs New York's full-service schools. For one thing, Amato said, in order to serve free dinner, a nonprofit would need to apply for federal funds. The school district already serves free breakfast and lunch to its students, he said, and is not eligible to receive funding to serve a third meal. Providers of medical and dental care, as well as counseling and other social services, also are being sought. The idea is that community members with coverage could use their insurance for services just as they would at typical medical offices; those without insurance would receive free treatment. Amato said he recognized the need for full-service schools when he first visited Stockton while interviewing for his job. One of his initial observations was the dearth of activities in Stockton for young people. He also said he wants to build a community feeling in Stockton and to provide a safe haven for students with difficult circumstances at home. "At the end of the day, a school belongs to the community, not to the principals and certainly not to the superintendent," Amato said. "When you possess resources, they should be open to everybody." Contact reporter Roger Phillips at (209) 546-8299 or [email protected]. To see more of The Record, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.recordnet.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Record, Stockton, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]