Parents, staff defend Family Resource Center as district outlines community-schools plan

Trustees heard more than a dozen public comments urging the Stockton Unified School District to continue operating its centrally run Family Resource Center (FRC), which speakers said connects families to food, services and enrollment help.

“Without the FRC, many families would be left without a clear pathway to engage meaningfully in their children's education,” said Irma Rubio, who identified herself as a parent and supporter of the center.

The board later received a district presentation on the California Community Schools Partnership Program from Assistant Superintendent Susana Ramirez and her team. Ramirez framed community schools as a four-pillar model — integrated student supports, family and community engagement, collaborative leadership and extended learning — and described how state grants are allocated in multi-year cohorts. She said the district has 42 community schools and significant grant allocations and emphasized that the FRC will not be shut down, attributing recent questions about the center to misunderstandings about organizational structure.

District staff provided data on FRC activity this school year, telling trustees the center recorded hundreds of walk-ins, dozens of community events and districtwide outreach efforts. A district slide shared during the presentation reported 416 walk-ins and described grocery distribution totals “over 84,800 pounds.” FRC staff also described parent support for ParentVUE/ParentSquare account setup, legal and housing referrals, and workshops in many languages.

Public commenters and several FRC employees gave concrete examples of services they said would be lost if the center were curtailed. “This place is very important to me, to many families, and to students because it offers support, guidance, and resources to the community,” said Rosalba Mendoza. Nasia Aldrete, who identified herself as FRC staff, told the board that in 2025–26 the center connected with “more than 15,352 families” through outreach and events and distributed thousands of grocery bags and books.

Trustees asked how the district would measure outcomes that tie families who use the FRC directly to improved attendance or academic outcomes; Ramirez said the district is not yet set up to make that direct linkage but is working with research staff to create that “nexus.” Trustees also asked how the center would extend services to families who cannot travel to the site; the presentation and public speakers described parent liaisons, pop-up events, home visits and workshops designed to reach families at schools or in neighborhoods.

After discussion, the board voted to approve the community-schools agenda item presented that evening (item 7.1) by roll call, with all trustees voting yes.

The presentation and comments left two clear lines of work for district staff: (1) document measurable links between FRC services and student outcomes, and (2) expand partnerships and outreach so that families who cannot reach the central site are served in their communities. Ramirez recommended negotiating formal MOUs with partner organizations and continuing to build site-based capacity so the district can sustain community-school initiatives over multiple years.