San Mateo-Foster City district highlights community schools progress, student voice and expansion plans

San Mateo-Foster City School District officials on May 8 presented a Year‑2 progress report on the districts community schools initiative, describing expanded partnerships, student-led program choices and plans to scale academic tutoring in the coming year.

The presentation, delivered to the board of trustees, emphasized the initiatives four pillars: integrated student supports, expanded learning, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership. A district presenter credited community service specialists at each site and named five participating community schools: Fiesta Gardens, Laurel, (Leeds) soon‑to‑be Cottage Grove, San Mateo Park and Sunnybrae Elementary.

"We brought some student voices so you can hear directly from them," the presenter said, outlining a road map that moves the program into implementation year 3. The district said it collected 954 student responses across pilot sites as part of an "Impact Your Pathway" pilot and completed a third phase that added staff and family voices to shape Year‑3 recommendations.

Ivan Ponce, who identified himself as deputy director of the Quebec area and a district partner, described two programs his team provides: "We provide our family engagement program and also our family literacy program," and said families were "thankful" for the offerings.

Two fifth‑grade students also spoke to the board about after‑school activities. "It's a great community overall," Roger Diaz, student president at Sariboga Elementary, said, praising inclusive sports teams, homework help and staff support. A second student, Aloncia Gonzales, said programs such as ukulele and volleyball helped her connect with peers and learning.

Officials named several local partners involved in Year 2, including Samaritan House, the Boys and Girls Club, CSMA (arts and music), Mad Science and IXL (an academic platform). Presenter materials said the district landed partnerships after a county‑wide outreach and a toolkit for prospective partners; staff described a screening process to match partners' values and goals with the districts emphasis on inclusive programs.

On academic tutoring, the district said steering committees have begun planning capacity and that the IXL pilot will move to a full program next year. Officials said steering committees have provisionally targeted enrolling about 50 students per community school for teacher‑led small groups, with ideal ratios around 10–11 students and a possible maximum closer to 15.

The district also announced it received a 2026 Kent Award from the San Mateo County School Boards Association for its community schools work; a plaque will be displayed locally. A short video shown to trustees summarized the district model and argued integrated supports and community partnerships help students attend and succeed.

In a question‑and‑answer period, board members asked how clothing closets are stocked, how partners were identified and what continuity plans exist after a central leader departs. The presenter said steering committees and site‑level staff, not a single individual, are central to sustaining the work and noted the district plans to apply for additional state funding to expand the program to more schools.

Trustees closed the meeting after brief final remarks and an adjournment motion.

Next steps the district identified include using the collected student, staff and family input to finalize Year‑3 program placements and continuing partner recruitment and parent workshops; officials said more details will be brought back to the board for consideration.