Fate of schools’ facilitators is still not certain

Christine Carrillo

Just as the need for them can’t be denied and the benefit of their

services can’t be ignored, the lack of funding to support them must

be acknowledged.

On Monday, that was precisely what happened.

During a meeting hosted by the Orange County Congregation

Community Organization, district officials, community members and

facilitators from the organization discussed the importance of trying

to keep community facilitators employed with the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District.

Thanks to funding from an anonymous donor, which equates to about

$784,000 annually, the district has enjoyed the community services of

facilitators for nearly a decade, giving primarily Spanish-speaking

parents a link to the school and generating increased parent

participation in the process.

“It’s a very wonderful, wonderful program that we’ve been lucky to

have for so many years,” said Jane Garland, communications and

special projects coordinator for the district. “We will do everything

we can to keep it.”

The private funding for the facilitators, who work at 19 school

sites primarily in Costa Mesa, will end in June, thus leaving their

future up to the district.

“The services will be provided; that is a guarantee,” said Amparo

Ames, lead community facilitator for the district. “We’re a resource

to parents in the district. We need to spread the services to

wherever they are needed and that is something that will change. The

need, we know, is out there.”

The program, which is part of the district’s community outreach

services, has evolved with the schools’ and community’s needs. Now,

the program will also have to evolve with the district’s budget

constraints.

District officials expressed every intention of making sure that

the community facilitator services, which range from acting as a

translator for parents to helping them find different resources in

the community, remain available, even if they have to tweak some of

the positions.

District officials “do intend to find the money ... but there can

be no assurances that it will be status quo,” Garland said.