Orange County schools are set to receive about $35.5 million a year in ongoing state funding as part of California’s new $1 billion annual budget allocation for the Community Schools Partnership Program — a commitment local advocates say will bolster academic support, family engagement and student services across the region.
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Through partnerships with local agencies, campuses serving as community schools provide resources such as mental health counseling, additional learning support, free lunch and multilingual services for students and their families who might not otherwise have access to an outside support system. The program caters to the unique needs of each community, allowing educators, parents and students to determine what services would have the greatest impact.
“Community schools are not simply programs located on a school campus — they are ways of bringing students, families, educators and communities together to share power, build authentic partnerships and create the conditions for every student to belong and thrive,” said Maritza Bermudez, a community leader at the Orange County Congregation Community Organization, or OCCCO, one of the participating local organizations..
A longtime Anaheim resident and Anaheim Union High School District graduate, Bermudez has been heavily involved in the grassroots organization’s support of the Community School program and the variety of youth development, health and social services to address educational inequities. Leading up to the passage of the state budget, advocates of the community schools framework rallied in support of a move toward permanent funding, particularly in Anaheim, a stronghold for the partnership program.
Community members gathered at Anaheim High School on Tuesday, Aug. 4, to celebrate the historic funding commitment, which Gov. Gavin Newsom approved in the 2026-27 state budget at the end of June. OCCCO hosted the event, along with school district leaders, the Orange County Board of Education and other partner organizations.
The commitment of ongoing funding in the state budget represents a major victory for public school families and comes after years of advocacy across all levels of education, Bermudez said.
“This historic $1 billion ongoing investment is much more than a budget victory,” she said. “Here in Anaheim and across Orange County, we’ve shown what is possible when family, students, educators, labor partners, school districts and community organizations come together around a shared purpose. We didn’t just advocate for funding — we helped reimagine what public education can look like.”
The state legislature passed the California Community Schools Partnership Program Act in 2021, allocating more than $3 billion toward the program, followed by a $1.1 billion increase the following year, but without dedicated ongoing funding, future support was not guaranteed.
The program currently oversees nearly 2,500 community schools and plans to expand its services to approximately 3,700 additional schools statewide.
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In Orange County, 147 school sites across 14 school districts, 11 charter schools and ACCESS programs had already received roughly $215 million in funding towards community schools, according to data provided by the Orange County Board of Education. Over the last five years, these schools have served approximately 85,000 students.
“(The ongoing funding) ensures that we can sustain and expand inclusive and equitable spaces where every single student feels a profound sense of dignity and belonging,” AUHSD Superintendent Jaron Fried said. “The future of our community is brighter because of the collective work we’re celebrating here today.”
District spokesperson John Bautista added that he is optimistic AUHSD’s community schools will continue to be a model for other districts across the county. With permanent funding secured, he said he hopes Anaheim schools will continue to collaborate with other Orange County districts on shaping their vision for community school programs.
For students such as Anaheim High School junior Coraline Salazar, the state’s investment marks an important milestone in her educational journey. Salazar, an OCCCO student leader and member of the student statewide advisory board, has championed student voices amidst the development of community school services. Since joining the program in eighth grade, she said its services have changed her perspective on learning by providing critical access to support systems and educational opportunities.
“It’s a commitment to making sure students, families, educators and community partners have a voice in shaping our school,” Salazar said. “Our community school’s resource center became the place where students and families felt welcome, supported and connected, and it showed me what happens when a school invests not only in academics, but in people and relationships.”
The new budget will let Orange County education leaders prioritize building sustainable school systems and responding to local needs, Fried said. As the county expands its community school network, OCCCO leaders said they hope that additional mental health services, family resource centers, after-school programming and other school support resources will soon be available to the roughly two-thirds of students who don’t already have access to the partnership program.
“For our students, (community schools) means campuses that see and honor them as whole people,” Fried said. “It provides resources that support their academic ambitions while explicitly nurturing their mental health, well-being and personal growth.
“For our families, it ensures our schools remain vibrant hubs within our community,” he said, “places where parents, families and caregivers are true partners in education and can access vital services directly in their neighborhood.”
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