Building Community with Community Schools - How a Union-Driven Effort Supports Students and Families in Central New York

Oct 15, 2026

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The article describes how community schools in Central New York deliver wraparound support for students and families, linking needs such as food, supplies, winter clothing, mental health counseling, and stable resources to local services. It follows Devina Love’s experience at Francis Bellamy Elementary, where staff and outside partners respond to practical and emotional challenges. It also traces the initiative’s growth, shaped by union leadership, partnerships, and the changing economic pressures affecting Rome’s public schools, showing how a coordinated approach helps level access and strengthen student well-being.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

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Pages5

Reading Time8 min

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Building Community with Community Schools

How a Union-Driven Effort Supports Students and Families in Central New York

Services and Family Support at Francis Bellamy Elementary

Origins of the Community Schools Approach

Striving to Level the Playing Field

Building Community with Community Schools How a Union-Driven Effort Supports Students and Families in Central New York PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CONNECTED COMMUNITY SCHOOLS TEAM ILLUSTRAT IONS BY GABY D’ALESSANDRO By Jennifer Dubin evina Love moved to Rome, New York, in August last year after fleeing domestic violence in Massachusetts. She enrolled both of her young sons at Francis Bellamy Elementary—and soon their world started to brighten. Bellamy, which became Rome’s first community school in 2015, offered an array of services. From food to school supplies to a staff genuinely tuned into families’ emotional needs, Bellamy offered far more than an education to Love and her sons. Love felt it right away.“We come with kind of an array of issues and a complex situation that required alot of love and compassion and a lot of empathy from people we honestly don’t know,” she says. Joe Renzi, a school counselor at Bellamy, told Love about a variety of supports provided through the local community schools initiative. Soon, Renzi was offering counseling to her sons in school, while Love was receiving mental health supports from an outside agency. Love recalls the time this past winter when the community schools operations manager* asked her what specifically her family could use. Besides food, Love said her younger son needed a snowsuit. Her older son had gotten one for Christmas, but she didn’t have the money to purchase one for her 6-year-old. Soon after, the manager came to Love’s apartment with a brand-new snowsuit. She also arrived with two new pairs of snow boots.“They were so excited,” Love says.“They were like,‘Mommy, now we can go play in the snow!’” Jennifer Dubin is theformer managing editor of American Educator. Previously, she was a journalist with the Chronicle of Higher Education. To read more of her work, visit American Educator’s author [index: aft.org/ae/](index: aft.org/ae/)[ ](index: aft.org/ae/)[author-index.](author-index.) *Asking a family what specific supports they need would normally be the job of the community schools coordinator. Because the coordinator position at Bellamy Elementary School was vacant when Devina Love’s children enrolled, the operations manager for the nonprofit organization that supports community schools in Rome and in three neighboring school districts stepped in to help. Community schools like Bellamy show what’s possible when we all band together to prioritize healthy youth development and family well-being. Bellamy’s extensive and customized array of services was seven years in the making—and is still being refined and enhanced. Back in 2013, Joe Eurto first heard of community schools at a conference in New York City that was held by the AFT’s Center for School Improvement, which focuses on creating labormanagement partnerships to foster sustainable changes. Alongtime middle school English teacher in Rome, Eurto could not stop thinking about all the good community schools would do for his students. Atthe conference, he learned that community schools serve asthe hubs oftheir communities by providing wraparound services and enrichment opportunities to students and families in need. He learned that if children lack eyeglasses, dental care, mental health counseling, school supplies, winter coats, sufficient food, or stable housing, a community school would connect students and families to organizations that provide those supports. He also learned that someone other than a busy classroom teacher coordinates these supports so that teachers can focus on their students’ academic, social, and emotional development.† †For recent research on community schools, see the online sidebar at [aft.org/ae/](aft.org/ae/)[ ](aft.org/ae/)summer2021/dubin. To access additional articles on community schools, see the American Educator subject index: [aft.org/ae/subject-index](aft.org/ae/subject-index). 18 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | SUMMER 2021 At the time, Eurto was secretary of the Rome T

FAQs

What kinds of supports do community schools provide to students and families?

They provide wraparound services such as food, school supplies, winter clothing, counseling and mental health support, and connections to organizations addressing needs like dental care, eyeglasses, and stable housing.

How did Devina Love benefit from the community school initiative at Francis Bellamy Elementary?

After enrolling her sons, Love received counseling for her children and mental health support through an outside agency. When her family needed a snowsuit, the operations manager brought a brand-new snowsuit and snow boots.

How did the initiative for community schools begin in Rome?

Joe Eurto learned about community schools at a conference held by the AFT’s Center for School Improvement, then discussed possibilities with union leadership and pursued collaboration between the union and the district to support students and teachers.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by McQueen