Victor Valley Union High School District earns $15M Community School Grant

Adelanto High School teacher Fran Herdlein spoke at a Victor Valley Union High School District Board of Trustees meeting in 2022 about the need for certain supplies and services.

He knew of a possible way to get the funding through the California Department of Education.

Nearly two years later, the Victor Valley Union High School District has been awarded a Community Schools Grant of nearly $15 million that will serve a variety of needs for students and families at middle and high schools across the Victor Valley.

“It started with the need for tissues and proper sanitary supplies in classrooms,” said Herdlein, who has taught social studies at Adelanto High for a dozen years. “The COVID funds somehow missed tissues.”

The effects of the new state funding, however, will reach far beyond sanitary supplies, the district said.

Grant dollars can provide many services for students in need, including food, clothing, dental services, hearing tests, vision tests, and eyeglasses, district officials said. Students at eight district schools will be eligible for the assistance.

“Now the heavy lifting starts because we have to put into practice what we wrote in the grant application,” said Herdlein, adding that the district will “find community partners who can provide services that are lacking for our students and their families.”

Herdlein is quick to point out that this was not a solo effort, explaining that the Victor Valley Union High School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Carl Coles were on board with his suggestion and took action.

“It’s really a mindset where it puts the whole child first,” said Coles, as he announced the grant award at the most recent board meeting.

Research shows that a well-implemented community schools program leads to an improvement in student outcomes including attendance, academic achievement, graduation rates, and advanced equity, according to Coles.

"We applaud California for making this significant investment into our schools, but the heart and soul of this initiative was a team that created this vision," he said. "It goes beyond the mindset that our job is just to teach reading, writing, and math; it’s much deeper than that.”

Herdlein believes the program can create a ripple effect that goes far beyond the classroom.

“It’s not just providing the student with something, but also bringing their family into the fold,” Herdlein said. “In the long run, you educate the student, you give the family what they need to excel, you create a solid base, and the whole community then changes.”

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz