FEATURE
Classified Ambassador Program
Members become community ambassadors through innovative district program
As the school year began in August 2021, a new program between Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD) and CSEA Jurupa Chapter 392 began that has strengthened the relationship between members, their district, and their community.
Classified Ambassadors, appointed employees at each school site in the district, are serving as resources and points of contact for students, families and the greater community.
Classified Ambassadors help families access resources like food banks, clothing, extra tutoring, or other support. For one struggling parent, a Classified Ambassador helped her find resources and employment in the district. For another, Ambassadors helped parents become more involved in their children's school by connecting them to volunteering opportunities.
Classified Ambassadors at the May board meeting. Photo courtesy of JUSD.
Ambassadors are also a face-to-face way to connect with families and support the students and communities. After a family lost their home in a fire, Ambassadors helped organize donations and introduced them to resources. The result of having Classified Ambassadors is that the community feels greater connectivity and that they are being heard in their school district.
The program was created to increase communication between school sites and their communities and bolster the leadership skills of classified employees.
Denise Hernandez, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for JUSD, said that the program “came from a great working relationship with the district and local CSEA leadership” and appreciation that many classified employees “have an extra bond to the community, which adds to them being trusted.”
Since classified staff are familiar and trusted community members, families and students are often more comfortable sharing their thoughts when they otherwise wouldn’t.
Students with Classified Ambassador. Photo courtesy of JUSD.
“We also wanted a way to get information to as many people as we can as it related to resources, access to education, and anything our community needs connecting with,” said Hernandez.
Abigail Amador, Campus Supervisor and Classified Ambassador at Mission Middle School and member of Jurupa Chapter 392, appreciates the opportunity to be a Classified Ambassador.
This [program] is giving me an opportunity to engage with our families, and engage with our community,” she said. “It’s a chance for us to have a positive connection with our families and our students.”
Paul Hopson, President of Jurupa Chapter 392, describes the program's success as multifaceted, benefitting classified employees, communities, and the district alike.
Classified Ambassadors attend a team meeting. Photo courtesy of JUSD.
“The program gives me an opportunity to meet with a large group of like-minded individuals where we can roundtable and share ideas on how to create positive change in our community and school district through the eyes of classified employees,” said Hopson.
“It gives our unit members a voice in the decision-making process and proves it does take a village to raise a child and classified employees are an essential part of that ‘village’.”
A result of direct collaboration between CSEA and JUSD, and the mutual respect between the district and classified staff, Hopson explains that the Classified Ambassador program has been very successful in his district, allowing them to better serve the community and give classified employees a voice. He said he wishes that other districts would begin similar partnerships.
