School and Community Partnerships

Research tells us that when schools work together with families to support learning, children tend to succeed not just in school, but also throughout life.

Citizens in Douglas County donate many hours to improve the educational experience for students. The Douglas County School District facilitates several programs to integrate schools with community members. These programs include:

Community Volunteer Program

Douglas County School District is fortunate to have a strong volunteer base—approximately 15,000. Most elementary schools have parent organizations that coordinate fund raising efforts that reap thousands of additional dollars for schools each year. These organizations at each school also assist with various social events and occasionally bring in speakers for parents.

To more directly assist teachers and staff, most schools in the district have a part-time paid volunteer coordinator. The goal of the volunteer coordinators is to enrich student potential by linking our community with staff and students. These coordinators serve as liaisons between staff and parents, placing volunteers in classrooms, libraries, offices, and computer labs. They also coordinate volunteers for special programs, such as Vision/Hearing Screening, New Family Outreach, and Junior Achievement. From all volunteer efforts during the 2008-2009 school year over 455,000 volunteer hours were logged, valued at nearly $9,500,000!*
*Monetary value of Volunteer time in the US (announced in 2009 for 2008): $20.25/hour
http://www.independentsector.org/programs/research/volunteer_time.html

To apply to be a Community Volunteer, please submit a completed application, along with a copy of your valid driver’s license, directly to the school you are interested in.

Volunteer Handbook Doc Size: 352.74 KB

Community Volunteer Application Doc Size: 75.91 KB

Senior Employment Program (SEP)

Established in 1989, this program provides an opportunity for property owners in Douglas County, 60 years of age or older, to work in the district and earn money to offset property taxes. The District budgets for up to 90 participants in a school year. During the 2009-2010 school year, seniors earn $7.45 an hour for up to 170 hours in a school year. Senior employees choose from a variety of opportunities, from working in the classroom, library and lunchroom, to helping out in administrative offices.

Senior Interest Letter Doc Size: 98.56 KB

Senior Employee Program Application Doc Size: 91.84 KB

Spellbinders – Partnership program with the Douglas County Librairies

Spellbinders is a national, nonprofit organization that fosters connections between generations through the art of storytelling. Spellbinders tell stories to students in elementary classrooms, they do not read books. Spellbinders must complete a free, eight-hour training session that will equip them with the tools and techniques to be an effective storyteller, along with guidelines when working in our schools. Storytellers need to be 55 years or older.

Spellbinders Application Doc Size: 197.04 KB