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“Felecia Chambers is the community school coordinator at Mount Gilead Elementary School in Montgomery County, a Title I school about 50 miles east of Charlotte. She walked through the school’s resource center, in a large room just beside the main entrance.
“Welcome to Gator Bridge! This is the FRC, the Family Resource Center,” she said. “This is where I say it all started.”
It was packed with school supplies, racks of clothing and canned foods — all available for free. A pool table for kids sat near the main entrance. Against a wall stood a washer and dryer, and Chambers strolled over to a massage chair that took a spot next to a laptop and a printer.
“This is our relaxation section, our adult section and information,” Chambers said. “So parents can relax, they can work, they can get information, they can make copies.”
Six Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools will become “Community Schools” in the 2027-28 school year. It’s a framework that aims to get families more involved in their local public schools and turn them into community hubs as well as places where their children learn. Mount Gilead Elementary is one of about 50 official community schools in North Carolina. It offers a window into what the model might look like once it’s up and running.”