PCSD joins My Brother’s Keeper
October 2, 2024 at 10:57 p.m.
For the last year, the Port Chester School District has been taking strides toward joining the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) community.
It’s a national initiative started by the President Barack Obama administration in 2014, challenging municipalities to address the gaps faced by young men of color and strive for success. Since then, it has expanded to include all demographics.
To address opportunity gaps, the program provides grants, scholarships and fellowships for districts to offer their students. Additionally, joining the MBK community provides municipalities an avenue of communication with other members to share ideas.
New York implemented the program in 2016, investing $20 million from the state budget into MBK which allowed the initiative to grow to over 35 districts.
On Sept. 12, the Port Chester School District was named one of the newest members of the MBK community.
In a district-wide newsletter, Superintendent Dr. Aurelia Henriquez called the moment she received the news from the New York State Education Department emotional. “This is wonderful news not just for our students but for our entire community,” it reads.
The announcement is the culmination of a year-long effort, starting in September 2023 when the Board of Education authorized the district to accept the MBK challenge. Three months later, the district acted on that promise during a “Local Action Summit.”
Though there were concerns from some members of the board regarding the amount of effort it would take throughout the application process, Henriquez assured that it wouldn’t strain staff more than any other program would.
“With any grant or any new initiative, there are heavy lifts. I don’t see this being any more challenging than the many other things that we’re looking to do and improve upon,” Henriquez told the Westmore News at the time.
After accepting the challenge, the district had to provide the State Education Department with a report outlining recommendations for action on how the district would reach both the national and state goals of MBK and create a plan that would address those suggestions by partnering with community leaders.
Both reports were submitted to the state agency and reviewed for approval.
Port Chester Schools’ newfound membership in the network qualifies the district for several grants, including the MBK Challenge grant, awarded to districts to introduce new initiatives for students.
Yonkers Schools, for example, used the funds to create an afterschool STEM program and Newark City Schools were able to create home libraries for students.
While the application window for it has closed, Henriquez has previously stated that just being a member of the MBK community can be greatly beneficial to districts.
As an example, she pointed towards the MBK Symposium, an annual convention in Albany where educators, parents and teachers gather to attend a variety of workshops to help achieve the goals of the group.
“There’s more for us to gain from the MBK connections than anything else right now,” she said.
In an email, Henriquez wrote the district will have more information regarding its future plans with MBK in the coming weeks.
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