Stillman Heights Elementary To Become Hub For Local Nonprofits

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa City Schools has announced plans for the former Stillman Heights Elementary location, which will soon become a community resource center that will serve as a hub for local nonprofit agencies.

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Located on 21st Street East in Tuscaloosa's West End, Stillman Heights Elementary closed in 2006, but has been home to the TCS STARS Academy — an alternative program.

Janet Sherrod, executive director of learning supports for TCS, said the effort is part of the school system’s strategic plan and idea to focus on the whole child, as the agencies will work closely with TCS students and their families with the goal of offering “wrap-around learning supports" for children.

The proposed center will be paid for through city school funds and will focus on needs based on education, homeless and homelessness prevention services, youth services, mental health and health services.

TCS says five community partners have committed to be based in the center, including:

• The Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama.
• Schoolyard Roots
• Habitat for Humanity of Tuscaloosa
• Five Horizons Health
• The Kristen Amerson Foundation
• Fuerza Multicultral de Tuscaloosa.

The city school board will now vote on the proposed name of the new center — New Heights Community Resource Center — at its next regular meeting April 19.

“This will provide consistent, direct services to our students and their families, while giving these nonprofits office space at a low cost to help them serve the community,” TCS Superintendent Mike Daria said.

The school system explained that plans for the center were first proposed last year as an effort to bring community services together and collaborate to make them more accessible, while also utilizing unused space in a building owned by the city schools.

TCS will offer the space to the organizations, who will in turn pay a small fee to cover utilities and maintenance costs as part of the partnership.

In terms of timelines, the school system hopes to open the center to its initial community partners this fall. It will also include the following renovations:

• The library and gym, will be renovated and updated using funds set aside by TCS for the project.
• The school’s library will serve as both a welcome center for the New Heights Center, as well as a community space that can be used for meetings.
• Upstairs classrooms will be used by the agencies as office space.

Daria went on to explain that while upstairs classrooms will also need to be renovated, the funds for materials and labor still need to be secured.

He also expressed hope that a public playground will be built at the center to further the idea that the building serves the community. However, Daria said funds for the playground have not yet been allocated.

Grants are actively being sought for program support, TCS said, while additional funding is needed for facility renovations and enhancements including materials, supplies and landscaping, and funding for a case manager and customer service specialist to serve the site.

“We think this work is really worth it, we believe it is the right work and have a lot of incredible partners in the community to work with who are committed to this,” he said. “We are still looking for agencies to take part in this center, as well as others who can help us bring this vision to fruition, as the need is so great.”

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