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News Releases » Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Awarded $500,000 State Grant to Expand Civic Engagement and Service Learning

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Awarded $500,000 State Grant to Expand Civic Engagement and Service Learning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2025

Contact:
Marissa Schwartz
831-601-5543

Marci McFadden
831-706-6971

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Awarded $500,000 State Grant to Expand Civic Engagement and Service Learning

Monterey, CA – The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has been awarded a $500,000 California Serves Grant from the California Department of Education to expand access to meaningful service learning experiences that support civic engagement and help students earn the State Seal of Civic Engagement. The grant period spans from May 2025 through June 2027.

Administered by the CDE in collaboration with California Volunteers, the California Serves program promotes access to high-quality service learning for students in 12th grade, particularly in districts where 55% or more of the student population are considered unduplicated pupils. MPUSD was one of the school districts selected as part of Cohort 3 to implement this transformative opportunity.

“This grant is a powerful investment in our students, educators, and community,” said Cresta McIntosh, Associate Superintendent of Educational Services. “By integrating service learning into our high school curriculum, we’re not only enhancing instruction but also cultivating student agency, civic identity, and community connection.”

Currently, MPUSD offers limited opportunities for students to earn the State Seal of Civic Engagement. Through this grant, the district will significantly expand those opportunities by embedding service learning into the curriculum, supporting teachers through professional development, and hiring a dedicated project coordinator to oversee the implementation.

Key goals of the initiative include:

  • Equipping educators with tools and training to design and facilitate impactful service learning projects.
  • Aligning curriculum to the C3 Framework and SSCE criteria through new senior seminar courses and course revisions.
  • Building partnerships with community organizations to offer real-world service experiences.
  • Creating a scalable and sustainable model of civic learning that improves student engagement, attendance, and academic outcomes.

This work directly aligns with what we’ve heard from our educational partners (parents, guardians, and students) who continue to express the importance of real-world learning experiences that connect classroom content with community impact. The California Serves Grant allows MPUSD to act on that feedback by embedding authentic, hands-on civic learning into students’ high school experience.

The program is expected to impact approximately 867 seniors in 2025-2026, 800 in 2026-2027, and 850 in 2027-2028. Funds will be used to support educator training, curriculum development, student travel to conferences, and program evaluation. MPUSD will also partner with organizations, such as Facing History and Ourselves and Learner-Centered Collaborative to help co-design and implement this vision.

“This initiative reflects MPUSD’s deep commitment to equity, engagement, and empowering students as active citizens,” said McIntosh. “We’re honored to be recognized and supported by the California Department of Education to lead this important work.”

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