Special Guest Entry submitted by Ms. Rebecca Arriaga, Clerk and former FOC, Camden High School
In Camden, we know the difference that one caring adult can make in a child’s life. We know that education doesn’t begin and end in the classroom. It starts at home, in the community, and in the relationships between families and schools. For years, Family & Operations Coordinators (FOCs- Formerly Community School Coordinators) have embodied that connection. They have not just supported the system. They have been the system for so many students and families.
And now, they’re being eliminated.
Faced with a staggering $91 million budget shortfall for the 2025–2026 school year, the Camden City School District (CCSD) has made the painful decision to eliminate nearly 300 positions, including the very individuals who have served as the human connection between home and school. The Family & Operations Coordinator role is being cut, and with it, so is a lifeline that countless families have come to depend on.
This isn’t just about a job title. This is about trust. It’s about relationships. And it’s about real people—many of whom are Camden natives themselves—who go above and beyond every single day to serve our children with compassion, dedication, and cultural understanding.
FOCs are the heartbeat of our schools.
They are the ones staying after hours to help a parent navigate difficult family challenges. The ones knocking on doors when a student hasn’t been to school in a week, not to punish, but to check in with care. They help connect families to housing support, food pantries, immigration resources, grief counselors, and sometimes even clean uniforms. They translate. They advocate. They de-escalate. They sit with families in their pain and celebrate with them in their joy. They make the invisible labor of community care visible—and they do it with love.
In districts like Camden, where poverty, gun violence, housing insecurity, and language barriers are daily realities, FOCs have done the work that no academic curriculum alone can address. They’ve made schools feel like sanctuaries. They’ve turned confusion into clarity and chaos into care.
To lose them is to lose a vital connection to the very families we claim to serve.
Yes, we are in a fiscal crisis. Yes, difficult decisions must be made. But let us not pretend this is simply a budget line item. Cutting FOCs isn’t a neutral act. It disproportionately impacts families who already face systemic barriers to engagement. It makes our schools less accessible, less responsive, and less human.
This cut also undermines years of meaningful progress. Camden has worked hard to reimagine what family engagement can look like, offering early childhood programs that invite parental involvement, collaborating with community organizations like Wholesome Riches and the Food Bank of South Jersey, and expanding access to wraparound services like Center for Family Services for students and caregivers alike. But FOCs have often been the ones making those efforts work on the ground. They don’t just implement programs. They embody them.
We often say, “It takes a village.” But FOCs are that village. And now, we’re telling the village it’s no longer needed?
The district’s decision, though grounded in financial necessity, must be met with urgent community response. Because what’s at stake is not just a position. It’s the principle that families matter. That schools must be rooted in the communities they serve. That care work deserves to be prioritized, not pushed aside.
So what can we do?
First, we must raise our voices. Parents, educators, advocates, and neighbors must speak out: at board meetings, in local media, in houses of worship, and on every platform available. Let the decision makers know that these cuts do not go unnoticed, and they will not go unchallenged.
Second, we must demand alternatives. Where can we reallocate funds more equitably? What grants, philanthropic partnerships, or creative restructuring can preserve the spirit of the FOC role, even if the title changes? Let’s reimagine, not erase, family engagement.
And third, we must never forget the power of people. Even if the official role disappears, the individuals who have served as FOCs carry a wealth of wisdom and connection that we must honor, retain, and uplift. We need to find ways to keep their energy, their heartbeat, in our schools, even through new channels.
To every Family & Operations Coordinator who ever answered a late night call from a scared parent, calmed a frustrated student, or translated an IEP meeting with patience and grace: You have made a difference. You have been the bridge, the balm, the beating heart. Your work will never be forgotten because we felt it.
And to our district leaders: remember this truth, budget cuts may balance spreadsheets, but they should never bankrupt relationships.
Let’s choose a path that protects not just our finances, but our families. Let’s fight for the heart of the traditional Camden City Public Schools, because that’s where our future of our children lives.
Ms. Rebecca Arriaga, Camden High School
