Yoshikai Elementary | The Jesse Leonard Effect
Written by Tim Buckley, February 2026
Establishing a new neighborhood family council (NFC) can be complicated. One requirement is that the elementary school in that neighborhood must be designated as a Title 1 school, meaning that a majority of students are from families facing high levels of adversity.
When the school is open to a partnership with the NFC, it makes a significant difference. Jesse Leonard was the school principal at Kennedy Elementary when CBEL expanded its Neighborhood Family Council network in 2022 into Keizer. “He was immediately interested and eager to explore a partnership,” said Eduardo Angulo, director of CBEL’s NFC efforts.
Jesse is now the principal of Yoshikai Elementary School in north Salem, chosen as CBEL’s sixth neighborhood. His enthusiasm helped the Kennedy NFC thrive, and we think the neighborhood around Yoshikai will follow suit.
“I had a gut feeling that partnering with CBEL would be fruitful for our school, our students and their families,” Jesse said. “I knew about Eduardo’s work in Salem and loved the CBEL vision that he laid out at our first meeting in 2022. Plus,” he added, “Tracy (Moisan), the principal at Hallman Elementary, gave a thumbs up on the idea. Tracy is very measured and practical, and I trusted her when she said the CBEL NFC experience was working well for students and families living around Hallman.”
“Another practical reason to say yes is that many of the Title 1 neighborhoods have needs that often exceed the school district’s ability to satisfy, and any offer of tangible support from outside partners is of great potential value,” Jesse continued.
Jesse Leonard with Assistant Principal Ruth Ochoa
Jesse remembered the first event at Kennedy, organized by the NFC to attract local families and recruit volunteers. Accustomed to good parent involvement at school events, he was nonetheless very impressed with the large turnout. “There were SO many families that showed up! There was a lot of food, and of course sharing a meal together helps to create a strong sense of community and belonging!” Then there was a raffle, with gift cards and prizes given out, too, and the prospect of going home with an extra $50 in your pocket created added interest.
Since Jesse left Kennedy, the NFC has orchestrated more than a dozen events that regularly attract over 100 neighborhood families and about 500 people. They have also sponsored and led a half dozen classes on subjects such as parenting, handling difficult conversations, emotional regulation, financial literacy and Outward Mindset, where dozens of families share a meal, get free childcare, acquire new friends and learn new skills.
Based on his experience at Kennedy, Jesse called Eduardo after becoming principal at Yoshikai, to ask about the prospect of partnering with CBEL again in the new neighborhood. As it turns out, Yoshikai is also a Title 1 school in a high needs area. When the data was analyzed in 2025, looking at a variety of factors that influence CBEL’s choice of school, Yoshikai was among the most in need of added outside resources like the NFC provides.
“Before being notified of our selection, Eduardo and members of his team visited Yoshikai twice to examine the needs and the opportunities,” Jesse said.
Asked what tangible benefits a school might anticipate, based on what has occurred at Kennedy Elementary, Jesse listed the following:
A shared vision for school and student excellence between the school, neighborhood and community
Creating more family involvement with the school; having more parents engaged with their children’s education
Recruiting and training more neighborhood volunteers who can add substantial value to what resources the school can provide
Hosting events at schools that attract and entertain more families, reducing the fear of the school while building trust between neighborhood and the school staff
Sponsoring and facilitating classes for parents at night that promote learning, social connections and social/emotional wellbeing
Exposure to a broader network of local nonprofit organizations that provide free or low cost services that neighbors need, but don’t always know about
Attracting additional business partners to contribute knowledge, mentorship and sometimes funding for things the school can’t afford by itself.
Principal Jesse Leonard at Feb 2026 Yoshikai Literacy Night