PI7 Community Schools

General Provisions

The purpose of this procedural directive is to implement the policy IH8 - Community Schools. This implementation shall advance the framework established in the 2007 Joint Power Agreement established between the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and APS supporting the creation of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Community School Partnership (hereinafter referred to as "ABC") for the development and implementation of Community Schools.

The APS Board recognizes a Community School as defined by the Coalition for Community Schools (ABC is a member) and Title I guidance (U.S. Department of Education, Sept. 2, 2009) as both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. A Community School’s focus on the integration of academics, health and social services, youth, family, and community engagement and development leads to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities.

Community Schools shall provide an equity strategy for which fairness is achieved through systematically assessing and addressing disparities in opportunities and outcomes so that all students experience high quality instruction and receive effective individual and family supports and services they need to succeed in school and the community.

APS recognizes Community Schools as an effective school improvement strategy and a process shall be established for the growth in the number of full service Community Schools throughout APS. Such schools shall transition into the hubs of their community, bringing together many relevant partners to offer an array of supports and opportunities within and beyond the school day to children, youth, families and community members focusing on the whole child by addressing the academic, physical, social, and emotional needs of students.

Community School Framework

Although the specific services, supports and opportunities available at individual Community Schools may vary depending on local needs and resources, all such schools shall strategically integrate the following components and strategies aligned with New Mexico's Community Schools Act:

Assets and needs assessments based on input from school staff, students, and families to inform the school of strengths and programs to build on, as well as identify needs not being met.
School-community partnerships that fill in any gaps in services the district may have and help strengthen current school programs.

Schools that have been identified, or are in the process of development as a full service Community School shall incorporate the additional framework:

A Community School Collaborative that consists of Coordinator, school administrator, teachers, school staff, families, and community members for which school-level decisions are discussed and made with the school's administration to give more perspectives and give stakeholders shared ownership of student success;
Lead Partner Agency which may be a school itself, a local government agency, or a 501c3 recognized by the State of New Mexico that has a written agreement with a school and district to house and support a full-time Coordinator, broker relationships and resources, and plan for sustainability; and
Community School Coordinator that is employed and supervised by the Lead Partner Agency, and is responsible for nurturing and facilitating a school-site collaborative leadership team that coordinate the implementation of programs and services based on the input from students and families in the areas of:

Family Engagement & Supports;
Extended Learning Opportunities; and
School-Based or Linked Health.

APS Support of ABC

APS shall support development and implementation of Community Schools by working with ABC in a collaborative arrangement and as a voting member to provide school capabilities and oversight of community involvement.

The Board of Education and the Superintendent will provide ongoing support to Community Schools in the following manner:

The Board of Education will appoint two APS board members annually to serve on the ABC Board, along with the superintendent, for joint planning, implementation, ongoing assessment, and communication with the APS Board. Appointees will provide the ABC Board with a status report on progress toward desired results and indicators, as well as development plans, during the June Board of Education meeting.
Consistent with the Community Schools framework, board members will support Community Schools work at the governance and systems-design level, in partnership with district leadership, rather than through involvement at individual school sites. Board appointees will participate on the joint, system-wide council, where districtwide priorities and structures are shaped collaboratively, rather than serving on individual school-site Community Schools Councils. This approach promotes clarity of roles, shared accountability, and strong governance while supporting effective implementation at the school level.
The Superintendent will provide one senior-level staff member to serve on the ABC Intermediary Team who will be jointly supervised and evaluated annually by the Superintendent, or designee, and the ABC Executive Director. This individual will work with the superintendent or designee, to prepare any additional policy and financing recommendations, administrative guidelines, and procedural directives necessary to implement Community Schools.
The Superintendent will determine appropriate funding contributions to the ABC infrastructure as determined by the APS Board of Education through the annual budget process.

Administrative Position: Deputy Superintendent of Leadership and Learning

References
Legal Cross Ref.: §22-32-1 to 22-32-4 NMSA 1978

Board Policy Cross Ref.:

AA Mission Statement
AB Vision of a Learning Community
IH8 Community Schools

Procedural Directive Cross Ref:

PK10 Parent Organizations and Booster Club
PK13Visitors to Schools
PI50 Volunteer Programs
PK9 Family and Community Engagement
PJ37School-Linked and School-Based Health Services Clinics

NSBA/NEPN Classification: KA, KC, KI

Initial Draft Version: April 2015
Reviewed: April 8, 2015
Reviewed: May 4, 2015
Adopted: May 8, 2015

Reviewed: February 9, 2026

Revised: February 9, 2026