Protect funding for community schools

NEW MEXICO’S governor and Legislature will have some tough decisions to make during the special session this week. My hope is legislators do not reverse the great progress made the last two years ensuring public schools are adequately funded.

Part of that funding includes an investment to create community schools within all school districts. ABC Community School Partnership is a joint powers agreement among Albuquerque Public Schools, Bernalillo County and the city of Albuquerque. We have a shared goal of increasing parent involvement, student academic achievement and overall community quality of life. We are accomplishing this through the creation and support of cooperative and collaborative working relationships with schools and community at the forefront. There are currently 35 ABC Community Schools within Albuquerque Public Schools.

ABC community schools are proving to be adaptable, especially in this COVID-19 environment, allowing for creative community engagement and response during the pandemic.

Community Schools are working for Albuquerque, engaging teachers, families and existing programs with the community to ensure everyone has access to food, help with technology to enable continuous learning plans, behavioral health supports and assistance in coordinating the complex world of health care.

An independent “return on investment” study showed that for every dollar invested in a community school coordinator, an additional $7 were leveraged and invested directly back into the community school through these types of partnerships. During a budget shortfall, as we are expecting in the foreseeable future, the relatively small amount of money leveraged to assist teachers, students and families through community schools is exactly the investment our community should be making and securing to help our students and their families.

School districts and schools are facing tight budgets, and community school interventions meet the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as an evidence-based intervention positively impacting students and leading to increased student achievement across the schools. Any cuts to this program would stop the progress community schools have made across the state. The negative effects would be felt most by the students and families identified in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit who need these types of supports.

Please talk with your legislators and ask that they keep our ABC Community Schools program well-funded. Our kids lives depend on it.

CYNTHIA D. BORREGO ABC Community School Partnership, Board Chair Albuquerque city councilor, District 5