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External evaluation finds community‑schools staffing gains, recommends standard surveys and tracking
Summary
SOAR Evaluation reported on year‑2 results of the full‑service community schools grant; recommended standard survey questions, consistent tracking tools and stronger family engagement in decision‑making. District hired Raul Gonzales as district community schools coordinator.
An external evaluator reported progress and recommendations for the Taos Municipal Schools’ full‑service community schools grant during the July 23 board meeting, highlighting staff gains, expanded after‑school programming and a need for consistent tracking and stronger family engagement.
Dr. Rachel Boren, director of the SOAR Evaluation and Policy Center, summarized year‑two results for Taos High School, Taos Middle School and Enos Garcia Elementary. “The recent hire of the district coordinator position is a big win,” Boren told the board, noting that site coordinators are collaborating and that school site‑based leadership teams exist but vary in parent and partner representation.
The evaluation found high demand for after‑school programs, broad use of school resources to support families (food, clothing, hygiene products) and community partnerships that provide internships and guest speakers. Boren reported modest increases in graduation rates and noted that schools are normalizing help‑seeking and operating greenhouses funded through the grant.
Boren’s recommendations included: adopting a core set of standard survey questions across schools and populations (students, staff, families) to track climate, belonging and resource use over time; improving reliable data tracking tied to grant goals (the evaluator offered a color‑coded tracking tool used in other districts); developing onboarding procedures tied to the new district coordinator role to sustain practices after personnel changes; and working to strengthen family and site‑leadership team participation in decision‑making.
The board introduced Raul Gonzales as the new district community schools coordinator. Gonzales told the board he is a Taos native who has a background implementing programs and compliance systems and said he will focus on establishing seamless district‑level processes for the grant, matching the evaluator’s recommendations.
Dr. Boren said she will continue to work with district staff and the coordinators. Board members asked for continued quarterly updates and welcomed the district coordinator hire as a capacity gain.
No formal board action was required on the evaluation; the board acknowledged the evaluator’s recommendations and the district’s plan to use the coordinator to address capacity and tracking.
