Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Las Cruces leaders hear update on community schools; city funding seen as critical to sustain coordinators
Summary
City officials heard that Las Cruces Public Schools’ community schools model has expanded since 2016, serving roughly 1,500 students with nearly 1,300 in after‑school programs and linking school‑based hubs to medical and mental‑health partners. Presenters warned that salary inflation and uncertain grant funding threaten expansion and urged stronger city–university partnerships.
Las Cruces city leaders on Feb. 23 received an update on the Las Cruces Public Schools Community Schools Partnership and were told that the local program has grown steadily since its 2016 start at Lynn Middle School.
Johnny Rivera, community schools manager, described a community school as “a whole child comprehensive approach,” and said the local effort now follows six key practices used statewide: student and family engagement, collaborative leadership, culturally enriched out‑of‑school learning, rigorous community‑connected classroom instruction, a culture of belonging and integrated systems of support. Rivera said the model pairs campus‑based coordinators with community partners to provide medical, dental and mental‑health services, after‑school enrichment and family engagement events.
Rivera listed the eight current community school sites — Lynn…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
