Las Cruces leaders hear update on community schools; city funding seen as critical to sustain coordinators
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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 Community Middle School; Booker T. Washington; MacArthur; Dona Ana Elementary; Alameda; Mesilla Park; Conley Elementary; and Sunrise Elementary — and said partners include La Clinica de Familia (hub and telehealth spokes), Dona Ana Community College dental hygiene clinics, Casa de Myalma for mental‑health supports, and youth programs such as the Boys & Girls Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters. He said the clinics at school sites saw more than 2,000 patients during 2025.
On outcomes, Rivera told councilors that combined community schools serve about 1,500 students and that roughly 1,300 students are participating in out‑of‑school‑time programming. He said wraparound services — medical and mental‑health care, food distributions, dental hygiene and family events — connect with nearly 2,000 students and families, while family engagement events reach about 4,000 participants annually. Rivera linked the work to a declining district chronic‑absenteeism rate, reporting it has fallen from roughly 35–36% in early 2021 to nearer 30% as the district exits the pandemic era.
Councilors asked how the program coordinates with municipal services and about long‑term funding. Councilor McClure asked whether Parks and Recreation is involved in after‑school programming; Rivera said community school coordinators make direct arrangements with Parks and Rec staff to stand up activities, and that informal, direct outreach often initiates those partnerships. Mayor Pro Tem Munoz and others pressed for scalable options and noted the district’s roughly 24,000 students compared with cultural enrichment program enrollment of about 1,300.
City staff and Rivera emphasized funding volatility. Rivera said the city initially provided $100,000 per year (later increased to $150,000 in 2022) to support a community‑school coordinator FTE at Booker T. Washington; he warned that year‑over‑year salary increases (about 4% annually in recent years) make expanding coordinator positions challenging without additional, stable funding. He recommended building capacity through a partnership with New Mexico State University (NMSU) to create internship pipelines and by pursuing grants at local, regional and federal levels.
Councilors broadly praised the program’s reach and urged staff and the partnership board to continue seeking sustainable funding that minimizes the risk of losing onsite programs if grants lapse. Councilors also pressed staff to better categorize causes of absenteeism and to consider using community schools as sites for delicate topics such as gun‑violence prevention when students are prepared to engage.
