The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Community School Partnership will share in a five-year $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education — of which $491,700 will be released in the first year — it was announced this week.
The grant will further the growth of community schools and is part of a larger five-year $63 million nationwide grant initiative of the U.S. Department of Education in support of 42 agencies, nonprofits and institutions of higher education working to expand community schools.
The grant to the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Community School Partnership is specifically earmarked for Hodgin Elementary School, McKinley Middle School and Del Norte High School, all of which are Title I schools.
Partnership executive director, Danette Townsend said the grant money will be used to “engage our comprehensive and intensive technical assistance and professional development training to support these three schools, the full-time community school coordinators, and their communities as they implement the community school strategy.”
A community school is guided by a locally driven strategy that leverages the resources of the whole community to create a school by and for students, families, school staff, and community partners.
The network of ABC community schools consists of 66 schools within Bernalillo County, most within the Albuquerque Public School District, including, eight high schools, 14 middle schools, 35 elementary schools and 10 charter schools. Nearly 40% of APS non-charter schools are community schools.
A Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and APS established the Partnership in 2007.
(This story has been modified to explain that the grant is for $2.5 million over five years and that $491,700 was for the first year only. The information originated in a news release from Bernalillo County.)
