Planning Community School Coordinator
Position Title: Planning Community School Coordinator
Position Type: One-Year, Full-Time Position
Start Date: September 1, 2026
Salary: $43,000 annually
Location: New Mexico
Reports To: Executive Director
Term: One year, with the possibility of continuation based on funding, program needs, and implementation plans
Position Overview
South Valley Prep is entering the first year of planning for a Community School Model designed to strengthen relationships among students, families, educators, community organizations, and local partners.
The Planning Community School Coordinator will serve as a bridge between the school and the broader community and will lead the planning, relationship-building, assessment, and organizational work necessary to develop a strong foundation for a future Community School.
This is a planning-year position. The Coordinator will not be expected to independently provide direct social, health, or educational services. Instead, the Coordinator will identify needs and assets, build partnerships, engage families and community members, establish collaborative leadership structures, coordinate planning activities, and help develop a sustainable Community School plan for future implementation.
The successful candidate will be a relationship-builder who is comfortable working with diverse families, students, school staff, community organizations, Tribal and cultural partners, businesses, and public agencies. The Coordinator must be able to listen deeply, organize information, facilitate conversations, build trust, and translate community input into actionable plans.
During the planning year, particular emphasis will be placed on conducting a meaningful needs-and-assets assessment, identifying community resources and partnerships, and establishing the leadership structures necessary for successful implementation.
Essential Responsibilities1. Lead the Community School Planning Process
- Develop and maintain a one-year Community School planning timeline.
- Work closely with school leadership to establish priorities, goals, and measurable outcomes.
- Coordinate planning meetings, stakeholder conversations, focus groups, and community engagement activities.
- Maintain clear documentation of planning activities, decisions, partnerships, and next steps.
- Help develop the school's Community School plan and implementation roadmap.
- Ensure that planning activities reflect the school's students, families, culture, and local community.
2. Conduct a Needs and Assets Assessment
The Coordinator will lead a comprehensive assessment of the school's strengths, needs, and available community resources.
Responsibilities include:
- Gather information from students, families, educators, school staff, and community members.
- Identify barriers that may affect student success, including issues related to food, housing, transportation, health, mental health, attendance, family stability, enrichment, and access to community resources.
- Identify existing strengths, programs, organizations, businesses, agencies, cultural resources, and community leaders.
- Conduct community asset mapping.
- Review available school and community data.
- Identify gaps between existing services and identified needs.
- Develop a written summary of findings and recommendations.
- Ensure that assessment processes are culturally and linguistically responsive.
3. Build and Strengthen Community Partnerships
- Identify potential nonprofit, governmental, Tribal, health, behavioral health, higher education, business, faith-based, cultural, and community partners.
- Establish and maintain relationships with community organizations and service providers.
- Meet regularly with potential partners to identify opportunities for collaboration.
- Develop a community partner database/resource directory.
- Explore potential partnerships for student and family supports, enrichment, mentoring, tutoring, health and wellness, food security, housing support, career development, and other identified needs.
- Help establish appropriate partnership agreements or memoranda of understanding as directed by school leadership.
- Ensure that partnerships are mutually beneficial and aligned with school and community priorities.
4. Develop Family and Community Engagement
- Create meaningful opportunities for families to participate in Community School planning.
- Engage families who may traditionally be underrepresented in school decision-making.
- Organize listening sessions, family meetings, surveys, community events, and focus groups.
- Gather and elevate family and student voice.
- Identify barriers that prevent families from engaging with the school and recommend strategies to address those barriers.
- Support culturally and linguistically responsive engagement practices.
- Build trust and strengthen relationships between families, school staff, and community partners.
5. Establish Collaborative Leadership Structures
- Support the development of a Site-Based Leadership Team.
- Recruit and engage appropriate representatives, including school staff, families, students/youth when appropriate, community partners, and other stakeholders.
- Develop meeting structures, agendas, processes, and communication systems.
- Facilitate collaborative decision-making.
- Ensure that leadership-team discussions remain focused on student, family, and community outcomes.
- Support the development of shared goals and priorities for the Community School.
6. Data Collection and Documentation
- Develop systems for collecting and organizing Community School planning data.
- Track participation in family and community engagement activities.
- Maintain records of community partners and available resources.
- Assist school leadership in identifying baseline data and indicators of success.
- Analyze information gathered through surveys, interviews, focus groups, asset mapping, and other engagement strategies.
- Prepare regular updates and reports for school leadership and the Community School leadership team.
- Protect confidential student and family information and follow all applicable school, district, state, and federal requirements regarding privacy and data sharing.
7. Prepare for Future Implementation
By the conclusion of the one-year planning period, the Coordinator should help the school have:
- A completed needs and assets assessment.
- A comprehensive community asset map.
- An established Site-Based Leadership Team.
- A strong network of potential community partners.
- A documented family and community engagement process.
- Identified priorities and measurable goals.
- A written Community School plan.
- A proposed implementation timeline.
- Identified potential funding and resource opportunities.
- Recommendations for staffing and partnership structures.
- A sustainability strategy for continuing the Community School work beyond the planning year.
- Documentation necessary to support future implementation funding applications, when applicable.
Qualifications Required:
- Bachelor's degree in education, social work, community development, public administration, nonprofit management, human services, or a related field OR equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Experience working with children, families, schools, nonprofits, community organizations, or public agencies.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people from diverse cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, and community backgrounds.
- Strong organizational and project-management skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to facilitate meetings, listening sessions, and collaborative planning processes.
- Ability to collect, organize, interpret, and communicate information.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately.
- Commitment to equity, inclusion, family voice, student voice, and community-driven decision-making.
Preferred:
- Experience working in a school or educational setting.
- Experience in community organizing, family engagement, social services, nonprofit work, or partnership development.
- Experience conducting community needs assessments or asset mapping.
- Experience developing partnerships or coordinating services.
- Knowledge of New Mexico's communities, resources, and educational system.
- Familiarity with the New Mexico Community Schools framework.
- Experience working with Tribal communities, Native nations/Pueblos, or culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
- Bilingual or multilingual skills, particularly Spanish, are highly valued where appropriate to the community served.
- Experience with grant writing, grant reporting, or program evaluation.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
The successful candidate should demonstrate:
- Relationship building: Ability to establish authentic, respectful relationships with families, students, educators, and community partners.
- Community engagement: Ability to listen to and engage community members as partners in decision-making.
- Facilitation: Ability to lead productive meetings and navigate differing perspectives.
- Organization: Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, meetings, and partnerships.
- Communication: Ability to communicate effectively with individuals and groups in both formal and informal settings.
- Data literacy: Ability to gather, organize, and use information to identify needs and inform decisions.
- Cultural responsiveness: Ability to honor community knowledge, culture, language, traditions, and lived experiences.
- Problem-solving: Ability to identify barriers, connect people to resources, and develop collaborative solutions.
- Initiative: Ability to work independently while maintaining strong communication with school leadership.
- Flexibility: Ability to respond to changing community needs and emerging opportunities.
- Follow applicable New Mexico Public Education Department requirements and Community Schools guidance.
- Support a community-school approach that is culturally and linguistically responsive.
- Engage families and community members as partners rather than simply recipients of services.
- Recognize and respectfully engage Tribal nations, Pueblos, and Indigenous communities when applicable to the school's community.
- Build partnerships with local organizations and public agencies that can address identified student and family needs.
- Coordinate with school leadership and existing student-support personnel rather than duplicating services already available.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries when working with students and families.
- Follow all applicable school/district policies related to confidentiality, student safety, mandated reporting, background checks, technology, and access to school facilities.
- Complete all required school/district training before or during employment.
- Follow applicable state and federal requirements governing student and family information.
Working Conditions
- Full-time, one-year position.
- Regular work will occur during the school day, with some evening or community-based activities required to meaningfully engage families and community partners.
- Some local travel may be required to meet with community organizations, attend partner meetings, and participate in community events.
- The Coordinator must be comfortable working in both school and community settings.
- Schedule should provide reasonable flexibility to meet families and community partners outside traditional school hours.
Performance Expectations
Success in this one-year position will be measured by the Coordinator's ability to:
- Build authentic relationships with students, families, school staff, and community partners.
- Complete a comprehensive needs and assets assessment.
- Develop and maintain an accurate community asset map.
- Establish and sustain an effective Site-Based Leadership Team.
- Develop meaningful family and community engagement opportunities.
- Establish a strong network of potential community partners.
- Develop systems for documenting partnerships, services, needs, and resources.
- Identify measurable Community School priorities and outcomes.
- Develop a comprehensive Community School plan for the next phase of implementation.
- Position the school to pursue future implementation funding and sustainable partnerships.
Compensation
Annual Salary: $43,000
This is a one-year position beginning September 1, 2026, subject to applicable employment policies, funding availability, and organizational requirements.
Benefits, if applicable, will be provided according to South Valley Prep policies.
Equal Opportunity Statement
South Valley Prep is committed to providing an inclusive and equitable workplace and educational environment. Employment decisions are made without unlawful discrimination and in accordance with applicable federal and New Mexico law. We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, languages, and perspectives to apply.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit:
- Resume
- Cover letter describing their interest in community schools and community engagement
- Three professional references
Applications can be found on our website: www.southvalleyprep.org-> about-> careers-> scroll down and download the application. Please send application to [email protected]
Anticipated Start Date: September 4, 2026
Pay: $42,000.00 - $43,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
