Communities In Schools of New Mexico Is Here to Stay

This op-ed originally appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican on May 30, 2026.

For the past 14 years, Communities in Schools of New Mexico has been active in Santa Fe Public Schools, working inside 13 Title I schools with nearly 5,900 students to ensure kids have the support they need to succeed — both in the classroom and in life. 

Our partnership with SFPS has helped us steadily expand our impact over the past decade, even through persistent funding challenges. Our superintendents and school board have been deeply supportive partners through thick and thin. 

We foresee a bright future ahead. 

As a nonprofit organization, we’re no stranger to funding challenges, but we remain committed to finding ways to continue showing up for kids in New Mexico. That said, it truly takes a village to ensure our programming can continue: We cover 89% of costs to partner with SFPS through foundation grants, individual donors and competitive service contracts while continuing to build promising funding relationships with the state, city and county. 

District support is vitally important for our program sustainability and community relationships, and SFPS’ renewed commitment to covering $260,000 next year speaks volumes about our strong partnership. Our braided funding model is sustainable because SFPS recognizes the value of direct student support in this community. 

We believe all children deserve access to the resources, relationships and opportunities that help them thrive. That’s why we provide integrated, school-based supports that meet students where they are — so they can get where they want to go. 

Often, that support starts with basic needs. Through our Family Emergency Fund, we help families navigate moments of crisis — providing support for utilities, rent or mortgage payments, car repairs, and other urgent needs that can impact a child’s sense of safety and stability. 

We’ve helped a record 165 families this year avoid eviction, foreclosure or utility shutoffs, not just paying debtors directly but connecting families with additional resources to prevent further financial crises. 

We also work closely with The Food Depot to address food insecurity, helping provide more than 106,000 meals to students and their families through our school food pantries, snack stations and weekly grocery distribution. 

In the classroom, we’ve provided 74 regular volunteers who delivered over 1,300 tutoring sessions. Our 19 social work-trained, bilingual student success facilitators delivered more than 8,000 individualized supports — ensuring students who need extra help receive it. 

We coordinate school-based groups and other opportunities through 30 local community partners, ensuring all students have convenient access to great social-emotional learning opportunities. We also facilitate our own groups to build community and help grow empathy among student peers and parents. 

And for the 10% of students facing the greatest challenges, we provide one-on-one case-managed support, building trusted relationships and walking alongside students to help them stay on track and succeed. This is what it looks like to care about kids. 

Consistent, community-driven action through close partnerships with principals, teachers, school counselors and nurses is working. It means showing up every day to support students and their families. Together, we’ve reached 96% retention for all our K-12 case-managed students, with 96% of case-managed seniors graduating. 

Because the truth is, our entire community cares deeply about our kids. And when we invest in them, we’re investing in a stronger future for all of us. That’s why we’re called Communities In Schools. 

Michelle Katz is executive director of Communities In Schools of New Mexico, a nonprofit organization providing integrated student supports to students and families in 13 Title I schools in Santa Fe and one school in Albuquerque.