School-Community Partnerships Policy and Procedures Summary

Partnership with the community is essential to our success. When we align and coordinate our efforts we will create a seamless web of supports, address barriers to learning and generate new opportunities that strengthen family, school and community. By working together, we will ensure that schools are more effective, caring places that connect students and families with essential resources and learning opportunities.

How does MMSD define partnership?

A collaborative relationship between MMSD and community entities that is mutually beneficial and works toward shared goals and purpose through an agreed upon division of labor, services, outcomes and financial responsibility.

What is Policy 7544 - School and Community Partnerships? What is its purpose?

Board Policy 7544 - School and Community Partnerships includes guidelines (key definitions, guiding principles) and procedures for formalizing a partnership (development of Memorandum of Agreement and required approvals). The intent of the policy is to ensure that partnerships clearly articulate shared purpose, roles and responsibilities, communication structure, outcomes, metrics and monitoring schedule. The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) b com s a guiding document that drives implementation, monitoring and accountability of the partnership in a way intended to foster continuous improvement.

What is the process for formalizing a partnership?

Depending on the intensity-level, a partnership moves through the Board of Education (BOE) in different ways. An MOA is required to be developed for medium and high intensity partnerships. An MOA is a documented tailing the agreement between partners of shared purpose, outcomes, division of labor, services, and financial responsibility. The process to formalize a partnership per BOE policy is illustrated below. Th Strategic Partnerships & Innovation (SP&I) department provides guidance and support to MMSD staff and partners throughout the process.

What does it mean to be a “partnership owner”?

Every partnership has an MMSD staff member “owner”. Partnership owners are expected to carry out specific responsibilities necessary for a partnership to thrive. There are various ownership levels. In some cases, MMSD staff members may own a partnership on multiple levels.

• Organizational owner: SLT/COLT member or school administrator assigned to oversee overall relationship with partner organization
• Programmatic owner: MMSD staff member assigned to oversee implementation and monitoring of partnership
• Operational owner: MMSD staff member(s) assigned to implement specific tasks related to the partnership

Expectations of MMSD Partnership Owners

Organizational Owner	SLT/COLT member or school administrator assigned to oversee overall relationship with partner organization (ie. Elm. Schools of Hope/SP&I Director)
Communication	Fosters positive, collaborative relationship with partner leadership Supports problem solving when relationship needs assistance, ensure resolution between MMSD and partner Attends high-profile events hosted by partner organization
Implementation	Provides guidance to partner organization and MMSD programmatic owner regarding alignment with district priorities and systems
Monitoring	Signs off on final MOA Reviews outcomes (mid, end of year), makes key decisions about viability of partnership, ongoing commitment of resources based on outcomes

Programmatic Owner	MMSD staff member assigned to oversee implementation and monitoring of partnership (ie .Elem. Schools of Hope/Community Partnerships Coordinator)
Communication	Fosters positive, collaborative relationship with partner staff Engages in on-going communication with program staff to support implementation Ensures consistent, agreed-upon external communication about partnership Provides updates to SLT/COLT, school administrators, and BOE as relevant
Implementation	Ensures alignment of partnership with district and/or school priorities, systems and structures Ensures agreed-upon r sources are provided Supports access to and collaboration with other MMSD staff as needed Co-develops, co-leads and/or attends partnership events and activities Delegates operational tasks to other MMSD staff as appropriate
Monitoring	Leads development of MOA with partner organization, with support from SP&I as needed Supports access to data as agreed upon and coordinates with RAD department as needed Analyzes and interprets monitoring data to determine adjustments necessary for continuous improvement Coordinates mid-year and year-end progress monitoring meetings Revises MOA with partner organization annually, with support from SP&I as needed

Operational Owner	MMSD staff member(s) assigned to implement specific tasks necessary to implement partnership (ie. Elem. Schools of Hope/SP&I Programs Assistant)
	Implements tasks as assigned by programmatic owner

SP&I Department

• Fields partnership inquiries and reviews with relevant MMSD staff
• Communicates with BOE regarding partnership development and responds to inquiries
• Presents high-intensity partnerships to BOE, in collaboration with MMSD partnership owner
• Supports MOA development process and reviews final MOAs
• Supports “match-making” between schools/departments and community organizations