Partnership Program
The FCS Partnership Program will create a direct connection within the community to encourage and promote transformation/ collaboration throughout the FCS district. This isn't anything new for FCS; we have been establishing partnerships over the years. All stakeholders will serve in a highly impactful and strategic capacity to support schools and community. Schools will continue to work through their SGCs to develop strategic goals and coordinate with feeder schools to align engagement and resources.
Community Collaboration is one of the four pillars of the FCS Strategic Plan. The FCS2022 strategic plan guided the work of identifying and evaluating active partnerships and engagement across the district. We understand the importance of community engagement and how collaboration can be done in service to improve outcomes and build champions who support student achievement for our district and schools.
This Partnership Program provides guidelines for building relationships between schools and community, detailing the steps and best practices in building impactful partnerships. The partnership agreement is a starting point for partnership activities. As schools solidify partners to maximize community collaboration, review the Partnership Program Toolkit for the 5 steps needed to solidify and maximize your annual partnership program:
- IDENTIFY: Explore Opportunities for Partnership
- RECRUIT: Connect with stakeholders and Community Champions
- RETAIN: Meet and complete the Annual Partnership Agreement
- EVALUATE: Determine your plan for communication and evaluation
- EXPAND: Highlight impactful partnerships with stories of impact and celebrate success
The steps of the Partnership Program will help schools identify community champions, build school action teams, as well as keep partnership contacts on the same page. That action team will support and identify strategic goals as well as align partnership efforts and supports with school-wide initiatives, along with the key roles and responsibilities of a partnership coordinator. The Partnership Coordinator facilitates communication, verifies student rosters for data, and monitors the specific activity outlined in a partnership agreement/plan.
[The Partnership Coordinator may be a Principal designee, staff person, or SGC member, for the duration of the partnership with Annual Partnership Program training available throughout the school year, from August through June. An individual entering an agreement and facilitating communication, providing support who may be working on several partnership projects independently and/or with other partners is a contact. The Partnership Coordinator Training outlines the responsibility and process to maintain communication and oversee partner programs or resources along with the partner contact.]
School SGC Outreach and Communication Committees are encouraged to engage for additional partnership coordination and outreach. The team will be clear about the strategic goals outlined in the agreement. School’s SGC Outreach and Communication Committee Chairs may serve as the partnership coordinator unless someone else has been designated by the school principal. The Partnership Coordinator (or principal designee) will assist with recruiting and retaining business, community, and faith partners. Additional stakeholders identified for outreach and engagement may include:
- SGC Members & Communications and Outreach Committee
- School Principals
- Current school partners
- Potential school partners
- Teachers
- Students
- Community Members
Timeline of Partnership Engagement
July-September
- Identify your Community Champions and contact the Partner contact(s)
- Using the school’s Strategic Goals, determine how school-partners can assist
October-December
- Complete the Annual Partnership Agreement to retain impactful partners and work together to implement the plan outlined in the agreement
January-March
- Highlight “Good News” stories of impact with school Storytelling Liaison
- As you near the end of the year, both parties should evaluate the partnership and discuss next steps
April-June
- Celebrate achievements at the school, include Community Champions and Partners
- Review Annual Partnership Agreement goals and revise/renew/expand for the next school year
Partnership Resource Links
- Individuals who donate time, energy, or talent to support a school are volunteers and must complete the required Volunteer Registration Application
- This Partnership Program Toolkit provides guidelines for building relationships between schools and the community, detailing the steps and best practices in building impactful partnerships
- Types of Community Engagement (per ES/MS/HS level)
- Types of Partnerships
- Tips to Build a School Marketing Plan
- Partnership Coordinators - Roles & Responsibilities
- Annual Partnership Agreement is a starting point for partnership activities to document both new and existing school partners
- Sample Program Proposal (Generated by Partner)
- A vendor that desires to solicit business and/or present information or products to a school must adhere to the Vendor Process, found at www.fcspurchasingdept.org.
- Process Timeline for Partnership Programs and Afterschool Enrichment Partners
- Memorandum of Understanding for Enrichment & Afterschool Provider Partners
- FERPA Parent Consent Form template
- Storytelling Liaison one-page overview
- Promote school partnership review and share your stories posted on the FCS News site