Pioneering Success: Celebrating Batesville’s Community School Coordinators

When Batesville’s community schools coordinators say their unofficial motto is “Nothing is impossible,” they truly mean it. No matter the potential partnership’s genesis or the complexity of its implementation, its team is willing to roll up its sleeves and do the hard work. Batesville School District’s (BSD) coordinators are quick to credit the generosity of their “small, tight-knit city,” which consistently steps up to fill gaps that may arise, financial and otherwise. With the community’s unwavering support, BSD’s team has found “no limit to what they can accomplish” to help local students and families succeed.

Each BSD coordinator brings a unique skill set and background to their roles, but they all benefit from being in tune and “keyed into the community.” Rather than competing for resources, they take a team approach, strategically evaluating, aligning and allocating available assets to ensure the greatest benefit to their students and schools. This track record of success in forming and executing partnerships has led to a flurry of new opportunities, including at least four new programs in the 2024-2025 school year alone. Organizations have taken note of BSD’s engaged administration, existing infrastructure and wide-ranging systems of support, which have enabled innovative programs such as Restore Hope-100 Families to take root.

Communication and relationship-building are at the heart of the BSD team’s work. For example, consider its “Community Schools 101” sessions this past summer. BSD invited partners, interested businesses and nonprofits to learn more about its campuses and the benefits of cross-sector collaboration. These events are just one example of the coordinators’ focus on connecting with those within and outside its schools to identify and meet the needs of students, families and the community.

The coordinators’ recognize that each BSD campus is unique and that the demographics of students and staff vary widely. But, as its team says, “Kids are kids, and needs are needs.” So, their mission remains the same—doing whatever they can to help students thrive in school and life. Ultimately, they want to ensure that students graduate with the skills they need to “reach their full potential,” including pursuing higher education, entering the workforce and contributing to the community.

Fittingly, Batesville Schools are the “Pioneers.” Whether securing after-school meals for students or launching evidence-based home-visiting partnerships, BSD’s community school coordinators continually look for ways to set students up for long-term success. Because, as they know, “When you do these partnerships right, the investment of time and resources is always worth the reward.” We couldn’t agree more. During Coordinators Appreciation Week and year-round, Forward applauds the Batesville Schools’ team for their hard work.