MADISON — The Madison Metropolitan School District and Centro Hispano are deepening a longstanding partnership with a new joint position focused on connecting Latino families with schools, services and decisions affecting their children. Arturo Ambriz became the first associate director of family, youth and community engagement this spring. The position is shared by the district and the Madison-based nonprofit, where Ambriz previously spent about 15 years as director of the Bridge Lake Point Waunona Neighborhood Center, also known as the BLW Center. Ambriz said he intends to serve as a communication bridge among Centro Hispano, district officials and families. His work includes helping families navigate after-school programs, enrollment, immigration-related questions and other issues, while making sure they have opportunities to influence school and district decisions. “I feel like sometimes that there’s a little bit of disconnect, a little miscommunication, or just maybe too much information being thrown at our families,” Ambriz said. He said he wants families to know that their voices matter both at their children’s schools and across the district. The role was created under a three-year agreement approved by the Madison School Board last fall. The agreement calls for a deeper partnership aimed at supporting Latinx students’ sense of belonging, cultural identity and academic growth. Centro Hispano Executive Director Karen Menéndez Coller said the organization has worked with the district for years to advance its strategic goals. The new position, she said, creates a more direct and sustained way to build on the trust between the organizations. The partnership comes as the share of Hispanic students in Madison schools has grown substantially. State enrollment data shows that Hispanic students accounted for about 12% of district enrollment in the 2005-06 school year. Last school year, they made up nearly 26% of enrollment. Tyson Jackson, the district’s director of family, youth and community engagement, said having Centro Hispano work directly in the community gives the district a more intentional way to understand and respond to families’ needs. The agreement also expands Centro Hispano’s youth programming to Lincoln and Leopold elementary schools on Madison’s south side. The organization has provided programming for middle and high school students for years, including tutoring, field trips, hands-on activities and projects designed to build confidence and elevate students’ voices. Norma Gallegos Valles, Centro’s director of programs, said the elementary-school expansion fills a gap and supports students during key transitions from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school. “Those transition periods are where kids really need a little bit more support,” Ambriz said. “Being able to continue that and now expand it even more has been very crucial — and what not only our kids need, but also what the families are asking for.” Ambriz is also helping families connect with resources related to housing and other challenges. He is sharing information about the district’s boundary and attendance-area review, which will determine where students attend school based on where they live. The district plans to hold one of its fall listening sessions on proposed attendance maps at Centro Hispano. The maps are expected to influence school assignments and broader programming decisions, giving families an opportunity to weigh in on changes that could affect their households. “Here’s an opportunity to speak up. This impacts not only you, but your entire family,” Ambriz said he tells families. District and Centro Hispano officials said the expanded partnership is also intended to make more families aware of Madison’s existing network of community resources. Menéndez Coller said that outreach is increasingly important as Wisconsin’s demographics change and new families arrive in the area. The goal, she said, is to ensure students have a place where they feel they belong so they can arrive in the classroom ready to focus on learning.