United ISD to renew Communities In Schools partnership; agency will continue campus services amid federal funding cuts

United Independent School District staff asked trustees to support renewing the district’s interlocal agreement with Communities In Schools of Laredo to continue campus‑based student and family supports.

District presenters said the partnership will continue at the current school sites and that there are no planned reductions to the Communities in Schools footprint as a result of the federal Title IV Part B funds the district reported it did not receive. "We are not making any changes to any of the sites, that we have, our partnership with Communities in Schools with," a district presenter said.

Olena Guzman, identified as executive director of Communities in Schools, described services the organization provides, including school‑based site coordinators, family supports, back‑to‑school events with partners offering free supplies and screenings, and an increased emphasis on mental‑health supports. "Mental health is 1 of the biggest areas that we've been supporting," Guzman said, and she noted the program’s evolving focus since the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Trustees asked how sites are chosen; Guzman and district staff said selection historically prioritized economically disadvantaged communities and high‑need feeder patterns (high schools first, then middle schools, and two elementary schools identified: Rio Bravo and El Cenizo). Trustees requested metrics on the program’s reach and outcomes; Guzman and district staff agreed to provide data in the district’s weekly packet.

No board action was taken in the workshop; staff asked trustees to review and approve the renewal at the next regular meeting.