The New Heights Community Resource Center provided nearly $1 million worth of partner services in 2024, school officials told the Tuscaloosa City Schools Board of Education during the district’s Jan. 14 meeting.

Melissa Borman, manager of New Heights, and a colleague presenting the Zone initiative said the estimate is conservative and is based only on billable hours; it excludes employee salary and benefits. “If we build the hours that were provided to our students and their families, we, in the 2024 year, got almost $1,000,000 of services annually provided for free through New Heights Community Resource Center,” Borman said.

The presenters said the center’s wraparound services show measurable benefits in district data, including higher attendance, fewer disciplinary incidents and improved GPAs. They described five daily service pillars (education, health, family support, mentoring and workforce pathways) and highlighted grants from the Children’s Trust Fund of Alabama and Nick’s Kids Foundation that support a mentoring program the presenters called among the state’s most successful.

Borman described specific 2024 numbers: the center served about 185 students with items such as clothing, food and school supplies and provided food assistance to roughly 101 families in the reporting period (June through the third quarter of 2024). She credited an endowment and a partnership with the West Alabama Food Bank for sustaining the on-site pantry.

Presenters also described new services and partnerships: an International Welcome Center that offers bilingual intake and handoffs to partners, a SOAR mentoring program that served about 70 students in its first year, and a developing relationship with the Benjamin Barnes YMCA for after-hours health programming.

Looking ahead, New Heights staff said their priorities include building an inclusive outdoor play area (the Leadership Tuscaloosa class has adopted the playground/pavilion and basketball court as a class project), hiring a full-time case manager to keep up with rising demand, improving interactive technology in the center, and expanding evening and weekend programming. Staff cited reliance on interns from the University of Alabama social work program, support from United Way and the City of Tuscaloosa, and the formation of the New Heights Foundation as tools for sustainability.

Board members asked about limits on space and staffing. Presenters acknowledged the constraints: “The building space has limitations. The growing demands for both physical and mental health services is on the top of our list right now,” Borman said. Presenters said they are fundraising for planned outdoor facilities and would return to the board with updates as grants and commitments develop.

The briefing closed with appreciation from multiple board members and district staff for community partners and volunteers who helped launch and expand the center’s services.

The board did not take a formal vote on the update; the presentation was an informational report.