The Del Valle ISD Board of Trustees voted 5-1 to approve a two-year partnership with Communities In Schools (CIS) to transition the district’s social work support model, the board announced after debate during its May meeting.

Board approval allows CIS to provide a three-tier model of services — basic needs through intensive mental-health support — for a district contract valued at $615,000 per year for two years. The contract was presented by district staff as a budget-balancing measure that would expand the district’s capacity while reducing some in-house payroll costs.

Proponents said CIS will bring an established, data-driven program with campus-based teams and a mobile crisis unit. Maria Campos, chief program and impact officer for Communities and Schools of Central Texas, said CIS maintains a roving team of licensed clinical social workers available for campus-wide crises and that each campus would receive a CIS program manager and a campus team: "We deploy our entire CIS organization when it's a campus-wide crisis immediately," Campos said. She added CIS partners with local agencies for longer-term services and provides training and licensure assistance to staff.

The discussion focused on parity of clinical licensure, caseload limits and measurable outcomes. Trustee Franco pressed the district and CIS on the number of licensed clinicians that would be assigned to Del Valle ISD and how caseloads and intensive services would be handled, noting past reliance on district- employed licensed social workers and warning about potential gaps in services if the contract replaced rather than supplemented existing staff. "I'm just trying to get to the number of licensed social workers that we will have on campus at any given time," Franco said during the discussion.

Superintendent Dr. Gutierrez and CIS representatives said each campus would have a program manager and that the mobile unit of licensed clinical social workers would be available for higher-intensity needs; CIS said program manager caseloads are currently set around 75 students for tiered supports and that campus teams provide broader, tier 1 supports to entire campuses. Vice President Ladesma Woody emphasized the district’s intention to continue hiring licensed counselors and to use CIS to expand services rather than fully replace clinical staff.

Trustees also requested annual outcome reporting and regular principal-level updates. Trustee comments asking for performance metrics, caseload detail and transparent annual outcome reports were acknowledged by CIS and district staff as part of implementation oversight.

Vice President Ladesma Woody moved to approve the CIS partnership; Secretary Guadagnolo seconded. The motion passed 5-1, with Trustee Franco voting no and five trustees voting yes. The board said it will incorporate outcome reporting and campus-level plans as part of contract oversight.

The board discussion occurred as part of a larger budget-balancing effort the district is undertaking to close a multi-million-dollar deficit; administration has presented CIS as one component of revised service delivery designed to preserve direct student supports while addressing recurring payroll costs.

Implementation steps discussed include campus needs assessments, periodic outcome reporting to principals and the board, and use of CIS’s mobile crisis unit for major incidents. District staff said they will continue to partner with other community mental-health providers for longer-term clinical needs.

The board’s approval authorizes the superintendent to execute the contract and to work with CIS on campus plans and annual reporting requirements.

Looking ahead, trustees asked administration to return regular reports on CIS outcomes and any identified service gaps so the board can evaluate whether additional staffing or budget changes are needed in subsequent budget cycles.