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Communities In Schools reports student supports and announces 'Miss Anita's Food Pantry'
Summary
Gloria Taylor of Communities In Schools told the Rockport-Fulton school board CIS serves all four district campuses, case-manages 280 students in intensive services with strong outcome metrics, and announced a grant-funded pantry named 'Miss Anita's Food Pantry' with funding through 2027.
Rockport — Communities In Schools (CIS) leaders told the Rockport-Fulton ISD board they are expanding student and family supports across all four district campuses and will open a grant-funded food pantry named in memory of a local staff member.
Gloria Taylor, CEO for Communities In Schools (speaker 10), said CIS assigns a full-time case manager to each campus and reported 280 students receiving intensive, case-managed services locally. Taylor presented outcome figures she said were validated by the Texas Education Agency: “A 100% of the case managed seniors graduated,” she said; she also cited improvements in academics, behavior and attendance for students receiving intensive supports.
Taylor outlined services and last year’s supports: $2,600 in economic-student supports, more than 1,000 grocery distributions, rent assistance, medical vouchers, clothing, transportation help and holiday card programs. Taylor said CIS provided cap-and-gown assistance for seniors and organized shopping and holiday giving programs.
Taylor announced a grant award to Communities In Schools at the Coastal Bend that will fund a district food pantry named 'Miss Anita's Food Pantry' through 2027. “We are very, very, very excited,” she said, and thanked district leadership and community partners for help launching the pantry.
Site coordinators then gave short snapshots of daily work. Kristen Ford (high school) described attendance outreach, FAFSA help and weekend food bags; Daniella Lovett (middle school) described peer tutoring and an "inspiring alumni" effort to connect students with career pathways; Anna Huerta (Fulton Elementary) summarized tutoring, a pirate-store attendance incentive and a small campus food pantry; Courtney Brown (Live Oak Learning Center) described social-emotional small groups, a service beautification project and quarterly visits to a local nursing home.
Why it matters: CIS’s services are explicit interventions intended to keep students engaged and address nonacademic barriers to learning — hunger, housing instability, transportation and health needs — that the organization says directly affect attendance and graduation.
What’s next: CIS leaders invited trustees to read a case study included in board materials and said site coordinators will continue providing updates; the pantry is planned to operate with grant funding through 2027.
