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Community advocates urge Santa Fe school board to restore Communities in Schools funding
Summary
At the April 23 Santa Fe Public Schools meeting dozens of speakers urged the board to reverse planned cuts to Communities in Schools (CIS), citing local graduation gains, food pantries run by CIS coordinators and broader equity concerns tied to the Yazzie/Martinez mandates.
Dozens of community members pressed the Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education on April 23 to keep funding for Communities in Schools (CIS), warning cuts would strip critical supports from the district’s most vulnerable students.
Joanna Ruppel, a board member of Communities in Schools of New Mexico, told the board CIS student-success facilitators provide tutoring, social-emotional support and help with food, clothing and housing needs. "Cutting Communities in Schools funding doesn't just reduce a service. It removes a proven cost-effective lifeline for students who need it the most," Ruppel said during the public forum.
Why it matters: Speakers testified that CIS coordinators operate school-based…
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