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Communities In Schools grant ends; district weighs in‑house options and teletherapy
Summary
Administrators described the end of a CIS grant and outlined options — in‑house caseworkers, counseling integration, teletherapy with bilingual supports and a dedicated district case manager — while board members asked for baseline numbers and raised concerns about access and digital literacy.
Mister Burns reviewed services provided under the Communities In Schools (CIS) grant and outlined district options if external funding lapses, including absorbing responsibilities into existing counseling and case‑management structures or pursuing teletherapy partnerships to expand bilingual access.
"Our agreement with Communities In Schools is ending, and the responsibilities of the grant kind of fall back on the building," Burns told the board, noting the district has already integrated some caseworker positions as full‑time employees and maintains 16 K‑8 counselors and seven high‑school counselors.
Board members asked for data to quantify the program’s impact and trend lines for attendance and behavior. "I'd be interested in seeing the actual numbers, with respect to baseline, current and trend analysis," a board member said, requesting a clearer picture of where gaps remain and what funding would be needed to sustain in‑house services.
Several members voiced reservations about teletherapy as a substitute for in‑person services, citing digital access and family digital‑literacy barriers. "My concern is this telehealth may not reach all the families that need to be reached," one board member said. Burns responded that teletherapy sessions would be offered after hours, would include bilingual capacity, and could be paired with a district case manager to help families access devices and connect to services.
Administrators said they had explored other grants and partner districts’ experiences, but found few ready replacement grants; they emphasized a team‑based student services model and said the administration would continue pursuing options, including grants and partnerships, to minimize service disruption.
Board members asked administration to provide concrete baseline numbers (e.g., number of students served, CIS‑specific outcomes) ahead of budget conversations; some members offered to help identify candidates to fill vacant intervention positions.
The committee thanked Burns for the detailed summary and asked for follow‑up data for the board’s budget deliberations.
