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Parents, students and Communities In Schools leaders urge Austin ISD trustees to preserve CIS as budget cuts loom
Summary
At a June 18 budget hearing, parents, students and the CEO of Communities In Schools told Austin ISD trustees that eliminating CIS would remove critical supports — transportation, casework and basic needs assistance — for vulnerable students and asked the board to protect CIS at current campuses and, at minimum, Band 1 schools.
Dozens of parents, students and a Communities In Schools leader told the Austin ISD Board of Trustees on June 18 that proposed budget cuts risked stripping away essential supports for students.
"Communities in Schools is not just a program; they are people that are dedicated to helping our children," a parent who identified herself only as Britney told trustees during the public-comment portion of the hearing. She described CIS staff as liaisons who provide mental-health support, help with basic needs and connect families to resources.
Mara Masters, a teacher and director at Austin High School and a member of Ed Austin, said the district’s approach to cuts created an "equity crisis," noting that special-education staff, librarians and CIS positions have been targeted while senior management avoided similar reductions.
Sharon, who identified herself as CEO of CIS in a recorded message, told trustees that 122 CIS staff members serve AISD students and asked the board to "protect what is working," urging preservation of CIS services at current campuses and at a minimum for Band 1 schools. "You have the data, and now you have the stories," she said.
Other speakers described concrete services CIS provides: late or activity buses that let students stay after school for tutoring and extracurriculars, food-pantry access, help with utilities and bus passes, and transition programming for students moving to a new school. Posh Porsche, a parent, described CIS transportation and transitional programming as "a lifeline" for her children.
Trustees and staff later acknowledged ongoing conversations with CIS leadership and said administration is meeting with CIS to identify campuses that can continue to receive support and to explore alternative funding to stretch available dollars. Katrina Montgomery, the district’s chief financial officer, said negotiations were under way and that the district expected to continue CIS services at dozens of schools, while acknowledging that final campus lists and funding details remain in flux.
Why this matters: CIS and similar campus-based partners provide noninstructional supports that district leaders and parents said are key to student attendance, mental health and ability to participate in extracurricular learning opportunities. Trustees asked staff to continue coordination with CIS leadership and to examine options that could sustain services for the most vulnerable campuses.
What’s next: The hearing did not include a final vote on CIS funding; the budget discussion continued into the regular board meeting agenda, where trustees expected to vote on budget items later in the evening or at a follow-up session.
