Communities In Schools (CIS) has announced investments totaling $19 million to expand its integrated student supports (ISS) model to 235 additional schools in the 2023-24 school year.

The investments include $13 million in first-round funding from a $165 million commitment Ballmer Group made in February to support the ISS model, which embeds locally based coordinators in schools to connect students with resources to help them learn, advance in grade level, and graduate. Awarded to CIS affiliates in 14 states, the funding is designed to catalyze public and private investment through a one-to-one match requirement over the first three years and commitments to sustain the work for the long term. The 2023-24 cohort of grant recipients is expected to reach 213 new schools.

CIS also announced an agreement with The Studio @ Blue Meridian to invest $6 million of a $10 million commitment to expand CIS to six new school districts across the country. Participating districts include Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin, Santa Ana Unified School District in California, Jackson Public Schools in Mississippi, Montgomery Public Schools in Alabama, Little Rock School District in Arkansas, and Newark Board of Education in New Jersey.

“Through the financial support of our generous donors and the leadership of school site coordinators, students can experience the profound difference a caring adult makes who will connect them to supplies, resources, and help them make the transition from summer to a successful new school year start,” said CIS national president and CEO Rey Saldaña. “By bringing community resources directly into schools through a trained local coordinator, we ensure students are connected to additional supports resulting in positive student outcomes like increased attendance, engagement, and on-time high school graduation.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/SDI Productions)