FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2024
LEWISVILLE, TX — Communities In Schools of North Texas (CISNT) announces it will join the second cohort of grantees to receive funding as part of the Communities In Schools® (CIS®) national Scaling for Success initiative. CISNT will receive $269,043 to expand its reach to 59 schools across Denton, Cooke, and Wise Counties for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.
This investment enables Communities In Schools in partnership with school districts and local schools to provide critical coordinated resources to students through a trained professional who can help connect them to supports and services needed to succeed in school.
With this new funding CISNT will bring programming to two new campuses in Northwest Independent School District, J. Lyndal Hughes and O.A. Peterson Elementary Schools. CISNT Chief Executive Officer, Tasha Moore reflects that, “CIS understands the importance of being present and all in for students. When students start the school year strong, with resources, support, and a caring adult, they are more likely to regularly attend school, be fully engaged in learning, and graduate.”
Across Northwest ISD, 27% of students are considered economically disadvantaged and 35% of students are identified as at risk of dropping out of school, based on criteria determined by the Texas Education Agency. The needs at CISNT partner campuses in Northwest ISD are even greater, with 40% of students considered economically disadvantaged and 43% of students as at risk of dropping out. With support from the Scaling for Success, Cohort 2 initiative, CISNT will support an additional 200 students through case management programs and will reach over 6,000 Northwest ISD students through school-wide supports.
CIS has a bold ambition to grow into every Title I-eligible school in America and to build a stronger system that better supports the 12 million students living in poverty. The Scaling for Success initiative, funded by Ballmer Group, is designed to catalyze public and private investment in the model through a 1:1 public match requirement over the first three years and commitments to fully fund the work long-term. Communities In Schools of North Texas is one of 56 organizations in this year’s cohort. For more information please contact info@cisnt.org.
Communities In Schools of North Texas
Communities In Schools of North Texas is an evidence-based nonprofit that works with students identified as at risk of dropping of school out by surrounding them with a community of support to ensure they stay in school and achieve in life. CISNT breaks down the barriers that keep kids from being successful in school, connecting students with caring adults and community resources to create a personalized system of support for each child. In North Texas, one out of two children is at risk of dropping out of school. CISNT addresses the academic, behavioral, social, and emotional needs of each student providing wraparound support that will make a generational impact on our community. Working directly in 59 schools across Denton, Cooke, and Wise Counties, CISNT served over 5,600 students in the 2023-2024 school year. Follow us for exciting news and updates @cisnorthtexas or cisnt.org.
Communities In Schools
Communities In Schools® (CIS®) is a national organization that ensures every student, regardless of who they are, their ability, zip code or socioeconomic background, has what they need to realize their potential in school and beyond. Working directly inside more than 3,000 schools across the country, we connect students to caring adults and community resources that help them see, confront, and overcome the barriers that stand between them and a brighter future. Together, we build a powerful change movement made up of peers, students, and alumni committed to building an equitable path to education for future generations.
About Ballmer Group
Ballmer Group is committed to improving economic mobility for children and families in the United States, funding leaders and organizations that have demonstrated the ability to reshape opportunity and reduce systemic inequities. We focus on multiple impact areas and systems that can impact economic mobility – such as early learning, K-12 education, college and career pathways, housing, behavioral health, and criminal justice – and we support leaders and organizations that focus on undoing systemic racism and the barriers it has created. Ballmer Group is both a national and regional funder – we have a presence and invest deeply in southeast Michigan, Washington State, and Los Angeles County. Ballmer Group was co-founded by philanthropist Connie Ballmer and her husband Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, founder of USAFacts, and chairman of the Los Angeles Clippers. Learn more at www.ballmergroup.org.
