Bill Tracker: SB 127 – Communities in Schools

About five years ago, my office was located in the same building as the local chapter of Communities in Schools (CIS). The staff at CIS would have lunch with us and recruit us for various events. I took several field trips and made some school visits, and I found that kids today are as bright, sassy, and nervous as when I went to school. These kids, however, needed a little bit more help to keep them on the road to graduation due to other distractions going on in their lives.

CIS works. CIS fills the cracks so that students don’t fall through. CIS is the largest dropout prevention program in this state.

“The Communities In Schools program has helped to keep thousands of students in school and to graduate,” says Debbie Ratcliffe, Director of Communications for the Texas Education Agency. “We know it’s a program that is making a difference in the lives of thousands of students across the state.”

Now we have a chance in the legislature to make CIS a funded program, statewide. SB 127 and HB 1609, sponsored by Senator Shapleigh and Representative Crownover, respectively, would require the commissioner of education to withhold at least $30 million for CIS.

The bill has 17 co-authors in the Senate and 5 authors and 22 co-authors in the House. Let’s get this one passed.