Item 5: Draft Recommendation — original pdf

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RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Human Rights Commission Recommendation Number: [YYYYMMDD-XXX]: Continuation and Expansion of Funding for Communities In Schools of Central Texas to Protect Equal Opportunity, Student Stability, and Access to Essential Supports WHEREAS, the Human Rights Commission is charged with advising the City Council on matters involving discrimination, promoting equal opportunity, and recommending measures that help ensure Austin is a city where all persons and groups are protected, treated with dignity, and able to fully participate in civic, educational, economic, and community life; and WHEREAS, Communities In Schools of Central Texas provides school-based, prevention-oriented services that help students and families overcome barriers related to poverty, housing instability, behavioral health needs, food insecurity, family crisis, and other circumstances that can impede equal access to education and opportunity; and WHEREAS, these barriers disproportionately affect students from low-income households, students of color, emergent bilingual students, students receiving special education services, and students experiencing family or housing instability, making continued access to campus-based support a matter directly connected to equity and human rights; and WHEREAS, Communities In Schools of Central Texas embeds trained professionals directly in schools to provide integrated student supports, including case management, behavioral health support, basic needs assistance, family engagement, crisis intervention, and referrals to community resources; and WHEREAS, in Austin, Communities In Schools of Central Texas provides school-based supports across Austin-area campuses, including direct services to students and families through intensive case management, behavioral health support, basic needs assistance, home visits, family engagement, and coordinated referrals to community partners; and WHEREAS, Communities In Schools of Central Texas’ 2024–2025 outcomes show that 99.9% of case- managed students stayed in school, 98.7% graduated or were promoted to the next grade level, and 90.2% improved in one or more of their individual academic, attendance, or behavior need areas; and WHEREAS, the Harvard EdRedesign Lab and Opportunity Insights study, When Resources Meet Relationships: The Returns to Personalized Supports for Low-Income Students, found that access to the Communities In Schools model improves academic achievement, increases high school graduation and college enrollment, and improves long-term earnings for students from low-income families; and WHEREAS, current municipal budget pressures threaten the continuity of critical youth, family, and behavioral health services, and reductions to school-based supports would place additional strain on students and families already facing systemic barriers to stability and opportunity; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission affirms that continued City investment in Communities In Schools of Central Texas advances the City’s commitment to equal opportunity, non-discrimination, student well-being, and family stability across Austin communities. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission recommends that the Austin City Council prioritize and continue to dedicate funding in the amount $775,500 to Communities In Schools of Central Texas in the Fiscal Year 2026–2027 City Budget. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Human Rights Commission urges local municipal leaders to collaborate with regional school districts and philanthropic partners to establish sustainable, multi-year funding mechanisms that protect these campus-based interventions from annual budget volatility. Date of Approval: Motioned By: Seconded By: Vote: For: Against: Abstain: Off the dais: Absent: Attest: _____________________________________________