Communities In Schools Applauds President Obama's 2012 Budget

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Communities In Schools, the nation's leading organization dedicated to empowering students to stay in school and achieve in life, applauds President Obama's 2012 Budget for its continued investment in better education for all of America's children while still living within our means.

The President's budget recognizes that tough economic times mean we all have to do more with less.  Communities In Schools exemplifies that approach.  Working in 3,400 schools nationwide with 1.3 million students and their families, Communities In Schools is able to achieve impressive results by effectively leveraging dollars and volunteer time.  In 2010, Communities In Schools matched a modest $3.5 million investment by the U.S. Department of Education with more than $240 million in state, local and private funds, and another $49 million in volunteer time.  We encourage the Administration to continue to invest in high-leverage, high-impact solutions like Communities In Schools.

Finally, we applaud the President for continuing to fund the AmeriCorps program, and ask him to lead the effort to protect this vital program from elimination.  Communities In Schools relies on more than 900 AmeriCorps members who work in partnership with our site coordinators, serving as mentors and tutors.  AmeriCorps provides both a powerful tool to serve our students, and a wonderful opportunity for our alumni to give back to their communities.  

Communities In Schools surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Through a school-based coordinator, Communities In Schools connects students and their families to critical community resources, tailored to local needs. Working in more than 3,400 schools, in the most challenged communities, in 25 states, and the District of Columbia, Communities In Schools serves nearly 1.3 million young people and their families every year. It has become the nation's leading dropout prevention organization, and the only one proven to increase graduation rates.

Visit our website at www.communitiesinschools.org.

SOURCE Communities In Schools