Schools in a handful of West Virginia counties are preparing for the welcome addition of new, state-funded and school-based support staff to connect students with outside resources. That comes with the expansion of the Communities In Schools (CIS) program from three to 11 counties for the coming 2019-20 school year.

Communities In Schools, a national nonprofit supporting at-risk students in K-12 schools, today released a list of money-saving tips for parents concerned about the rising cost of sending their children back to school. The tip list was created in connection with the Backpack Index which shows a significant increase in back-to-school costs for families with children attending elementary, middle and high school. The Index, a measure of household spending on school supplies and fees, is an annual collaboration of Huntington Bank and Communities In Schools.

Communities In Schools of Central Texas site coordinator Jordan Chaplik works in Zavala Elementary School in Austin, Texas, where she leads the Zavala 4th Grade Girls Empowerment Group. Jordan reflected on the need for and impact of groups like hers and asked her young ladies to talk about what they’re made of and what they think are the greatest challenges young women face today in celebration of International Women’s Day 2019.