President Biden Releases FY23 Budget Request, Which Contains Historic Support for Integrated Student Supports

Communities In Schools, the nation’s largest provider of evidence-based integrated student supports (ISS), commends the Biden Administration for continuing to support equitable access to resources for our nation’s students. 

The prioritization of funding increases in the President’s budget request is a clear signal that the Administration understands that student success is built on both academic and non-academic supports. 

Integrated student supports, sometimes referred to as wrap-around services, are customized supports that meet the unique needs of students, whether it’s tutoring, access to basic needs, mental health supports, or college and career preparation. A growing body of research shows that integrated student supports have a significant, positive impact on student attendance, behavior, social well-being, and academic achievement. 

 “Our model of integrated student supports is not about doing the work for students. It’s about making sure all students have access to the community resources and tools they need to unlock their potential and thrive,” said Rey Saldaña, President and CEO of Communities In Schools.

Integrated student supports’ programs, such as Communities In Schools’ programs, are only able to strengthen, grow, and be sustainable when funding can be blended and braided with federal dollars. The President’s budget not only calls for Congress to pass increases to funding streams that support these services, but requests specific designations within funding streams for integrated student supports. 

Highlights from the Department of Education’s budget request are below:

• Full-Service Community Schools - $25 million of $468 million requested for Full-Service Community Schools would be used to help schools design and implement integrated student supports (ISS) focused on “addressing a range of student and family needs including meeting student social, emotional, mental health, physical health, and academic needs and providing resources and services to meet family needs, including through cross-agency efforts and partnerships with community-based organizations and other family support providers external to the school site”.
• School-Based Health Professionals – The budget proposes $1 billion for a new school-based health professionals’ program to double the number of school counselors, nurses, social workers and school psychologists in schools over the next decade.
• Fostering Diverse Schools – The budget proposes a Fostering Diverse Schools program which would address the effects of racial isolation and concentrated poverty through voluntary efforts to increase school racial and socioeconomic diversity in preschool through grade 12.
• Promise Neighborhoods – The budget proposal states that the proposed increase for the Promise Neighborhoods program “reflects the Administration’s priority on expanding community-school partnerships to better meet the comprehensive needs of underserved communities”.
• National Youth Employment Program – The budget proposes a new $75 million program that would provide competitive grants to operate summer and year-round youth employment programs through partnerships with employers in high-demand industries and occupations. The program would provide supportive services such as childcare and transportation.

Communities In Schools thanks the Biden Administration for highlighting the importance of integrated student supports to ensure every student, regardless of race, zip code, or history of marginalization has what they need to succeed in school and beyond.