SALISBURY — The Communities In Schools affiliate here in Rowan County has inked its 25th consecutive annual agreement with the Rowan-Salisbury Schools Board of Education to provide services to students, according to Executive Director James Davis this week.

“Superintendent Dr. Kelly Withers and the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education have expressed their continuing support and appreciation for our organization and the employees and volunteers who deliver our services to their students by extending our contract,” said Davis, who is in his fourth year as the organization’s leader. “We sincerely appreciate their vote of confidence and will strive to exceed their expectations again this year for our students and their families.”

Communities In Schools services are specifically aimed at removing roadblocks to student achievement and providing a dedicated link between schools and the families they serve. The organization was created during the 1970s when founder William Milliken created what is now the nation’s leading community-based organization, helping students achieve in school and prepare for life. Today, Communities In Schools serves more than 1.26 million students and their families each year in more than 2,700 schools located in 28 states and the District of Columbia.

The Rowan County CIS affiliate was opened in 1992 under the leadership of Executive Director Vicky Slusser, who moved here from a CIS affiliate in Texas. Under Slusser’s careful guidance, the organization grew from serving just two schools to as many as nine, including six elementary schools, two middle schools and one (alternative) high school. This year, the program will provide services to over 3,200 students attending ten Rowan-Salisbury Schools.

CIS-Rowan serves as a conduit for additional grant-based funding for local school programs that directly serve students at the school level. The organization has an annual budget of over $540,000, which includes funding from grants as well as from local foundations, individual donors, the local public school district and various fundraising activities. CIS-Rowan employs ten full-time and three part-time employees, whose salaries and related employment costs make up the bulk of the organization’s budget. Each school served by CIS-Rowan has a full-time staff position or an equivalent number of part-time staff who work directly with teachers, students and their families to remove barriers to student achievement, increasing student performance and improving school graduation rates.