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City Year Prepares For New Term Serving Thousands Of San Antonio Students

Courtesy City Year

Almost 90 City Year AmeriCorps members will start a new round of service Monday in elementary, middle and high schools across San Antonio.  

City Year has been active in San Antonio for over 20 years and has served at least 9,000 students, but the program may soon be at risk. The Trump administration's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year plans to defund AmeriCorps and other social services under the Corporation for National & Community Services

Although funding is secure for the 2017-2018 term, potential cuts to City Year – which places service-minded individuals in high-poverty areas across the country to help support students and raise graduation rates in schools – could affected 3,000 members in 28 cities and more than 300 schools nationwide. 

"AmeriCorps makes it possible for our diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members to serve full-time alongside teachers, establishing relationships with students and providing evidence-based, integrated academic and social-emotional supports to help students and schools succeed," City Year CEO and co-founder Michael Brown said in a statement

The program tracks student attendance, behavior and performance in math and English courses as part of a methodology to combat high dropout rates as early as elementary school and encourage students to finish high school.

What is the impact of initiatives like City Year on public education? How has the local program impacted communities in San Antonio? 

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Jan Ross Piedad Sakian is TPR’s News Operations Producer. In this role, she develops strategy on collaborative and digital initiatives for the station. Since 2016, Jan Ross has served in a coordinating capacity for TPR’s state and national partners, including The Texas Newsroom.