A community school isn’t just a building – it’s a promise. CES95’s $500,000 campaign brings wraparound support, family engagement, and proven literacy tools directly to our students, right here in Carbondale.
CES95 will raise $500,000 during the upcoming school year to protect hard-won progress, and continue a literary-centered transformation to a full-service community schools district already underway across all four schools.
A community school isn’t just a building – it’s a promise. CES95’s $500,000 campaign brings wraparound support, family engagement, and proven literacy tools directly to our students, right here in Carbondale.
CES95 will raise $500,000 during the upcoming school year to protect hard-won progress, and continue a literary-centered transformation to a full-service community schools district already underway across all four schools.
As a result of our early work, we were invited to the State of Illinois Full-Service Community Schools grant, funded by the Federal Government. We were awarded $5M over five years to complete our promising efforts. Unfortunately, after only two-years and $1.2M of grant support, all government funding was abruptly ended, leaving us just under halfway through our transition.
Early results and community support has been so promising that we are determined to continue this journey.
We need immediate bridge support of $500,000 to protect vital services while we secure our long-term sustainable funding model.
Progressing through four key focus areas, already underway. These efforts are shaping the future and driving success.
Protect coordinated efforts that help children read more strongly, think more critically, and succeed across all subject areas.
Help schools continue connecting students and families to the supports they need to be present, ready, and able to learn.
Sustain the staffing and partnership infrastructure that allows schools and community organizations to work as one system
Support a bridge strategy that keeps progress moving while CES95 completes a model designed to endure beyond grant uncertainty.
This work is already making a difference. Over the past two years, CES95 has built stronger school-community partnership infrastructure, deeper family engagement, and clearer district-wide alignment around literacy, critical thinking, and whole-child support.
The goal is not to create permanent dependence on emergency support. It is to protect momentum now while CES95 completes a local model designed to endure.
Carbondale has something many places do not: real progress, visible alignment, and a community-wide belief that schools can be the center of broader improvement in children’s lives.
The district is not asking donors to imagine whether this work could matter. It is asking supporters to help protect momentum that already exists.
Protect coordination, literacy supports, and partnership infrastructure through 2026–2027.
Diversify funding, deepen community ownership, formalize the school-partner model district-wide.
Institutionalize the full service community school model into core district practice and budget.
Carbondale Elementary School District #95
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