The potential elimination of the Communities in Schools site coordinator positions took center stage at Tuesday's budget public hearing.

As noted in today's article, more than a dozen speakers urged the school board to find a way to fund those positions, which cost Wake $472,446. They told how the CIS program, through the help of the paid coordinators, is making a difference in the lives of at-risk students.

"With the elimination of the CIS coordinator, I honeslty believe these children will be left behind," Marla Turlington, incoming PTA president at Hunter Elementary School, told the board on Tuesday.