The board of directors of the Cornville-based nonprofit Low- Income Student Aid voted on Feb. 3 to expand to all schools within the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District and into the Clarkdale-Jerome School District.
“At Clarkdale-Jerome School, we understand that it is our responsibility to support the whole child so they can be successful in the classroom,” Superintendent Matt Schumacher, Ph.D., said. “Partnering with LISA will help us to expeditiously address student and family needs so that children arrive ready and motivated to learn. With the budgetary constraints facing public schools in Arizona, including the limited scope of expenditures, LISA will provide a valuable partnership to support our learning community beyond our general budget capacity.”
LISA previously operated at Cottonwood Community School, Dr. Daniel Bright School, Oak Creek School and both campuses within the Sedona-Oak Creek School District.
“I have seen firsthand the profound impact that LISA has had on the families in our schools. It has truly been a game-changer for our schools, our families, and our community,” COCSD Superintendent Jessica Vocca said. “I am deeply grateful to the LISA organization and its leadership for their unwavering commitment to giving back in a way that directly supports and uplifts our families. As the saying goes, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ and I am beyond thankful to be part of such a compassionate and supportive village. I am also beyond excited that this incredible program will be expanding to all of our district schools for the 2025-26 school year, and I can’t wait to see the continued positive impact it will have on even more families in our community.”
Cofounder Eric Wyles said the expansion will help LISA streamline its marketing by stating they serve four full school districts instead of listing individual schools. Wyles previously estimated the organization’s annual cost per campus as being between $20,000 and $25,000.
“It becomes confusing if we say we’re supporting this school from this district, but not that school from that district,” Wyles said. “We’re trying to untangle the web and make it a simple marketing plan.”
The expansion is expected to be completed by July 1 and LISA has been active at Sedona Red Rock High School since Jan. 1. Wyles said that LISA has already provided one SRRHS student with athletic shoes for school sports.
During the last quarter of 2024, LISA fulfilled more than 80 aid requests, providing 200 pumpkins and 280 ride wristbands valued at $20 apiece for the West Sedona Wildcat Carnival and paying for a National Honors Society acceptance fee, gymnastics classes, school supplies and more.
“Our partnership with LISA has been essential … there have been times throughout this year where a family was in temporary need of financial assistance, whether it be for the reduced cost of preschool or where it was challenging for the families to afford the cost of [an] extracurricular activity. That’s when the families are connected with LISA,” Superintendent Tom Swaninger, Ph.D., said. “It’s important to note that in LISA’s mission, they view [financial aid] as a temporary measure to assist students in critical times of need. It is not meant to be a permanent solution.”
SRRHS has a campus aid committee composed of Jennifer Constantineau, Lara Cordova and Marilyn Largen with Principal Heather Isom serving as an advisor.
During a Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board meeting on July 9, when the board unanimously approved reinstating preschool tuition at $450 per month, or $250 per month for low-income students, Wyles stated that LISA planned to apply for a grant from Arizona Complete Health to assist the low-income families.
“We are overjoyed to announce on Aug. 20, LISA was notified we had been successfully awarded $8,000 from an outcomes-based grant fund,” Wyles said. “Since receiving this generous grant, LISA has provided the West Sedona School $3,500 in preschool tuition dollars. These funds are paid monthly as the West Sedona School invoices LISA. Parents can apply for this assistance online at azlisa.org to help with the preschool tuition costs … and we look forward to serving more students through the end of this school year.”
“We are grateful as a corporation, as LISA, for the continued support of the community,” Wyles said. “We’re grateful for the grants that we are successful with, and we’re just grateful for supporting student success through community compassion.”
For more information about LISA, visit azlisa.org.
