Georgetown Partners in Education, a nonprofit that has been in the community since 1994, has joined with Georgetown ISD to amplify the community engagement department.

PIE had worked to strengthen district partnerships and community engagement programs by connecting parents, citizens, nonprofits and businesses with the district.

Amy Brown, who previously served as the nonprofit’s executive director, will now serve as the district’s community engagement specialist. She said the partnership will allow for even more involvement in the district from the community.

“I am thrilled to continue PIE’s legacy of connecting Georgetown’s community and schools while expanding the work to include greater collaboration with area partners, mentors and volunteers who share their time and talent,” Brown said.

The district’s strategic plan, implemented in 2014, called for creating a position that would determine each school’s needs and sort donations.

Brown said bringing the two organizations together will help ensure that each school is getting the most out of the resources being offered.

“It became clear that we needed to create almost a clearinghouse that took that sort of ongoing inventory,” she said. “I think the thing we are most focused on is having [resources] be equitable [among schools,]and it needs to be directly impacting children’s education.”

GISD spokesperson Suzanne Marchman said joining with PIE will benefit students, people who donate and the district.

“It made sense because of the workload that this is,” Marchman said. “Having [PIE] as a part of the department just made sense. It was a perfect fit.”