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Peoria Unified reports 30.8 FTE unmet mental‑health positions; district to provide periodic staffing updates
Summary
Superintendent's office reported 16 social‑worker openings and a combined 30.8336 FTE shortage across school psychologists, counselors and behavior interventionists; board requested continued updates and a possible study session on mental‑health staffing and vacancy management.
Peoria Unified Superintendent Doctor Summers updated the governing board on mental‑health professional staffing for the 2025–26 school year, reporting the district is understaffed across multiple titles and will provide periodic updates to the board.
Summers said 16 social‑worker vacancies remain after 16 social workers signed contracts (nine licensed social workers who are staying in the district and seven who are working toward licensure). He said six employees moved into alternate district roles this year (one school psychologist, three behavior interventionists and two school counselors) and nine mental‑health employees have notified the district they will not return.
Summers presented detailed FTE openings for other roles: 13.5 FTE behavior interventionist openings, 9.8 FTE school psychologist openings and 7.5336 FTE school counselor openings. He summed those figures to report a combined 30.8336 FTE shortage across the categories discussed.
Board members asked when they could expect regular updates and how the district manages vacancies at sites. Summers said the administration will provide periodic updates over the coming weeks and offered to bring a deeper briefing or study session that outlines site‑level vacancy management and contingency staffing plans before the school year begins.
Board members also discussed the timeline for replacement hires and the need to track how vacancies affect services at individual schools. Summers said the district had just hired a licensed social worker for Santa Fe Elementary and that Visions reports and internal lists are used to monitor openings, though some ESI‑contract employees may not appear in those reports.
The board requested a future study session focused on mental‑health and wellness staffing, vacancy management, and how the district covers student needs when staff are absent or positions remain open.
Ending: Summers said the counts are moving numbers and the district will provide updates in June and July; the board asked administration to schedule a follow‑up study session to review staffing and site management.
