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District outlines mental-health continuum and school-counselor expansion; wellness centers and grant needs discussed
Summary
Health-and-wellness staff told trustees the district is moving from contracted clinical trainees to a school-counselor model, piloting SEL curriculum and exploring wellness centers; staff said sustainability and grant funding will be required for campus-level wellness centers.
District health-and-wellness staff presented an update Jan. 30 on the district's mental-health continuum, describing a transition from externally contracted clinical trainees to an expanded school-counseling model and pilot of social-emotional learning curricula.
Director Karen Jimbo (presenter) and coordinator Brian White said the district is piloting two SEL programs: Second Step (pilot 1 through Feb. 14) and Character Strong (pilot 2 after midwinter break). They scheduled public viewings of lesson components March 13 and March 20 and said parents and staff can request additional meetings.
The presentation described a multi-tiered continuum of support (universal SEL instruction, selected interventions, and intensive clinical services) and said counselors have increased student-facing time and reduced administrative tasks under the school-counselor model. The district is running "calming spaces" at several campuses as entry-level wellness supports and maintains a wellness center at Castro Elementary through a county partnership; Jimbo said grant-funded behavioral-health positions (PEI and SLS funding) support several campuses.
Jimbo told trustees the district must plan now for the Castro wellness center's long-term sustainability: local grant funds and regional grant cycles likely will not cover the full cost beyond the current funding window. She said a middle-school wellness center could cost several hundred thousand dollars to build and that the district will pursue grants but would likely need local funding to close the gap.
Trustees and members of the public asked whether translations and targeted outreach are being used for Spanish-speaking families, and Jimbo said Spanish-language forums and counselor outreach were part of the plan. Several public commenters and trustees also urged more counselor coverage at middle schools, noting a drop in clinical-level coverage compared with prior years. District staff said they are collecting utilization data and plan a gap analysis for middle-school services to present in future updates.
There was no board action on the item; trustees asked staff to return with additional data on middle-school usage, staffing comparisons and long-term funding options for wellness centers.
