District expands Care Solace referrals and adds three elementary counselors to lower student‑to‑counselor ratios
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Summary
School counselors reported districtwide use of the Care Solace referral service since September, provided program data and said three new elementary counselor positions were created to reduce caseloads at high‑need buildings.
The district’s head school counselor, Lindsay Leonard, updated the board on the districtwide Care Solace contract and presented usage data and staffing changes intended to expand mental‑health access for students and families.
Leonard said Care Solace—contracted districtwide in August and used actively since October—supports families by searching for community providers, clarifying insurance acceptance, identifying virtual or in‑language options and helping overcome wait‑list and transportation barriers. “Care Solace helps families overcome barriers,” Leonard said, explaining that the service can do a warm handoff from school staff and make outreach on behalf of a family.
Program data and impact
- Referrals and contacts (data pulled in February): 38 referrals across the district; 6,587 total communications logged; 34 appointments scheduled; 16 anonymous searches by families using a district code.
- Time savings: Leonard said Care Solace’s activity equated to about 157 total staff hours saved, freeing counselors and social workers to spend more time on direct student services.
- Client profile: Referrals skewed older (about 34% adolescents), and a small share of cases reported no insurance (about 6%); common presenting issues included anxiety, depression, trauma, disruptive behavior and ADHD, Leonard said.
Staffing changes
Leonard told the board the district hired three additional elementary counselors using earlier staffing‑enhancement funds and described how the new positions were allocated to reduce counselor caseloads in high‑need buildings:
- New hire 1: split between Hamilton Heights and Ben Chambers (targeting 4th–5th grade) — combined caseload reduced to about 382 students per counselor across the two buildings (Ben Chambers had been about 585:1).
- New hire 2: split between Fayetteville and Scotland (targeting 4th–5th) — combined caseload reduced to about 312:1 (building ratios had been roughly 480:1 and 458:1).
- New hire 3: Marion will receive a full‑time counselor (bringing that counselor’s caseload from about 542:1 down to about 295:1) and the newly hired counselor will be shared four days at Andrew Buchanan and one day at South Hamilton so the combined ratio there falls to about 365:1.
Leonard said the hires bring some buildings closer to the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 1 counselor per 250 students and that the new staff will focus on grades with higher demonstrated needs and specialized programs (autistic support, emotional support and behavioral support).
Provenance: Lindsay Leonard presented the Care Solace update and staffing details during the meeting’s Care and Counseling item (timecode ~2443.28).