At the Senate Education Committee’s teacher panel in Canaan, school staff detailed how health, counseling and enrichment programs compensate for scarce local services. Nurse and program coordinator Mika Primo said severe limits in local mental‑health capacity require families to travel to Newport for many services, and she urged the committee to consider how funding and cross‑state arrangements could reduce that burden.

Primo described a partnership with Island Pond Health Center, a federally qualified health center that brings an annual dental outreach to the school and has about 30 students enrolled in the dental program. She said two full‑time counselors are funded through community‑schools grants and district CFP allocations, and that some services are supported by Medicaid, but that more intensive services require travel.

The district’s after‑school program serves roughly 74 students Monday through Thursday from 3:00–4:30pm and expanded this year using multiple grants, including center/program grants tied to Act 78 (referenced by staff). Summer programming lasts four weeks, includes reading and math interventions, and provides PT/OT and speech/ESY services. Teachers stressed the essential role these programs play in ensuring equity of opportunity in a remote setting.

Committee members noted the reliance on grant funding and encouraged the panel to document recurring costs and service gaps for staff drafting statewide policy.