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Task force discusses Project AWARE, GRIT framework and BAR pilot costs for K‑12 mental health
Summary
The task force reviewed Project AWARE (estimated $12.2M annual cost), the Department of Education’s GRIT framework, and debate over BAR program costs and phased implementation; members favored piloting before large‑scale appropriations.
Members reviewed K‑12 mental‑health initiatives, budget estimates and how programs would fit together.
Dustin (Project AWARE lead) told the committee the statewide Project AWARE model would cost approximately $12,200,000 annually to implement, and reported preliminary data showing the program served roughly 1,505 students since February 2021. Wanda Maloney, Chief Policy Officer for the Wyoming Department of Education, described the GRIT framework (Gaining Resiliency, Intervention, Training) and said the department envisions Project AWARE statewide, supplemented by BAR and CareSolace where appropriate.
Committee members probed BAR's price tag; one member summarized the model with a per‑school example — "$80,000 a year per school for three years" — and a referenced $60,000,000 one‑time ask to scale BAR statewide. Task force members and the Department of Education said a phased approach — piloting BAR in a small number of districts (three districts/six schools were cited) and collecting local recalibration data — would help determine broader funding decisions. Members discussed possible ARPA remainders or one‑time funding to seed pilots while using recalibration and evaluation to decide on longer‑term investments.
The task force asked for implementation details and cost breakdowns for next meetings so appropriators can weigh pilot versus full‑scale asks.
