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Board renews SAGE therapist contract but approves fewer therapists amid enrollment decline
Summary
The board approved a renewal of the district's contract with SAGE, subsidized with supplemental LCAP dollars, while approving a reduction from eight to six SAGE therapists for 2025–26 because of declining enrollment; the motion passed 4–1.
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified Board of Education voted May 28 to renew the district's contract with SAGE, the outside therapy provider that supplies master-level therapists to school sites, while approving a reduction in staff from eight therapists to six for 2025–26.
SAGE executive Kathy Coley described how the program has supported students since 2017, offering drop-in and scheduled therapy, parent webinars and grade-specific lesson revisions. Staff said SAGE is funded from the district's supplemental budget and that the proposed contract reflects declining student enrollment (Peninsula High projected to decline from over 2,000 to about 1,860) and corresponding adjustments in service levels.
Board members pressed for context on counselor-to-student ratios, utilization and escalation pathways. SAGE reported an average of seven sessions per referred student and said it tracks referrals, session counts and whether cases are escalated to outside providers. One board member asked staff to ensure response times remain reasonable; another asked that quarterly reports include timeliness metrics.
During the vote, trustees discussed cost versus coverage, with one trustee voting no. The motion to renew the contract passed 4–1. Staff said they will continue to monitor demand and adjust services as needed, and will include SAGE metrics in end-of-year reporting to the board.
Contract-cost figures and exact per-session rates were discussed in Q&A and are to be included in follow-up materials the district will provide to the board.
