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Santa Barbara Unified details mental-health expansion: clinicians at schools, Panorama data and billing steps for Medi-Cal
Summary
District staff described RISE mental-health clinicians at most elementary and middle schools, shared referral and service counts (725 referrals last year; ~74% served with on-campus short-term therapy) and outlined steps taken since 2024 to secure CYBHI/Medi-Cal billing; reimbursement timing remains uncertain.
Santa Barbara Unified on Jan. 27 presented a multi-layered mental-health and wellness plan that pairs universal social-emotional learning with school-based clinical services and community partnerships.
District staff described a trusted-adult framework and SEL curricula by grade band, and highlighted the RISE clinicians pilot (a mental-health clinician at every elementary and middle school and at least one high school). The presentation reported last school year's figures: 725 referrals, 537 students served with short-term therapy on campus and 238 referred to community partners (a served rate reported as roughly 74 percent). For the current school year (Aug'Dec) staff reported 374 referrals, 272 students served in short-term therapy and 101 referred to community partners (about a 73 percent served rate).
The district said it is part of the CYBHI implementation cohort and has built internal billing infrastructure: clinicians obtained Medi-Cal approval, the district secured a capacity-building grant (awarded Oct. 2024) and contracted a billing group at a reduced fee. Staff said they have submitted initial billing and will seek to back-bill to January if state guidance and fee schedules permit, but cautioned that the state reimbursement schedule was not finalized until October 2025 and that timelines remain a moving target.
Trustees asked how Panorama survey results tie to services. Staff said Panorama provides district-level percentiles and subgroup disaggregation; district teams use Panorama plus referral data to identify trends, select two-to-three metrics per site to address and measure progress over time. Staff noted they can connect Panorama data to the student information system (Aeries) to track students longitudinally and run subgroup queries to guide targeted interventions.
The district framed the approach as both proactive (SEL curricula and wellness centers) and responsive (clinicians and community referrals) with an aim to scale services sustainably through a combination of internal capacity and external reimbursement.
Next steps: staff will continue billing submissions as state guidance permits, report back on reimbursement outcomes, and post implementation data to show program impact and service sustainability.
