Student services official: 81 students experiencing homelessness; district asks board for more counseling funding

Miss Keane, the student services presenter for Cheltenham School District, told the Educational Affairs Committee that the district is supporting 81 students experiencing homelessness and 18 students in foster care this school year and asked the board for additional funding to expand counseling and in‑building supports.

The presentation laid out the office’s mission and a menu of services — social workers, mental health and wellness counselors, Lakeside counselors, a student assistance program (SAP), outpatient child-and-family clinic support, EPIC counseling, a drug-and-alcohol counselor at Cheltenham High School, and multiple mentoring programs — and noted extensive community donations of gift cards and supplies that helped about 75 families. "We have 81 students that are experiencing homelessness," Miss Keane said, and later, when asked what she needed to expand services, she replied bluntly: "I just need money."

Why it matters: the update combined program-level detail with data about need and a warning about provider disruption. Miss Keane said Aldersgate, a long-term SAP partner, will close at the end of the school year; the county-funded SAP will continue, but the district will need to contract with another agency for services beyond the SAP hours and for privately paid follow-up counseling.

Miss Keane summarized key protections and limits of federal law and recent state policy changes. She described McKinney‑Vento rights (immediate enrollment, transportation, automatic eligibility for free and reduced-price meals) and said the district’s homeless liaison coordinates identification and services. She also briefed the board on a new Act 47 provision requiring residency verification twice a year for charter-enrolled students and noting that cyber-charter schools cannot enroll students who become truant (six or more unexcused absences). "I can't waive the absences," Miss Keane said; she added that only a district court magistrate can reverse that determination and that the district expects a court case on the question.

On interventions and data: Miss Keane reviewed MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) implementation and cautioned that the counts she presented come from Lincoln and do not yet reflect full fidelity across buildings. She gave tier‑1 checklist totals at elementary schools (Sheldon Veil 209, Glenside 196, Winco 174, Myers 91) and intervention-plan entries by school (Winco 175, Myers 135, Shelton Hill Elementary 117, Glenside 101; secondary entries were much lower in the Lincoln system). Board members pressed for percentage context relative to school enrollments and for clearer explanation of secondary data capture; one member said the raw counts risk misinterpretation if presented without context.

Programs and partnerships: Miss Keane described mentor groups — including Make the Distinction, Girl Circle (facilitated by Najah Lewis at Cheltenham High School and described as an evidence-based curriculum), and Families and Community on the Move (facilitated by Chris Pender) — and said partners such as Champions for Cheltenham, Calvary Presbyterian, Glenside Rotary Club and other community groups have provided funds, supplies and gifts. She noted trauma-informed training funded by a PCCD grant and described coaching and fidelity work tied to the Second Step SEL curriculum (K–8).

Questions from board members and attendees highlighted: (1) need for better data presentation and percentage context for MTSS counts, especially at the secondary level; (2) plans to replace Aldersgate services and how to pay for extended counseling beyond SAP hours; (3) adding a boys’ mentoring group and expanding gender‑inclusive programming; and (4) how parents should raise concerns about whether a student needs tier‑2 or tier‑3 supports (Miss Keane recommended starting with the school counselor).

The meeting also covered counselor staffing ratios: Miss Keane reported elementary ratios of roughly 1:350–400 and a high‑school ratio near 1:280; board members referenced the National Association of School Counselors recommendation (~1:250) for comparison. She said the district has been adjusting counselor assignments as part of reconfiguration to stay closer to recommended ratios.

What happens next: Miss Keane said the district will need to identify replacement providers for Aldersgate services, continue fidelity training and data work in Lincoln, and return with clearer, percentage‑based reporting for MTSS so the board can track implementation and staffing needs. The committee approved the minutes from the previous meeting by voice vote and later adjourned.

The Educational Affairs Committee did not take formal votes on policy or budget allocations during this session; board members signaled interest in returning with specific funding requests tied to clearer data about unmet needs.