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Superintendent warns of $2 million state funding drop as district pilots attendance and mental-health tools
Summary
Mercer County officials said enrollment declines — 325 students lost since last year — will reduce state funding by about $2 million next year. The board heard proposals to pilot an attendance/communication platform and to expand CTE and mental-health services, including a 24/7 Reach Out chat that the district says has handled more than 1,500 conversations this year.
Mercer County Schools officials told the Board of Education on March 9 that declining student enrollment is set to cut state revenue and is prompting pilots of new attendance and student-support tools.
District leaders said enrollment fell by 325 students from last year to this year and by roughly 600 students over several years. "We lost 325 from last year to this year. So, our funding will be reduced by approximately $2 million from this year to next year," a district official told the board during the data update.
Administrators proposed piloting an attendance and student-data communication platform (described in the meeting as Intellispark) at MCTech and Bluefield High School to track chronic absence, automate flags and improve communication among teachers, counselors and home schools. District staff described the tool as a communications and early-warning platform that can send alerts when a student misses consecutive days and allow staff to coordinate interventions.
The board also heard from staff about an exploratory collaboration with Jason Learning to make CTE curriculum available more broadly and a possible revenue-sharing arrangement for MCTech if the pilot moves forward.
Student support and mental-health services were a separate emphasis. Administrators briefed the board on a 24/7 Reach Out chat and hotline available on student devices and district computers. The presenter told the board the district pays about $22,000 annually for the service and reported high usage: month-to-month spikes and a cumulative figure of over 1,500 conversations this year, including 26 chats flagged as "suicide concerns." The district described response protocols that route serious alerts to school counselors and, when appropriate, to child protective services or emergency responders.
Why it matters: The enrollment-driven fiscal pressure will constrain next year’s budget and could shape staffing and program choices. Pilots for attendance-tracking and mental-health supports are framed as operational responses to chronic-absence and student-wellness trends.
Next steps: The board authorized pilots and directed administrators to return with procurement and implementation details for possible countywide rollout. Staff said they will track pilot outcomes against attendance, discipline and graduation metrics before recommending wider adoption.
