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As Texas faces at least $ 600 million in the reduction of federal funds, a multi -mental health program, especially the multi -mental health program, is a risk of losing funds.
The school program focused on chronic absence, mental health and crisis services, with the response to the Uvalde school shooting, as well as social workers and counselors.
Texas schools rely heavily on the Federal Fund to support mental health programs. Data shows that there are two federal programs. I am in danger Cut off Strictly regulated According to Mental Health America of Greater Houston, it accounts for 86%of the school mental health funds for more than 2,500 campuses across the state.
In order to finance the covid-19 relief funds and the imminent expiration of the school district and advocacy, the legislative session pushed more money through a dedicated funding support for school mental health, but the lawmakers did not approve it.
At present, these funds are combined with school safety in the so -called school safety assistance of the state school funding formula, and the school district tends to prioritize the quota for school security.
Adrian Johnson, the training center at Hearne School District, said, “I don’t want to fall into the situation. Do you want to hire a police officer or hire a counselor?
Lack of progress in reducing funds and providing funds throughout the state for mental health The student’s mental health is Worsening. The special legislative session begins on July 21, but Greg Abbott did not specify school mental health to members of the National Assembly.
Funding crisis
UVALDE, made as a response to the Federation Community method that is safer than both parties It helps to fund Texas’s two subsidies programs. Texas Student Support Center and More powerful connection subsidies program. The former implements mental health training and support in 60 high districts, and the latter helps the case management tools to identify students with 98 public school districts and mental health personnel.
Nearly three years later, the safer community law has lost more than $ 1 billion in the country. The funds that will continue by 2027 are expected to dry by the end of this year.
This cut provides the following program: Texas knowsWe have evidence -based mental health resources in three central Texas schools in danger. The state has returned home to the school district due to the rate of influence of community, which has a high rate of growth in infectious diseases and population.
Reduction of the Safer Communities Act of the two parties is only one of the proposed changes in the federal fund for public education that affects how mental health is resolved in schools.
According to the analysis Learning Policy Research InstituteThe freezing of five other federal programs that support public schools is expected to cause about $ 600 million in withholding in Texas, which is more than 16.1% of the state K-12 funds. This fund has been used in after -school and summer programs that focus on mental health, as well as various services such as English education and literacy.
Medicaid and Chip are also faced with cuts of the federal expenditure bill passed earlier this month and both are provided. Millions of dollars Each year, you can hire and maintain mental health providers for school districts and local mental health authorities, provide preventive mental health checkups, and use professional services to support students with disabilities.
Separately, the Covid-19 fund is expected to expire or drop this year, and some small schools are forced to find an alternative way to dismiss employees or to maintain a counselor who are hired during the epidemic period.
Texas lawmakers missed the opportunity to provide funds for school mental health this year.
In the legislative session that ended in June, Texas members agreed to a powerful school funding bill that adds $ 8.5 billion to the state public school system. But most of them were assigned for teacher salaries. You can store about $ 250 million separately for school support and mental health support employees.
More than 70% of the school Reported Sustainable funds for school -based mental health employees and professional school counselors Greater Houston’s Mental Health.
“We hope that this will be interpreted in more dollars for mental health, but REBECCA FOWLER, a public policy and government manager of Gritter Houston’s Mental Health America, talked about the new school fund.
2023, 36 Texas Health and Well -being Organization Since the program did not reach enough students, I wrote a letter to the Texas state association, calling for the creation and funding of a separate “student mental health allocation”.
Only 13%of the school used school safety allows to support mental health. Greater Houston’s Mental Health Report.
House of Representatives 1257 John Bryant spokesman D-Dallas attempted to secure a dedicated mental health fund, but this year did not pass.
Kate MURPHY, the head of child protection policy at Texans Care for Children, said, “It is difficult to explore the dialogue of mental health and the future of adolescents due to the uncertainty of various funding streams.
Changing conversation
After the deadly school shooting in Uvalde and Santa FE, lawmakers have been forced to prioritize their mental health, and then have been weakened in the last few years. Mental health advisors pointed out criticism in the cultural wars that take place in the Parliament, and the lawmakers suggested that the school’s mental health programs diagnose children and strengthen their LGBTQ identity without their parents’ consent.
for example, Senate Act 400 Senator R-BRENHAM Lois Kolkhorst Senator needed a parent’s consent on the psychological or psychiatric examination, testing or treatment performed by the student. The bill sent eight Senators to the sponsor and showed a change in legislative dialogue over school mental health, but died in a less conservative Texas house.
“I don’t think there is a uniform understanding of the role of behavioral health in public schools. Who should I support it? When should I apply?” SETH WININICK, Director Texas Union for Healthy HeartSaid.
Hearnes Superintendent Johnson understands parental concerns, but the school says that it is the best place to solve the mental health problems of the Texas family who have no income or time to schedule mental health services. School mental health needs support until a better solution is proposed, he said.
“We have students sitting in the school system for 180 days a year, and we must use this by providing strong mental health foundations as well as powerful educational foundations.”
What does the future keep?
Without federal funding, the school district must be creative to solve the mental health of the wall.
Johnson said his school district focuses on partnerships with other school districts as well as local mental health authorities and health institutions. He said his earth could participate in the special education cooperatives with four other regions to share employees, reduce costs, and be modeled in other states.
“We have 700 children, 600 children in the neighborhood, and 150 people in other districts. We must learn how to work together to lower some costs of this budget cut.”
Johnson said he needed cooperation.
Some schools cannot expand their partnerships with the following programs. School communityWe cooperate directly with students to provide mental health support and solve chronic stones.
Chris Smith, the superintendent of Brownfield School District, said, “CIS currently provides services to two campuses in our earth, but if the earth has a major funding assignment that helps to provide a partner with CIS, the CIS will service all campuses on all campuses. We will expand to provide.
Rural and small schools also dismiss social workers and psychologists hired during the epidemic period and remove the program to maintain teachers through impressions.
Smith said, “This year, we will probably show a deficit of $ 2 million, we can use mental health services and we’ve been luckily to be able to maintain our partnerships, but it was a difficult time with the economy, and the school is struggling to meet the cost.
According to educational advocates, it was time for school mental health.
Johnson said, “I want to support the similar funds to the police, I want to support the funds similar to the police officer, but there must be a police officer on all campuses, but it costs money every year.
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