Question 4: This November’s election will include two questions that seek funding for initiatives that cannot be funded through the existing Board of Education budget. According to the Full Day K parents group, you will be voting in favor of Full Day K. What is your position on the Mental Health ballot question, and why?
Pamela J. Priscoe: There is no price tag that can be put on Mental Health and providing support for any child in need. I am in favor of the expansion of our district’s Mental Health programming and it is my belief that our District is lacking in mental health assistance from the Elementary levels up to the High School level. Partnering with ESS (Effective School Solutions) as the full-time mental health services provider should be a great addition to the District. With that said, my belief is that ESS should provide services in conjunction with our existing head-count and provide an overall savings to the District by reducing the out-of-district placements, thus keeping our children in town.
The past success of ESS is clearly evident, ranging from increased grades at the high school level, reduced absences and a reduction in disciplinary incidents. In other words, once a student enters ESS, the district leadership can be confident that the student will be able to stay and benefit from the wealth of opportunities that a public school system can provide. In conjunction with ESS, I do believe that changes to the curriculum including teaching skills/education, additional community involvement and parenting education should be further implemented.
The fact is, we have an existential mental health crisis in K-12 education nationwide. Partnering with ESS is the first step of many in solidifying a strong foundation for providing mental health services to our District.
