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?
David Rullo: I still find it amazing the progress that has been made around metal health awareness in the past twenty years. The breaking down of stigmas and the attention directed to mental health issues in their various forms is truly an amazing achievement. During my time as a police officer I was fortunate enough to be a New Jersey Crisis Intervention team member where I received in-depth training and hands on experience with individuals in crisis. For the longest time, the first time someone would have their mental health issues seriously addressed was in these moments of crisis where it was a gamble on whether the outcome was going to be positive or not. Now, with increased awareness, people are seeking help and actually receiving it early. This means that treatment and therapy can be provided, leading to less volatile and more manageable moments of crisis should they occur.
And for these reasons, I think that the ESS program is a great thing and will be incredibly beneficial to not just students, but teachers, administrators, parents, and other caregivers. I was fortunate to have been able to hear the entire presentation done by ESS at the most recent BoE meetings. They have checked all the right boxes and clearly care about good outcomes. However, from the perspective of government, I have concerns. And these concerns are primarily focused around the cost. While I’m sure these groups have been well vetted, I worry that programs like this can undermine their effectiveness with a glut of administrative costs and rent-seeking behavior. I would like to have ongoing assurances that the “boots on the ground” people doing the day-to-day interactions with students are being well compensated and given the level of autonomy owed to people with their qualifications. Yes, administering a program of this size is complicated and expensive, but they should be accountable for every cent of taxpayer money. And if I smell a hint of bloated undefined administrative costs, I will bring it to everyone’s attention.
I will be very glad to see this program go into effect and I will be voting yes. But, like Full Day K, had it been funded through the budget and the countless other important school programs had to absorb the costs, my calculus would be entirely different.
