(Randolph) Several local school districts recently received a mental health services grant from the state Department of Education. The school districts of Cambria-Friesland, Pardeeville Area, Randolph, and Rio – which comprise the Wisconsin Well Be’s Consortium – is getting $5.5-million-dollars over the course of five years.
The funds will be used to recruit, train, and retain highly-qualified school-based mental health professionals in rural schools, as well as create secondary education and human service programs in district high schools to encourage students to pursue school-based mental health careers.
Read the full press release about the Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration Grant:
The Wisconsin Well Be’s Consortium comprising Cambria-Friesland, Pardeeville Area, Randolph, and Rio Community school districts is proud to announce the award of the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant from the Department of Education. The grant award totals 5.5 million dollars over the course of five years. The funds will be used to recruit, train, and retain highly-qualified school-based mental health professionals in rural schools, as well as create secondary education and human service programs in district high schools to encourage students to pursue school-based mental health careers while reducing barriers.
The Wisconsin Well Be’s Consortium will partner with graduate programs at Mount Mary University, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, and Winona State University. The proposal was written by Brittany Cashman, Rio Middle/High School Principal, who will serve as the grant manager. Administrators, school leaders and staff from consortium districts will play a significant role in implementing and evaluating grant activities.
The consortium will use an innovative two pronged approach to address the shortage of highly-qualified school-based mental health professionals. To address the immediate need of obtaining the necessary number of school-based mental health professionals to keep pace with significant student mental health needs, the consortium will work with Mount Mary University, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, and Winona State University to employ forty graduate student interns from counseling programs over the course of five years, eight interns per year.
These counselor interns will receive on the job training through a university supervisor and school-based supervisor who will provide mentorship, coaching, training and professional development, along with ensuring graduate coursework and degree requirements are met through work experiences. Certified staff members and interns will work together to provide a multi-tier system of support to students and help implement each district’s comprehensive mental health plan.
Fostering early interest and investment in careers in education and human service with secondary students is the second prong to the approach. Each school district will be responsible for developing, maintaining, and evaluating an Education and Human Service Department that assigns an advisor who is responsible for promoting careers in education and human services and increasing the number of diverse students interested in careers in education through field experiences, mentorship, and guidance in conjunction with universities.
Consortium advisors will also work with colleges to develop dual credit programs within each district that allow for debt reduction for postsecondary education and human service coursework provided to students while in high school. Program goals include increasing the number of diverse school-based mental health professionals in high-need schools, lowering the number of students in consortium districts who identify that their mental health negatively impacts their learning, and increasing the number of secondary students from diverse backgrounds who go on to pursue school-based mental health careers. When the consortium has sufficient staffing compared to student needs, the efficacy of each district’s school-based mental health plan will increase, reducing the number of students in need of severe mental health support.
