Public board to call for therapists in all school buildings

Schools should all have mental health therapists available on site for students grappling with anxiety, depression and trauma, Edmonton public school trustees decided Tuesday.

The board unanimously supported a motion from trustee Shelagh Dunn to request the province set aside funding to tackle mental health problems in schools, and for government ministries to better work together to station more mental health workers in schools.

“I think for a really long time in our province, the idea of mental heath services, such as counselling or therapy, have been overlooked, and only families who can afford those services have been able to access them,” Dunn, who is also a psychologist, said at a Tuesday board meeting.

She pointed to Canadian Mental Health Association data showing 10 to 20 per cent of children and youth are diagnosed with mental illness, and only 20 per cent of those diagnosed receive treatment. Although six Edmonton public schools have mental health therapists working in the building, and that number should increase, Dunn said.

Travelling across town, paying upfront for therapy and stigma all stand in the way of families getting help, she said.

All trustees present Tuesday supported the motion, saying they frequently hear from parents and school staff how common mental health concerns are among students.

The public board’s first look at its 2018-19 finances came with some head scratching Tuesday.

For the first time, enrolment in public schools is expected to top 100,000 next fall.

Planners project 101,395 students next September, an increase of 2.5 per cent from September 2017.

Although more students will bring more government dollars, the district’s preliminary prediction is for a $1.16-billion budget next year, which is four per cent less than its current budget.

The district siphoned $61 million out of its surplus this year to meet its needs, and will likely use more surplus cash next year. That’s not a sustainable way to fund staff and programs, superintendent Darrel Robertson said.

A report to the board said the $75-million classroom improvement fund, which school boards received this year as part of the teachers’ collective agreement, would be ending in August, and the district would have to do without the extra $10.6 million.

However, Education Minister David Eggen told a government committee last week the classroom improvement funding will continue.

His press secretary said Tuesday the $75 million remains in the education budget, but couldn’t provide any information about whether government will apply restrictions to how boards spend it.

The news was a relief to public board chairwoman Michelle Draper.

“You introduce something like that, and if you don’t continue to support it, that’s hard on a district,” she said.

With the United Conservative Party proposing to balance the provincial budget by 2022 if elected, trustee Michael Janz said school boards could face substantial cuts. He asked how the district would manage a five-per-cent funding cut without driving up class sizes.

Robertson said school districts across Alberta should work more closely to reduce costs by sharing services, such as human resources and payroll systems, and information technology support.

“The last place we’re looking for savings is on the backs of children,” Robertson said.