Additional mental health staff

• Partner with IU to provide staff.

  Consortium models pool funding for shared staff in districts with lower student enrollment and/or lower need.

  Contract with IU to pay hourly rate for staff without adding additional staff to base rate of district.

  Probably best suited for districts with staffing needs that aren't filled currently or for districts with staff who need short-term support.

• Partner with community agencies for supports.

  Either contracted with funding (this is done in some districts now, where district "buys" time with LSW, LPC, psychologists) or utilizes funding to pay for social workers for referrals and supports such as food/housing/MH referrals.

• Contract staff with telehealth supports or through staffing agencies for MH supports.

• Partner with neighboring districts/IU for telehealth "zoom rooms" where MH supports are rotated based on need or area (e.g. SEL skill development, conflict resolution, divorce group, etc.). Allows for specialists in neighboring districts to come together to support a variety of needs without having specialists in all areas for each district.

• Direct hire of mental health staff .

Staff Wellness

• Creation of wellness rooms or resources within districts and/or IUs. Provide mini lessons for educators on wellness to improve educator self-care and mental wellness.

• Implement Comprehensive School Employee Wellness Programsin partnership with EAP organization.

Staff and Student Wellness Universal Practices

• Use money to start up PBIS/trauma informed initiatives based on using the PCCD guidance around trauma informed plans to increase universal supports.

  More money needed up front for programming and staff support, but building the universal practices with fidelity should reduce tier 2/3 supports and funding needed down the road.

• Provide school wide evidence-based programs.

  There are start-up costs for training and coaching of staff over time. Staff require less coaching/support as these programs become integrated into system. This can allow LEAs to make sustainable change to social-emotional supports and mental health without adding mental health professionals who may be hard to find.

• Training on SEL-embedded practices, such as restorative practices/justice, youth courts, mindfulness, etc.

  This involves initial upfront costs, with decreased spending as systems are established and staff capacity increases.

Increase capacity of staff in schools

• Provide train-the-trainer models. This will require funding to do the trainings but won't need a sustained funding approach.

• Use funds for salary support for school staff who will be leading and/or implementing SEL programs.

• Stipends for staff to participate in PD outside of school hours with a focus on trauma informed, equity, MH, or SEL.

• Seek use of funds to consider offering mentoring stipends and/or facilitation of affinity groups to attract, recruit and retain educators of varying lived experiences. This will also create spaces to support staff wellness and equitable access for students to see educators of different backgrounds.

Afterhours programming

• Use of funding to provide tutoring or youth development following school hours. This would not necessarily involve additional staff hires, but stipends or hourly fees for staff who are already hired.

  Most of the time afterschool programs use teachers; however, MH staff may be tapped. Providing opportunities for targeted interventions after school provided by MH professionals around SEL, character ed, drug and alcohol prevention, and violence prevention, small groups can increase academics and decrease need throughout the academic day.