MONTAGUE — After observing the positive impact an alcohol and drug counselor has had across their communities, Gill-Montague Regional School District and Franklin County Technical School are seeking funding for an additional shared counselor.
Gill-Montague Pupil Services Director Diane Ellis and Franklin Tech Director of Pupil Services, Special Education and Guidance Nathan May pitched their request to the Selectboard this week. If funded, the directors said, each school could better serve a combined population of more than 1,050 students.
Contingent upon approval from Annual Town Meeting voters in May, the board approved a request of $86,400 in Cannabis Impact Fee funding per district, a sum encompassing hourly rate, insurance benefits and the cost of doing business with a contracted employee, plus an additional $500 to fund curriculum supplies.
“This particular specialty will bring 1,000 students the opportunity to have one provider closer to a 500 or 450 ratio,” Ellis said, “which is much more manageable.”
This proposal, Ellis argued, is necessitated by its timeliness, given that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread harm to students’ mental health.
“Those of you who may have a loved one or a family member who has tried to access mental health services over the past year, it’s been incredibly hard to do,” she said.
“Much like Diane, we’ve really seen some struggles in accessing mental health (resources) in general through COVID,” May added, speaking to Franklin Tech’s situation.
Ellis said the districts’ existing alcohol and drug counselor has provided “increased access to assessment and treatment for students identified with substance use as a barrier to positive school engagement,” as well as “increased support for families navigating behavioral health services at a time when access to these services has been significantly strained.” At least 10 students per district have received ongoing weekly services and more than a dozen have received referrals for additional community-based services.
“It’s been quite effective both in immediate direct contact with students and … the opportunity to refer families (to services),” May added.
Ellis highlighted that the counselor’s role has been limited by having to spend part-time hours — typically two to 2.5 days per week — at each school. This, she said, has resulted in the level of need eclipsing the number of students served.
Goals for the next school year, provided a second counselor is funded, include improved collaborative services between districts, such as after-school programs. May also noted hopes of increased direct counseling capacity, decreased office referrals for drug and alcohol use, increased family support, and implementation of a group health education component.
The total cost — which would amount to more than $170,000 — is financially feasible when considering Montague’s Cannabis Impact Fee funding, according to Town Administrator Steve Ellis.
“We have presently in our past historical coffers $170,000 in receipts and we had an additional $390,000 come in with the end of calendar year ’21, so this certainly is well within our ability to afford,” he said.
Selectboard Chair Rich Kuklewicz suggested that surrounding towns with significant student populations attending Franklin County Technical School could pitch in funding in future years.
“We could maybe even build stronger programs that bridge together even closer,” he proposed.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.