CTECH

Originally published on February 21, 2023

Rochester Public Schools (RPS) was awarded $1.9 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education to fund the School Based Mental Health (SBMH) Scholars program. This program is a collaborative effort between RPS and Winona State University (WSU) aimed at addressing student mental health needs and the lack of qualified providers in our community to meet those needs.
 
“We’re aware of, and now have data to prove, that the pandemic and the aftereffects have greatly impacted the mental health of our students, and for most, it’s unfortunately impacted them negatively,” said Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel. “This program will help us solidify the steps we are taking in our strategic plan to not only address the mental health needs of our students, but also increase the diversity of staff within Rochester Public Schools.”

Data from the Minnesota Student Survey administered in May 2022 showed that 32% of RPS 11th graders have seriously considered suicide and 11.2% have actually attempted suicide. This is higher than the state average with 26.4% of students seriously considering suicide and 8.8% actually attempting suicide. This is up from 2019, when 26.7% of RPS 11th graders reported seriously considering suicide and 9.4% of RPS 11th graders reporting a suicide attempt.

The SBMH program will expand the number of eligible SBMH providers in the local area, with a specific focus on eligible participants from diverse backgrounds or experiences, while increasing the number of state credentialed mental health school staff to provide access to more students with demonstrated need. Individuals with a bachelor's degree in a non-social work field can respecialize into a field that provides mental health services to students.

The funding, distributed over a five-year period through 2027, will be used for recruitment and retention efforts by providing scholarships, district internship placements, and ongoing supervision and support to incoming masters level social work students at Winona State University.

“The WSU-Master of Social Work Program is excited to partner with RPS in the creation and implementation of the SBMH Scholars program,” said Dr. Alex Espadas, program director of the WSU-Master of Social Work program. “This partnership exemplifies the MSW program’s mission to prepare trauma-informed clinical social workers with the knowledge and expertise to effectively work with clients, for example, K-12 students and their families.”

Up to thirty scholarships will be awarded during the five-year project. For those individuals who are current Rochester Public Schools employees, this project provides funding that may allow them to maintain their current employment status and wages while fulfilling university degree requirements. The project will also provide scaffolded funding for the addition of at least four state credentialed school social work staff over five years (approximately a 10% increase from current year).

“RPS offers a variety of excellent support for student and staff mental health, but having these additional credentialed staff will only further benefit our students,” said Koni Grimsrud, director of Student Services at RPS.

Scholarship recipients will be prioritized in the hiring process for new positions, supported upon hire by peer mentors, and will receive required clinical social work supervision to increase the retention of staff providing valuable mental health services to students.