Two bills would sharpen and streamline California’s school-based mental health efforts

Credit: Allison Shelley for American Education

School is out, but the mental health crisis affecting California’s youth won’t take a break for the summer. And when students return in the fall, schools won’t be adequately equipped to provide the services they need.

Fortunately, the state has the resources to address this problem. We just need to be more intentional about how we spend that money. Two bills pending in the Legislature would direct more of our existing mental health spending to school-based behavioral health centers, reduce red tape and make it easier for school districts to draw down federal funding already designated for this purpose.

The problem is clear. The past decade has seen a rise in mental health needs, partly due to unemployment and economic uncertainty, the growth of social media, and the prevalence of environmental calamities and natural disasters. These issues were compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic and the social isolation it caused.

Surveys of California high school students found that nearly 1 in 5 have seriously considered suicide in the past year. Nearly half of students feel disconnected from their school; about 1 in 3 feel chronically sad and hopeless; and 1 in 5 report being harassed or bullied.

A 2020 report by the state’s mental health oversight commission concluded that unmet trauma and mental health needs are strongly associated with barriers to learning, such as disengagement, chronic absenteeism, suspension and expulsion, and dropping out of school.

Educators know this. More than 75% of school principals report that students’ emotional and mental health is a moderate or severe problem at their school, and two-thirds of teachers report being ill-equipped to address their students’ mental health needs.

The solution? An expansion of school-based mental health centers that can help improve access to outside mental health resources, connect students to the services they need, and reduce stigma by creating a culture of wellness and well-being on school campuses.

But while there are more than 10,000 schools and 5.8 million students in California, there are currently only about 100 school-based behavioral health partnerships in the state. This needs to change.

Senate Bill 551, authored by Sen. Anthony Portantino, would help address the problem by ensuring that youth have a voice in the way the state spends Proposition 63 funds. Funded by a 1% tax on personal income exceeding $1 million per year, Proposition 63 has provided more than $18 billion to address mental health and substance abuse since it was approved by voters in 2004. Under the terms of Proposition 63, counties are required to spend at least 20% of this funding on prevention and intervention services and 51% of that prevention funding on people aged 25 and younger. But counties report difficulties in reaching younger people with their services. To bridge that gap, SB 551 would require that counties include a person 25 years or younger on their mental health board. This would ensure that youth have a seat at the table and can advocate for the services that will benefit students the most.

The second bill, Assembly Bill 483, by Assemblymembers Al Muratsuchi and Jim Wood, would smooth the path for local school districts to obtain federal funding for the mental health services they provide to low-income school-age children. According to Muratsuchi, California gets just $29 per eligible student for these services while other states get far more. Montana, for example, receives $500 per student.

The current system focuses on compliance with regulations rather than maximizing federal funding. This results in delayed reimbursements, cash flow issues for California schools, less money for mental health programs and fewer services for high-need students.

AB 483 would change this by requiring the state to help schools navigate the complex administrative and documentation requirements, as well as develop corrective plans to respond to errors found in audits. This reform would provide schools with the necessary support to apply, receive and keep every reimbursement dollar and use it for the benefit of students.

With these two bills, the Legislature can ensure that schools have the funding and partnerships needed to transform the care system for California students. Providing students with adequate behavioral health services and support will lead to improvements in mental health, boost academic performance and, in the most extreme cases, help save lives.

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Debra Schade serves on the board of directors for the California School Boards Association and as board president of the Solana Beach School District. She also serves on the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency’s Child, Youth and Families Council.

Travis Hodges is a junior at Monte Vista High School in Danville.

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