Testimony Before the DC Council Committee on Health at the Performance Oversight Hearing on the Department of Behavioral Health

By Melissa Wade, Managing Director of Mental Health, KIPP DC

January 29

Chair Henderson and Members of the Council Committee on Health,

My name is Melissa Wade and I serve as Managing Director of Mental Health at KIPP DC, where I work closely with mental health clinicians, partner organizations, and school leaders at our network’s twenty-two schools and programs to provide students with meaningful access to mental health services and supports.

I am here today to thank the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) for their ongoing collaboration. Because of that collaboration and the resources that this council has put behind school-based mental health, there are more students receiving needed services now than at any time in my tenure. Last year I came to this committee to share that the need for school-based mental health services was at an all-time high and that we would have to increase the number of available clinicians in order to adequately serve that need. I’m excited to share that in partnership with our Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Mary’s Center and Catholic Charities, we have increased clinician staffing by 80% from a year ago and are only 3 hires away from being fully staffed at our

schools. This added capacity has allowed the program to serve more than double its available caseload from a year ago. These are significant and meaningful improvements.

At the same time, the number of student referrals to the mental health team has more than doubled over the past year. KIPP DC has invested heavily in our internal team of Mental Health Practitioners. However, even with that expanded capacity, we cannot serve every student in need of support. As the council and the executive look towards next year’s priorities, I am here to reiterate that the need for mental health services at KIPP DC and across the district remains high.

To help address it, we ask you to:

1.Expand Access to DBH School-Based Mental Health Services to include more clinicians serving more students

The program has accurately identified the 13 KIPP DC schools with the highest need, but there are also needs at the other 9 schools that are currently not supported by this program. Caseloads at each of those 13 schools are at capacity, far exceeding what one clinician can cover. Consider expanding the list of schools and allowing the highest needs schools to hire multiple clinicians.

2. Create a Stable Funding Stream for the School-Based Mental Health Program

In order to hire and retain the best clinicians to serve our students, DBH needs a more consistent and predictable funding stream so that all partners have the necessary time to hire staff and continue offering excellent services. One of the reasons that staffing has improved is because our CBOs were able to hire earlier in the year. Another is that we continue to provide incentives for new hires that allows for a more robust applicant pool. Let’s continue to make it easier to find and keep great clinicians.

3. Bring Back Funding for Professional Development

In years past, school- based clinicians and CBO clinicians at KIPP DC were able to benefit from professional development through the Project Aware federal grant. However, when that expired this past fall, the amount of funds available to provide quality professional development has decreased. Our clinicians and educators need this training to be effective and, quite often, to renew their licenses. Please help us to find an alternative funding source for this important work.

4. Expand School-Wide Training

One of the main objectives of the DBH partnership was to increase the ability of schools to offer Tier 1 support for students. One need we see at KIPP DC is for all school staff to be trained on trauma-informed practices and responding to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). By better understanding those circumstances that could lead to an uptick in student challenging behavior (such as consistent exposure to community violence, the death of a parent or family member, or homelessness and the impact of transient housing), teachers will be better equipped to support students and connect them to available mental health resources. We need DBH’s support to provide this large-scale professional development for our network.

The teams at DBH, Mary’s Center, and Catholic Charities have been true partners in this work. Thank you for your dedication to the wellness of our students. In our most urgent times of crisis, I know I can depend on these trained professionals to provide meaningful and reliable, evidence-based support for students, families, and staff.

Again, thank you to the council committee for holding this hearing. I know that the coming year presents many budget challenges that could alter some District programs. But DBH’s school-based mental health program is critically important, continuing to improve, and needs our continued support. I look forward to answering any questions you may have.