The jobs of the six mental health therapists who see about 1,000 students in Olathe USD 233 are being eliminated next year, causing parents to question the district’s staffing decisions.
First reported in The Kansas City Star, the district blames the cuts on reductions in a state mental health grant, the legislature trimmed by $6 million in this year’s budget.
USD 233 spokesperson Erin Schulte defended the job losses to the Star:
“Given the continued underfunding for special education and our district’s financial challenges due to declining enrollment, it was no longer sustainable long-term for the district to continue participating in this program.
Kansas Policy Institute CEO Dave Trabert disputes the district’s yearly claim that special education is underfunded. The Sentinel is a subsidiary of KPI.
“The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that school funding met its definition of adequate funding, after the Legislature submitted a plan to increase base state aid and special education funding. The Legislature said it would increase special education funding by $44 million in the first year and then provide $7.5 million more each year. Legislators not only kept their promise but also exceeded what was included in the court settlement.
“The Legislature should have eliminated a statutory provision dealing with special education funding because the court settlement rendered it moot, but since that hasn’t taken place, some school districts say the old special education funding clause still applies, and they use that as their premise to use your tax dollars to sue you for more of your tax dollars.”
The Star interviewed one of the employees losing their job, who spoke to the paper on the condition of anonymity. They said children would open up about issues in a school setting where they may be reluctant to do so elsewhere:
“Having worked firsthand with these students and hearing about all of their life experiences and everything that they’re going through, the support that they need hasn’t decreased, the things that they’re facing haven’t decreased, if anything, they’re increasing, and so the support for them to be decreasing is difficult.”
The employee assured that other mental health resources will be available in the Olathe District, but believes the therapists filled a vital role for the students:
“We are part of, like, a whole care team in the school, whereas contract clinicians are just able to go see those students and then leave. I’ve always had a heart for helping students who are struggling. That’s really what this was.”
USD 233 Olathe staffing disparities
The budget crunch results from enrollment at USD 233 Olathe declining by 7.5% since the 2020 school year. That is considerably worse than the approximate 5% declines in Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission.
The Kansas School Board Resource Center, another subsidiary of Kansas Policy Institute, counsels school board members that budget reductions should be as far removed as possible from any impact on students. Olathe USD 233 hasn’t announced a complete list of staffing changes, but school board members certainly have other options that would have less impact on student learning.
District staffing reports published by the Kansas Department of Education show that Olathe has eight Assistant or Deputy Superintendents, while Shawnee Mission has six and Blue Valley has only three.
Olathe reports having 61 Rule 10 Coaches (Athletic, Spirit, Scholars Bowl, Debate and Speech), whereas Shawnee Mission has none, and Blue Valley has 37. The largest disparity is in Other Unlicensed Staff, where Olathe has 136 employees, Shawnee Mission has none, and Blue Valley has 17.