ANSWER:

The mental health and well-being programs supported by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund grants, including social worker positions, will be evaluated for impact effectiveness before a decision is made to add them to the local budget going forward.

The 50 social workers will be utilized in a variety of ways. Most will support students in our schools providing direct services. There is a small number of social worker supervisor positions that will be assigned to central office. These supervisory positions are necessary as social workers must maintain their certification by completing required hours and practicing under a clinically licensed supervisor.

We are moving forward in the hiring process to fill these positions. The goal is to hire all 50 social workers prior to the end of the 2021–2022 school year, however, the realistic goal is to implement hiring in two phases; Phase 1 in the 2021–2022 school year and Phase 2 in the 2022–2023
school year.