What we need, as teachers, is real mental health support for our students and their families

Dear Ohio Politicians;

Steve Stivers    https://stivers.house.gov/

Senator Kunze

Representative Hughes

Senator Portman

Senator Brown

Governor Kasich

I am exhausted at the battles I face to just teach my student's. This past month, I have had to defend what I do. I am not sure who is to blame, my district says the state funding calculation & Governor Kasich. Ohio's education funding formula has been found to be unconstitutional, yet it is still in effect. I blame both Ohio Republicans and Democrats for this and I have little faith in politicians to get it right. My urban district is losing millions over the next few years. This will mean teaching with less and we are already holding on by a string; battling the effects of issues of poverty, mental illness, child neglect and emotional abuse that my student’s survive are trying to survive every day. My district is considering reducing funding to “Directions for Youth and Families,” a counseling provider that meets with our students as needed.

In light of so many school shootings, suicides and threats of such things, I am hearing lots of ideas on solutions. I explain to others that what we need, as teachers, is real mental health support for our students and their families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has suggestions for how we can help with this issue. This will come at a cost so funding will need to accompany it. Please read the (NAMI) link below and consider how we can offer schools real support. The NAMI Link is;  https://www.nami.org/Blogs/From-the-CEO/February-2018/Improving-Mental-Health-Should-Be-a-National-Prior

Lastly, understand the confusion and effects of Ohio school funding procedures. I have been trying to research what is actually happening and when I read explanations like, “So while Columbus is receiving $2484.70 per pupil, the district pays a charter school at least $6,010 for each student who leaves to enroll in a charter school (such as ECOT; not including the categories receiving additional funding). This means that Columbus actually loses $3,525.30 in funding for each student who enrolls in a charter school. Brief wrap up: Each student in Ohio starts with a “value” of $6,010 in state tax dollars, then that amount is reduced based on the school district’s State Share Index so that the district ends up receiving only a percentage of the $6,010 in state tax funds (Plunderbund 2018).” I can not even begin to understand this but I feel as a Public School Teacher, that I am a pawn in this game. Are we just saving money instead of investing fairly in the lives of Ohio’s poorest children?

Please take a look at school funding in Ohio and what our students need to succeed in life and consider the changes needed to make it right.  

Thanks,

Mrs. Rebecca McGrath-H.

mrs.mcgrathh@gmail.com

614-365-2283 x223 (office)

614-746-9216 (personal voice-mail)

FCCLA & CDA Advisor

Early Childhood Educator

Columbus Downtown High School