(Photo courtesy of Pexels – Elizabeth Lizzi)
LANSING – Children in mental health crisis need treatment.
But they are often turned away because of insufficient resources and professionals are scattered, explained Angela Gardner, president of the Michigan Association of School Social Workers and a social worker in the Detroit Public Schools district.
Not getting help for mental health issues creates barriers to children’s academic success and well-being, she said.
The situation has become critical, with shortages of mental health professionals occurring at the local, state and national levels, with rural areas most vulnerable to the shortage, according to Gardner.
The first factor contributing to this rural shortage is funding.
“When you’re in a small area, you still have to pay overhead,” said Alexandra Stamm, an education policy analyst at the Michigan Public Policy League. “You still have to pay for your principal, your superintendent, but you don’t have a larger number of students to make up for it with a larger amount per student” spend.
School districts allocate their funds based on the number of students enrolled. With lower enrollment in rural schools, the amount allocated is less.
Overhead costs in small districts can reduce the money available for other areas in their budget, Stamm said.
To help, the Department of Education created a grant program in 2019.
The program provides funds for intermediate school district mental health support services, such as school social workers.
A 2022-23 legislative report to the Department of Education states that $62.8 million is allocated to intermediate school districts for these services, with $955,300 allocated to an intermediate school district.
Funding alone won’t solve the problems, Stamm said. Rural communities also face a shortage of psychologists and social workers serving children.
“We have the money, we’re grateful for the money, but we’re just having a hard time finding people to hire.” Stam said. “The Department of Education is working with other partners to try to address the workforce shortage.”
“The pool of behavioral health professionals is so small,” Stam said. “You get hospitals, mental health communities and schools trying to recruit from that small pool of applicants.”
Another obstacle is that rural communities struggle to attract interest from young professionals who may find urban areas or glamorous cities more attractive.
Transportation can also be a barrier, according to Gardner.
“Individuals are geographically isolated in the area,” Gardner said. “So being able to access a resource like public health services can be 25 to 30 miles away.”
Scott Hutchins, head of the Department of Education’s school behavioral health unit, said rural areas were less likely to have nearby universities training future social workers.
After these students receive a degree, they are likely to pursue careers in more lucrative urban areas.
Staffing shortages have also spread social workers across school districts, particularly in rural communities, said Don Wotruba, executive director of the Michigan School Boards Association.
“If you’re in a rural area, you have two or three social workers serving eight areas, which could be 30 buildings,” Votruba said.
Turnover among school social workers is also extremely high, Gardner said.
“They are unable to handle the demands of the workload required of a school social worker,” Gardner said.
Along with turnover, Gardner said he believes the COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to that shortage.
“I believe many people in the workforce have never reintegrated back into the physical environment,” she said.
Dorothy Pintar, director of school success and director of community programs at the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency in Alpena, said her program has been adversely affected by the shortage.
“There is a lack of people with social work degrees” Smart said. “We are now struggling to find school social workers.”
The agency serves Cheboygan, Alcona, Alpena, Midland, Crawford, Clare. Among others, Montmorency, Mecosta and Gladwin counties.
The agency’s School Success Program removes barriers to student academic success. One of the methods is the provision of consulting services.
Pintar’s program partners with school social workers in Northeast Michigan.
“I see when we go to partner with social workers, there is a lack of school social workers in our service area in Northeast Michigan,” Smart said.
Stamm said the Department of Education has an advisory committee that works with intermediate school districts to evaluate the effectiveness of funding and solutions to other barriers.
Works with partners to address labor shortages through other means.
For example, Wotruba said one conversation about combating the shortage has to do with certification and the requirements to become a mental health provider in school districts.
Gardner said the Michigan Association of School Social Workers is also working with the National Association of Social Workers to change the licensing exam to make it easier to get certified while maintaining standards and best practices.
Hutchins said there has been an increase in the number of social workers across the state with the help of the Department of Education.
While there has been an increase in professionals in some rural areas, additional funding has been more effective in urban areas, according to Hutchins.
Gardner stressed the importance of having social workers readily available.
“The psychosocial stressors that prevent our children from learning before they even reach the school doors are simply enormous.” Gardner said.
“It is vital that they have a resource readily available to address and support the removal of these barriers so that they can achieve academic success.” she said.
