County councilmembers Tuesday unanimously allocated millions of dollars in federal and state grants to improve schools and assist those experiencing mental health issues that arose during the pandemic.
About $2.75 million will be used toward a four to six week Montgomery County Public Schools summer program with the vast majority of the funding set aside for personnel services. Almost $200,000 is designated for operating expenses.
A $1.2 million school reopening grant from the federal government will be used toward a districtwide cleaning and disinfecting program at MCPS.
Another $1 million will be used to increase physical and mental health services to support students and their families living in areas with very high concentrations of poverty. A little more than $700,000 of that total will be used to expand school community health nurse positions to full-time at Arcola, Georgian Forest, Jackson Road, Kemp Mill, Watkins Mill, Oak View, Whetstone, and Daly elementary schools.
About $308,000 is designated for contractual mental health services at Arcola, Georgian Forest, South Lake, Highland, Harmony Hills, and New Hampshire Estates elementary schools.
An additional $22 million will be used to enhance MCPS’ HVAC services, student re-engagement activities, employee technology, and student learning hybrid spaces.
The council members also approved $5 million as a supplementary appropriation to the Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget to provide additional services for those experiencing mental health challenges or illnesses and substance use disorders. This need has grown during the pandemic, according to county staff.
The money will be spent over two years and is expected to help 188 adults and 79 adolescents obtain crisis services rather than end up in emergency rooms or jails. The money is also expected to assist 2,380 young people experiencing a crisis.
Another $1.9 million in federal funding was allocated to community behavioral health treatment services. This will enable the county’s crisis center to continue its 24 hours a day, seven days a week help for callers and walk-ins.
Councilmembers also allocated $350,000 to support expanded hotline services and staffing at EveryMind in Rockville. This money will be used to enable the nonprofit to increase the number of calls it can handle by 33%. The money also will be used to help EveryMind prepare to join the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which could triple the number of calls and in-service programming directed to EveryMind.
Councilmember Will Jawando called this expenditure “really important,” noting it will enable more people to attain assistance.
Today, the @MoCoCouncilMD approved a $350k special appropriation to maintain expanded services offered by @EveryMindInc telephone, text, and chat hotline. More and more residents are in need of mental health support and we cannot allow a cry for help to go unanswered because…
— Councilmember Andrew Friedson (@Andrew_Friedson) December 14, 2021
