OKLAHOMA CITY – To help Oklahoma schools meet the needs of children in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oklahoma State Department of Education is awarding grants to 181 school districts across the state – including a dozen in southwest Oklahoma – to hire school counselors and school-based mental health professionals.
The Oklahoma School Counselor Corps will be financed with $35.7 million in federal relief, the department announced Wednesday.
“Schools have wrestled with inadequate numbers of counselors and mental health professionals for far too long,” said State Supt. of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “Oklahoma children suffer from a higher rate of trauma than children in most other states, and the pandemic has only exacerbated such adversity.”
The School Counselor Corps grants “can bring transformational change to schools, some of which have not had a single school counselor. With academic success dependent on student well-being, this marks a critical investment for our students.”
Oklahoma’s student-to-school counselor ratio is 411- to-1, but the American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250-to-1.
Districts applied for Oklahoma School Counselor Corps grants to fund approximately 50% of the cost of the salary and benefits of qualified positions.
In the application, districts were able to specify exact needs for school counselors, licensed school-based mental health professionals, social workers, recreational therapists and/or contract for eligible positions or services. The grant will fund the positions for three years or through the 2023-24 school year.
Schools have requested 222 school counselors, 36 licensed social workers, 54 licensed mental health professionals, four recreational therapists, and 42 contracted services. The state Education Department will hire five regional positions to support the Oklahoma School Counselor Corps with training and professional development