Morgan Hill school psychologist says California falling behind
other states
Deborah Severson, a school psychologist in the Morgan Hill
Unified School District, says school psychologists are
underutilized and hamstrung by state and federal education
budgets.
Two students who were arrested for reportedly planning a
”
Columbine style
”
attack at Sobrato High in Morgan Hill two weeks ago could have
been helped by someone like Severson. But in the reality of
California’s under-funded education system, the two kids probably
were not seen as disturbed enough to receive the districts limited
resources for promoting mental health. Only the kids with the most
severe learning problems get help from school psychologists. And
school counselors, a different position requiring less training,
aren’t able to spend much of their time working on a student’s
emotional problems, Severson said.
Morgan Hill school psychologist says California falling behind other states
Deborah Severson, a school psychologist in the Morgan Hill Unified School District, says school psychologists are underutilized and hamstrung by state and federal education budgets.
Two students who were arrested for reportedly planning a “Columbine style” attack at Sobrato High in Morgan Hill two weeks ago could have been helped by someone like Severson. But in the reality of California’s under-funded education system, the two kids probably were not seen as disturbed enough to receive the districts limited resources for promoting mental health. Only the kids with the most severe learning problems get help from school psychologists. And school counselors, a different position requiring less training, aren’t able to spend much of their time working on a student’s emotional problems, Severson said.
It’s a problem in California more so than in other states, Severson said. In Connecticut, where she also worked as a school psychologist, she was able to do much more for students. She was shocked when she first started teaching in California, which she thought would have a far more progressive school system than it does. At one time California was one of the top states in the country for education spending; now it’s at the bottom. She said she’s found an education system arrested in its development.
In Connecticut she was able to do things she doesn’t have time for in California, such as holding group counseling sessions for students whose parents are going through a divorce or group sessions for kids with attention deficit disorder. They were proactive projects that she felt helped create a positive atmosphere at her school.
Working in California schools Severson said she spends most of her time doing assessments of kids with learning disabilities or severe social problems. Severson’s time is spread thinly among the students in three different schools in Morgan Hill where she works mostly with kids with Asperger’s syndrome, a disorder similar to autism, but much less severe.
Santa Clara County has some of the highest rates of autism in the country for unknown reasons, and it’s an expensive problem. The district lacks resources to deal with some kids, paying $100,000 per year per student to send them to nearby private schools who can better serve their needs, Severson said.
The MH district provides five school psychologists for its 8,600 students – one psychologist for every 1,720 kids. When one empty position is filled, the ratio will be down to 1,433 kids per psychologist, still slightly higher than average in the state. Gilroy Unified School district has a similar ratio.
At San Benito High in Hollister the school psychologist, Stephanie Pursley, is also the swim coach. She said she rarely sees kids who are suffering from depression or other emotional problems. When they do, it’s very informal. Most of the time she works with the kids in special education classes. The girls on her swim team sometimes come to her when they are having problems with their boyfriends or their parents.
Marcia Brown at Gilroy Unified School District believes funding needs to be augmented with changes in the way psychologists are used. She said she is hopeful that reforms to the federal Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 will allow more proactive approaches for school psychologists to be able to serve more students.
