We should all be grateful that Portland Public Schools and its teachers were able to find some agreement on long-standing challenges. With students back in the classroom this week, Portlanders can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
But from a mental health perspective, the end of the strike will not be the end of the story. Teachers were only partly successful in negotiating important changes to support student mental health. While the tentative agreement includes provisions for increased mental health staffing, negotiators were not able to come to agreement on the key issue of capping class sizes. As a result, teachers and students in oversized classes will still face an uphill battle to take advantage of the extra support.
The most important thing, for students, teachers and their families, is that kids can return to school after missing eleven teaching days. Recent data from the Kids Count Data Book confirms that anxiety and depression increased significantly among children across the country during the pandemic, and was especially acute in Oregon. It can only have gotten worse during the days and weeks away from class, teachers, counselors and other supports that many students depend on.
As a leader in accessible mental health counseling for all ages, here at William Temple House we’ve seen the demand for child and family counseling increase over each of the last three years – including referrals from an overburdened PPS system. We can affirm that:
For many people struggling with mental health issues, those challenges began in childhood.
Research – and our own experience – underlines that early intervention can make a big difference in a person’s ability to overcome their challenges.
Teachers and school counselors are on the frontline, identifying mental health needs and referring kids and their families for support.
A nationwide shortage of master-level clinicians has made it difficult for almost everyone, including youth and families, to access counseling.
The agreement between teachers and the district offers some hope. It also helps shine a light on the continuing need for better mental health support in our schools. Portland still has a long way to go on this journey. It will be a shame if this marks the end, rather than the beginning, of that effort.
About us:
For nearly 60 years, William Temple House has provided free and low-cost mental health counseling to thousands of our most vulnerable neighbors. Over the past year, our dedicated team of fully accredited, licensed supervisors and talented master’s level interns partnered to provide:
4,750 hours of low cost or free care to 400 individual clients and
500 hours of couples and family counseling to an additional 100 clients.