Letter to the editor: reducing mental health services “will have profound consequences”

To the editor:

I am deeply concerned about the School Committee’s proposed reduction to mental health services. Although the Wellesley School Committee did not cut as deeply as initially proposed, the remaining reductions will still significantly impact our schools.

A $42,000 cut in a $92 million budget may seem small, but it will have profound consequences for students and families in Wellesley. While students needing the most intensive services will still receive them, fewer psychologists and counseling staff mean many students will not get timely help. School psychologists provide essential mental health care, social-emotional learning, and crisis intervention. They are already at capacity, meeting unprecedented needs. Reducing these roles will worsen the current crisis.

Fewer psychologists will leave students without essential mental health resources, increasing stress on families and straining external support systems. Teachers will face additional responsibilities related to student counseling, leading to burnout and detracting from their primary role of teaching.

Additionally, the cost of out-of-district special education placements is budgeted at over $4 million for FY26. Without adequate resources, schools will not be able to provide the special education services, and more families will be forced to seek private school placements to secure appropriate support. With out of district costs rising year over year and effectively wiping out the intended $42,000 savings.

Now is not the time to cut mental health services.  Schools are already seeing the consequences of insufficient mental health support, with rising rates of anxiety, depression, and disengagement. Eliminating these positions will further erode the safety net for students, disproportionately impacting those with disabilities or significant social-emotional needs.