PEORIA, Ariz. — Two Peoria Unified School District board members who voted to reject federal funds for a mental health program two weeks ago changed course on Thursday and voted to keep the program in place.
However Thursday’s vote requires the school district to pick up the tab. That means instead of receiving $275,000 from the federal government to keep the program running through the school year, the district will have to dip into its own account to accomplish the same goal.
The board has an empty seat, which means a 2-2 tie vote two weeks ago amounted to a rejection of the grant extension.
The “no” vote by board member Heather Rooks was not a surprise because she has been opposed to mental health services on school campuses and expressed reservations about college interns working directly with high school students, among other concerns.
But PUSD Board President Becky Proudfit surprised everyone when she voted no because she had previously indicated she supported the social workers. Explaining that vote, Proudfit told 12News she opposed using a temporary federal grant and wanted a permanent solution.
After two weeks of public outcry, the board voted 4-0 on Thursday to save the program using district money. Otherwise, it would have ended at the end of the month.
On Thursday Proudfit apologized during the meeting for taking the community off guard. She said she privately had concerns about the federal grant program during the summer but did not make those concerns public.
“Because I was not having these conversations out in the open, it did create some chaos in the district and I want to take accountability for that,” Proudfit said Thursday.
Several community members spoke at Thursday’s meeting in staunch defense of the program, which served over 1,800 students last year for a variety of needs.
“Even if you still have 30 other social workers in the district, why would you get rid of any?” said one speaker.
The district’s 44 schools have 30 social workers and counselors, in addition to the intern program that was started in 2018. It involves three field supervisors and 14 interns who provide services including grief counseling, anxiety coping skills and homeless support. The district will learn by the end of the month whether it receives a separate federal grant it applied for that could also be used for social worker positions. However the board would have to approve that grant as well.
Four speakers on Thursday defended the “no” vote by Rooks and Proudfit. They expressed concerns about social workers having too much influence on students and they questioned whether the district was not focusing enough on academics.
Mental health advocates worry what happened at Peoria Unified is a symptom of a larger trend.
Social workers at schools across the country face potential cuts for two reasons: Federal Covid funds are running out and school boards are under pressure from socially conservative groups to eliminate positions related to mental health.
Just last week Arizona Schools Superintendent Tom Horne, a Republican, told 12News he supported PUSD’s initial vote to cut the social worker program. “There are some things useful for social and emotional learning to help students cope with feelings but it’s been badly abused,” Horne said. “I think social and emotional learning has in some ways became a cover for critical race theory.”
But some educators say it’s conservatives who have brought politics into schools.
“Books aren’t supposed to be political issues, class sizes aren’t supposed to be political issues, but unfortunately we are seeing more political agendas spill into our schools,” said Marisol Garcia, President of the Arizona Education Association.
A nonprofit leader who works with PUSD compared the scrutiny social workers face with the “defund the police“ movement.
“Just like we did with police, right? A few bad police officers made it seem like all police officers were bad. That was wrong,” said Brandi Jordan. “And I think the division between conservatives and non conservatives is just creating more pressure and more negative mental health on our kids at school. If they can’t see us coming together as adults for their benefit, what is that going to do for their future?”
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