“No Excuses”
Mental Health Funding

TL;DR

Portland Public Schools will guarantee one mental health provider for every 250 students by reallocating funds and cutting wasted administrative spending. If schools fall short, top administrators will lose their raises, ensuring mental health services become an absolute priority.

1. What is the “No Excuses” Mental Health Funding policy about?

This policy ensures that every Portland school maintains a counselor-to-student ratio of at least 1:250 so that students facing anxiety, depression, or other challenges get the help they need. The goal is to move beyond patchwork solutions and provide full-time mental health support in every classroom.

2. Why is this important for Portland Public Schools?

Many Portland students struggle with chronic absenteeism due to mental health issues and external stresses like housing instability or abuse. By guaranteeing enough mental health staff, PPS can help keep kids engaged, improve attendance, and boost overall academic performance.

3. How will the policy work?

The district will set a strict standard of one mental health provider per 250 students. If a school doesn’t meet that ratio, PPS will withhold raises for top administrators until the gap is fixed. This creates a clear, measurable target that PPS must achieve.

4. What specific actions will PPS take to implement this policy?

  • PPS will cut redundant administrative roles and expensive outside consulting contracts, reallocating those funds to hire more counselors and mental health providers.

  • A “Support Staff Surge Initiative” will be launched immediately to hire additional counselors, social workers, and mental health specialists.

  • PPS will partner with local universities and professional associations in a “District Sponsorship” program that offers tuition remission for counseling degrees in exchange for a three-year commitment to work at PPS.

  • The district will also publicly report each school’s student-to-counselor ratios, and any school exceeding the 250:1 ratio will receive immediate staffing from district contingency funds.

  • Lobby aggressively for joint mental health “clinics” in schools, funded partly by county resources, Medicaid reimbursements, or philanthropic demand MOUs with local government so the district isn’t left holding the entire bag.

5. How does this policy address current funding gaps in mental health services?

Currently, the district must manage with limited mental health funding while counties often secure separate grants for public health. With this policy, PPS will direct state funding streams like SIA and Measure 98 toward hiring mental health specialists and special education assistants rather than expanding central office bureaucracy.