Decision Analysis for Selection of Behavioral Health Provider Dr. Jeffrey S. Wilson Director of Operations October 20, 2016

Huntsville City Schools Will Partner with a Behavioral Health Provider to Cover Behavioral Health Needs Across the District Wellstone and The Enrichment Center (Eagle Counseling) are candidates being considered Evaluation criteria are Cost per therapist Speed of implementation Credentials of therapists (degrees and licenses) Familiarity with the District The District will set a date at which individual principals will cease coordinating with NOVA directly and begin submitting requests for behavioral health services thru the BLN The chosen behavioral health provider will send monthly data updates to the Director of Counseling Services that will include Total number of students served (district wide, by feeder pattern, by school) Breakout of services by type (district wide, by feeder pattern, by school) Case load through-put (cases opened, closed, and in-process district wide, by feeder pattern, by school) Case load backlog (age, district wide, by feeder pattern, by school)

There are Several Assumptions to be Considered in the Selection of a Behavioral Health Provider The immediate need for a therapist at HCT will be first priority One therapist is needed full time at each high school Finance can support any of the considered courses of action The provider could provide a therapist as early as Oct 17, 2016 HCS may use a combination of providers simultaneously

Two Behavioral Health Providers Have Been Considered by HCS Nova Medicaid-based services Existing presence in 22 HCS schools Currently coordinating services thru individual school principals and families Nova therapists operate in several schools apiece Can initially implement 3 therapists immediately, with ability to scale to 6 by Jan 2017 Eagle Fee based (Eagle charges district flat fee per therapist) Existing presence in one HCS school (Ridgecrest) Highly praised by Madison City Schools (Dee Fowler & Robby Parker) Provided services after Discovery Middle School shooting in Madison Proven record of successful integration of therapists into individual school cultures Can initially implement 1 therapist immediately, with ability to scale to 6 by Jan 2017

HCS Staff Recommends Eagle Based Upon Evaluation of Several Facts to be Considered in the Selection of a Behavioral Health Provider HCS Senior staff recommend that Nova continue operating in its current capacity at the 22 schools it is serving. At a date set by the Superintendent, Nova services will be allocated thru the BLN. HCS Senior staff recommend that Eagle emplace one therapist as soon as possible at HCT, followed by the emplacement of one therapist at each high school as soon as possible, in the following order of priority: Jemison, HHS, Grissom, Lee, Columbia. Although the scalability of Eagle is slower than that of Nova, the empirical evidence of the Eagle ability to embed into a school culture is a factor that outweighed speed of implementation in the view of HCS Senior staff. HCS Senior staff is confident that Nova and Eagle will be able to work together in the District, with Nova willing to scale below the high school level if requested.

Student Support Enhancements Dr. Jeffrey S. Wilson Director of Operations October 20, 2016

Huntsville City Schools Provides Behavioral Health Services Across the District MS – Level therapist based at each high school (5) Lee HS and NCTHS share one therapist Therapists serve schools in the feeder pattern thru BLN Point of contact for behavioral health provider is Director of Counseling Services High Schools use In-House Learning Centers (ILCs) as restorative, therapeutic, and academic safe spaces for student growth and development. High Schools also provide a cool-down room for individual therapeutic work ILCs are staffed by certified collaborative teachers and Appleton aides Director of Student Welfare provides social workers in each feeder pattern (5), working from pre-K thru 12th grade HCS establishes a Character Development Academy (CDA) at each high school, accessed thru Behavioral Learning Guide (BLG) Character Development Academy – use this year to develop CDA and train administrators and staff in order to implement SY 2017-18

Huntsville City Schools Implements an Enhanced Transition Framework for Students Returning from the Alternative School High School Principals attend BLN meeting one month before students return from alternative school to confer with BLN and alternative school principal on re-integration plan and schedule Transition meeting to take place a minimum of two weeks prior to students returning to home school from alternative setting: Develop “Steps to Success” contract Returning students attend a one to three day orientation the first week they return to their home school. Topics include: Goal setting Time management Schedule orientation Teacher orientation (each core teacher) Individual learning contracts developed and signed Returning students are placed in regular school schedules Returning students are provided individual scaffolding plans that include regular therapeutic sessions, academic support sessions, and other services as needed around their school schedule

Huntsville City Schools Implements a Character Development Academy for Students Who Manifest Behaviors as Determined by Behavioral Learning Guide Initial implementation in high schools Set number of days (suggest 4) Reading, writing, reflecting focus Goal is for student to understand and own the behavior that warranted CDA and gain coping strategies for managing their behavior No exceptions to CDA program once assigned Centrally managed curriculum to ensure equity across high schools Optimum CDA teacher - collaborative Appleton aides provide support CDA is located in ILC room Curriculum development – CDA teachers will collaborate alongside district curriculum specialists and guidance counselors – include Conflict Resolution, Making Good Choices, etc.

HCS Has Developed a Tentative Implementation Timeline for Enhanced Student Support Mid October thru end of October 2016: selection of behavioral health provider November thru December 2016: implementation of new behavioral health services November thru December 2016: design of Character Development Academy January 2017: implementation of CDA Timeline is subject to change in speed, form, and substance in accordance with developing situation

There are Several Facts to be Considered in the Selection of a Behavioral Health Provider Cost Speed of implementation Credentials (degrees and certifications) Ability to integrate into school cultures

There are Several Facts to be Considered in the Selection of a Behavioral Health Provider Cost Nova: $50k/therapist; $300k/6 therapists Eagle: $39k/therapist; $234k/6 therapists Speed of implementation Nova: can initially implement 3 therapists immediately, with ability to scale to 6 by Jan 2017 Eagle: can initially implement 1 therapist immediately, with ability to scale to 6 by Jan 2017 Credentialling Nova: MS degrees, some licensed Eagle: MS degrees, some licensed Ability to integrate into school cultures Nova: HCS has not attempted to integrate Nova counselors into school cultures Eagle: Therapeutic model is based on building a relationship between the therapist and the individual school culture