PORTAGE (WKOW) — The Portage Community School District received a $41,000 multi-year grant from WEA Member Benefits Foundation, Inc., to support school-based mental health initiatives.
“This funding is a true blessing for our students and staff,” said Theresa Stolpa, director of student services for the district. “It will allow us to not only continue our current efforts but also significantly enhance our work surrounding student mental health.”
Stolpa said the resources come at a critical time and will provide sustained support to foster a healthier, more resilient school community.
The district was selected for several reasons, including its emphasis on relationship-based intervention, building teacher capacity to help specific students and a holistic, brain-based approach to student mental health.
In the coming years, the district plans to establish an on-site mental health clinic, address transportation barriers for students seeking services and provide neuro-sequential model training for staff. The district serves approximately 2,100 students in grades K-12.
“The Portage School District has demonstrated a clear commitment to addressing student mental health needs,” said Steve Goldberg, executive director of WEA Member Benefits Foundation. “This grant is intended to help them expand those efforts and build on the strong partnerships they’ve already developed in their community.”
Dave Kijek, CEO of WEA Member Benefits, said the district’s leadership in creating beneficial mental health programming serves as a model for districts across Wisconsin.
The Foundation’s mental health funding initiative includes 22 districts and serves more than 150,000 of the state’s 785,000 K-12 students.