YFS reduces funding for school counselor position
Published 4:14 pm Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Due to budget concerns, Mercer Island Youth and Family Services has reduced funding for a position in YFS’s school-based mental health counselors. The agency also reduced community based senior programming and some youth services.
According to the city, the leading causes of the funding deficit include: increases in the cost of doing business; reductions by the Mercer Island School District for funding of the school-based counselors; cuts in county contracts that provide some funding and declining contributions to fundraising campaigns.
There will be minimal impact on the 2014-15 school year and the 2015 calendar year. Professional counselors will remain in each of the Mercer Island schools through December 31, 2015. For 2016 (i.e. the second year of the biennium), it is unclear at this time if there will be reductions.
According to the City’s online newsletter, YFS plans to conduct a thorough needs assessment to determine a future service configuration to match community needs and professional best practices to the children, youth, adults, seniors and families of Mercer Island. Future funding and services will be determined in 2015.
