A mental health program A mental health program

About

Let's Face It. Together. is a mental health awareness campaign supported by the San Marcos Unified School District and the City of San Marcos. The campaign aims to help youth and teens get support from the District to address mental health challenges.

Let’s Face It. Together. is a mental health program created in partnership with the City of San Marcos to help youth, teens, and adults get support from SMUSD to address mental health challenges.

From counselors on their school campus, or a referral to an outside healthcare provider, Wellness Teams will guide students and families through the process from beginning to end.

This program will act as a bridge for students, parents, teachers and administrators by connecting students in need with appropriate services to improve their mental health and quality of life. Thanks to the support of the City of San Marcos, we’ve been able to add on to the existing layers of support for students by bringing:

This program will act as a bridge for students, parents, teachers and administrators by connecting students in need with appropriate services to improve their mental health and quality of life.

Smusd Wellness Team

24/7 CRISIS TEXT LINE

Students can now text to access free support from trained mental health staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Wellness Teams

Wellness Teams, comprised of school-based mental health providers and family liaisons, have been assembled throughout the District and are prepared to help students seek additional emotional or mental health support. These Wellness Teams will assess the needs of students and refer families to the best suited resource.

How It Works

• TEXT: Students and parents can text “SMUSD” to “741741” to get immediate and confidential help. They’ll be referred to a wellness advocate who can provide guidance and facilitate a plan that suits their unique needs.

Care Solace

• TALK: If a student prefers to talk it out first, they can visit any counseling sta or speak to a trusted faculty member, who can guide them through the process.

Serving every school in the district, wellness teams make home visits and help connect a student and their family with wraparound support services.

Connecting to the right resources and appointments outside of school can be difficult to navigate but Care Solace facilitates connection to services in a fraction of the time it might take for students, families, and staff to navigate it on their own.

• CALL: If this is a mental health emergency, don't wait! Call 988 immediately.

Moving from childhood to adolescence is hard, especially with today’s digital and social issues our students face. While the struggles may not be new, the global pandemic and shifts in virtual and in-person learning, have exacerbated these issues taking a mental and emotional toll on students. In addition to expediting a connection to resources for students, the program works to dismantle stigmas surrounding mental health and let students know they are not alone. Let’s Face It. Together.

Since launching the program, from January 2023, SMUSD teams have already conducted:

45 conversations to the 24/7 Crisis Text Line *Data represents the first quarter of 2023

3,071 Care Solace interactions

21,505 Care Solace communications to coordinate care (calls, emails, texts)

San Marcos Unified Files Positive Budget Certification

Building on budget stability measures taken over the past several years, in December 2022 San Marcos Unified was proud to file a Positive Budget Certification, which is the highest level of budget certification a district can achieve, signifying a district is in good financial standing.

MOODY’S INVESTOR SERVICE UPGRADES SAN MARCOS UNIFIED’S CREDIT RATING

In fall 2022, Moody’s Investors Service affirmed the district’s credit ratings, and revising the rating from negative to stable. This positive outcome came largely due to the improved outlook of the district’s financial position resulting from actions taken by the Governing Board and Administration to eliminate ongoing deficit spending in 2022-23 through implementation of its fiscal stabilization plan. In its published credit opinion, Moody’s noted the “new leadership team has shown commitment to improving operations through the implementation of tighter position controls, an emphasis on transparency and engagement with the Board and community.” Similar to an individual’s credit score, a higher credit rating helps lower interest and issuance costs, directly translating to taxpayer savings.

HOW FUNDING IS SPENT *

$329.1M Budget Revenues

$300M Budget Expenditures

9.29% Reserves

3% minimum reserves required by the State

83.4% Employee salaries & benefits

10.9% Services & Operating

4.8% Supplies

0.9% Capital Outlay

It is common for school district budgets to have Employee salaries & benefits as the largest expense

*As of the 2022-23 Second Interim Budget Report, March 2023.

For more Budget information, please scan

New Home to School Transportation Funding

For the first time in more than 10 years, the 2022-23 enacted State Budget included additional funding for Home to School Transportation providing San Marcos Unified with additional funding of approximately $2.8 million per year to either expand Home to School transportation or absorb the funds into the existing Transportation Budget. At San Marcos Unified, our team jumped at the chance to develop a plan to expand service, which was unanimously approved by our Governing Board.

The State specifically requires school districts to prioritize the funding to provide Home to School Transportation to low-income students in TK-6th grade for free, while also giving non-eligible students the opportunity to utilize the transportation for a fee.

SMUSD is working to implement Home to School Transportation as quickly as possible, with the first phase of the plan to begin this fall, at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

San Marcos Elementary School Receives Grant Funding to Transform into a Community School

San Marcos Unified has received a California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSSPP) planning grant in the amount of $200,000 to begin the process of transforming San Marcos Elementary into a Community School. A Community School is a collaboration of school & District resources, outside community agencies, and social services, to ensure students are whole and healthy so they can be prepared to learn and thrive academically. This includes enhancing and elevating strategies and current practices to address basic needs like, housing, food, healthcare, transportation and more. As the Community School transformation at San Marcos Elementary continues, additional implementation and extension grant funds will be available.

San Marcos Elementary School families are faced with unique challenges that the community school initiative will address.

88%

Of The Student Body

at San Marcos Elementary meet the state criteria of high-need “unduplicated” pupils, these are:

■ Emergent Bilinguals

■ Eligible for free or reduced meals

■ Foster youth