In late August, the RIH Superintendent Dr. Dionisio raised concerns about the consequences of defunding essential mental health education, stating that "the moment that a school board refuses to act upon a clear need — like mental health — is the moment that the school district has limited the potential of its students."
After voting down several mental health programs, and subsequently voting a week later to reinstate them, Board President Judy Sullivan sent a letter to the community, touting a supposed $3.6 million spend on student well-being. I asked for the details of that number.
Today I was given 179 pages of documentation which did not add up to $3.6 million, and included things like speech therapy, physical therapy, Orton Gillingham tutoring, instructional aides, supplemental teachers, Principals and Assistant Principals, Guidance Counselors, Guidance Supervisors, health and physical education teachers (to name just a few).
While one might argue our entire school budget is about student well-being, not all expenditures directly support mental health programs.
The RIH Board owes the community an explanation as to why Judy Sullivan sent out a letter professing to support mental health and well-being for students with a $3.6 million dollar spend that could not be substantiated.
You should expect honesty, truth, and transparency from your Board of Education. Board President Judy Sullivan’s Board is not providing that.
In the spirit of fostering transparency and ensuring the best for our students, let's continue holding our elected officials accountable. The mental well-being of our students should never be compromised, nor should it be represented in potentially misleading terms.
As a reminder of the situation caused by Board members Sullivan, Ansh, Emmolo and Mariani voting down several mental health programs:
• July 24 – Sullivan, Ansh, Emmolo and Mariani vote down mental health programs
• August 1 – After significant public backlash, the Board votes on the same programs again and this time they are approved
• August 24 - Read Superintendent’s Op Ed regarding mental health programing penned shortly after the Board majority defunded important mental health programs (link: https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/2023/08/24/mental-health-education-is-imperative-or-nj-students/70643416007/)
• August 25 - Board President's Letter to the Community dated August 25th, 2023 (link: https://www.rih.org/news/news_announcements/letter_to_our_community_from_the_board_president)
• August 30 - My Letter to the BOE sent on August 30th, in response to Ms. Sullivan's communication (link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AnKcXckot2nh5qs3Y3JGq2GI28YSYoQ_/view)
• September 1 – I OPRA requested the detail of the $3.6 mil spend
• October 13 – The cover letter response to my OPRA request (link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gEsmdjUYLTGOZwZw_3t0T8V754PxA7Vy/view)
• October 13 – The 179 page response to my OPRA request, which does not provide the details of the $3.6 million expenditure (link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XplKllWpZsLFbHFpxtfSnZfVnbwP_m4r/view)
• October 13 – My letter to the RIH Board regarding the lack of substantiation for the $3.6 million spend (link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VYGkjlVKrVIys-AU4HPB0nXoePKZwI_i/view)