Dallas ISD’s school board voted on Thursday to practically double its spending on student psychiatric services.
Trustees approved a $7.5 million contract meant to last five years, replacing a contract currently in place valued at nearly $4 million, according to KERA News.
Dallas ISD has been struggling in recent years to provide a quality education to the students in its charge. According to its latest accountability report for the 2021-2022 school year, only 59% of the 8,003 students who graduated that year met “College, Career, and Military Readiness” standards.
Additionally, only 41% of students in the district scored at grade level on their STAAR exams despite the hard work of teachers and staff, and nearly 20% of students in the graduating Class of 2022 earned a high school diploma in four years when the statewide average was 90%.
Officials at Dallas ISD claimed that there was an increased need for student psychiatric service during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Since then, the price of such services has purportedly increased.
“The average salary for contracted psychiatrists is about $225 per hour,” said Dallas ISD mental health services executive director Tracey Brown, per KERA. “Right now, we’re paying about $185.”
One school board trustee expressed concern over the new contract, citing the district’s past mismanagement of taxpayer resources.
“I’ll be watching,” said Trustee Joyce Foreman, according to KERA.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, polling conducted last year indicated that 49% of respondents who were asked why they believed Dallas ISD was among the worst-performing school districts in the state said it was due to mismanagement.
The new contract for psychiatric services will reportedly close out the previous one, with all five contracted psychiatrists agreeing to the terms of the new deal.
