MMSD Board approved $1.1 million mental health contract | The Locally Times
The board authorized a $1,136,148 federal grant-funded contract for graduate student mental health support on July 27, 2026.
The Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education approved a $1,136,148 contract on July 27, 2026, to create a School Mental Health Cooperative. The project runs from July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2029, and places graduate students in district schools to provide clinical assistance. The board approved the expenditure via a consent agenda, a procedure used to vote on multiple items in one motion. ## Funding and Financial Impact The district funds the $1,136,148 contract through the Department of Education Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant. This federal grant covers the full cost, meaning the district does not use local property tax levies for the project. While the board approved this $1.1 million contract, the July 27, 2026, meeting record does not detail the total value of all other items approved in the same consent agenda vote. The documentation lists the $1,136,148 figure for this partnership but does not reconcile this with the $4.3 million total reported in broader district budget documents. Consequently, $3,163,852 of the reported spending remains unidentified in the available materials. ## Project Scope and Objectives The contract names the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, on behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research, as the service provider. The cooperative integrates mental health graduate students into district schools to provide clinical support. The project is scheduled to operate for three and a half years, ending December 31, 2029. The board’s documentation identifies the project goals as providing professional development and graduate student support, but the records do not specify performance metrics or success indicators. The district has not released a plan for continuing these services after the federal grant expires on December 31, 2029. ## Approval Process The board approved the contract during the July 27, 2026, regular meeting. Consent agenda items are provided to board members and the public in advance for review. Any board member may request to remove an item from the consent agenda for separate discussion, but no such request occurred for this contract. Because the board approved the item as part of a single motion, no public debate took place regarding the implementation strategy or long-term financial implications. ## Key Questions **Will this contract increase my property taxes?** No. The project is funded entirely by a federal Department of Education Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant. **When does the contract end?** The contract is scheduled to run through December 31, 2029. **What is the total value of the contract approved by the board?** The board approved $1,136,148 for this specific project, though documentation does not clarify the remaining $3,163,852 of the $4.3 million in total contract spending reported by the district.