LAKE COUNTY — The Konocti Unified School District and the Lake County Board of Supervisors came together Tuesday to keep drug and alcohol counseling services for students at Highlands High School and Academy.
The 194 students who were struggling in mainstream classrooms but are growing, some coming to excel in school and enjoy it, will still be able to see the counselors who help them improve their lives and futures, Janet Thomson, outreach director, said.
“Without the counselors we are just not able to provide the services at all,” Thomson said.
Kristy Kelly, Mental Health director, said because the state doesn”t have a final budget, she”s unsure whether Drug Medi-Cal will be funded.
“The Lake County Community Action Agency and Highlands High School are entirely dependent on that resource for funding,” Kelly said. “The staff of AODS, some of them are dependent on these funds as well.”
At least one of the propositions in front of the state legislature to solve the budget impasse includes eliminating Drug Medi-Cal, Kelly said.
Dozens of people came to the Board of Supervisors meeting for the discussion, which was originally planned to terminate the agreement with Lake County Community Action Agency, cutting the counseling program.
William MacDougall, superintendent of Konocti Unified School District, told the board because the students have a desperate need for counseling services, the district would fund three of the six counseling positions.
“Highlands High School students are not able to function at any other school,” MacDougall said.
“I think we can solve this problem,” he said.
The crowd responded with cheers. County administrator Kelly Cox then made an offer.
“What I would suggest is if the school district is willing to take half the risk, we should take half of the risk,” Cox said.
Supervisor Jim Comstock said he thinks they solved the problem.
“It”s arguably the best program we have to keep the kids out of being in other programs,” Comstock said. “They”re looking at worse programs as they get older.”
Cox said staff and MacDougall will get together to create a contract and bring it back to the board.
Thomson said on Friday she was overwhelmed with the result.
“We feel it”s a miracle that they”ve come through like that. There were a lot of people who were really upset that we were closing,” Thomson said. “We didn”t realize we have that kind of support in doing what we”re doing.”
Thomson said she they applied for as many grants as they could and had fundraisers, but couldn”t keep the counselors without more substantial support. She thinks counseling gives the students the right tools and resources to change them into contributing members of the school and community, she said.
“Without the counseling on drug and alcohol, they just remain in that cycle of third and fourth generation of addicts,” Thomson said. “Our plan is to break that addiction cycle and it”s working.”
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
