June 10, 2019, New York Daily News: Help kids thrive: A cost-effective investment could address mental health problems smartly http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-edit-social-workers-20190610-novncng4xnhupbbpfr6hzhwnaq-story.html Since Mayor de Blasio’s Thrive NYC, the mental health program run by First Lady Chirlane McCray, is projected to spend upwards of a $1 billion with somewhat nebulous goals (and we’re being generous here), doesn’t it make sense to allocate a small slice of that to getting a full-time social worker in every public school? … But if the objective is mental wellness, social workers are the first line of defense, spotting troubled youth and steering them towards treatment. Which makes it strange that the mayor cut 69 social workers assigned to aiding homeless students in his budget proposal. A savings of $13.9 million seems out of place for an administration that talks up its commitment to mental health. …There are 1.1 million students enrolled in the public schools; providing all of them with such a basic service as a social worker sounds like a sane investment.
