TX State Senate struggles with funding for all the needed mental health services in schools

July 18, 2018, (Austin) Texas Tribune: Texas senators agree on the need for school mental health services, but can they fund it? https://www.texastribune.org/2018/07/18/after-shootings-senators-ponder-funding-school-mental-health-services/ Members of a special Texas Senate committee devoted to preventing school violence acknowledged in a hearing Wednesday the importance of school counseling and mental health care, but questioned whether it's financially feasible to expand those services statewide. … Testimony from activists, counselors, researchers, school administrators and school staff universally emphasized the importance of providing adequate mental health resources to students before they turn violent. But while committee members agreed on the need, they often returned to the question of funding. State Sen. John Whitmire, a Democrat, said many urban schools in his Houston district don't have the resources to hire enough teachers, let alone school psychologists. …. Numerous invited speakers said that many counselors are tasked with duties outside their job, hindering their abilities to help students with their emotional and mental health. Adrian Hudson, a teacher in Houston, urged committee members to provide funding for counselors, saying teachers can't address each of their students' mental health problems while also ensuring their students meet state academic requirements. Sharon Bey, a school counselor of 33 years and representative of the Texas School Counselor Association, said counselors are often inundated with academic tasks and other duties, making them unable to focus students' mental health. … State Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, said he wanted to give students more access to special education programs in order to ensure that students with special needs receive appropriate help. But Huffines questioned how much more funding schools need from the state to address their counselor shortages. …