New Jersey Monitor - District 91¿´Æ¬istration District 91¿´Æ¬istration Media Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:35:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 NJ governor’s plan to overhaul school mental health services draws criticism /nj-governors-plan-to-overhaul-school-mental-health-services-draws-criticism/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:35:13 +0000 /?p=183110 Critics say the plan to replace New Jersey’s current school mental health network could disrupt services schools already use. Supporters of the existing model warn the change could leave fewer schools and students served.

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]]> Mental health advocates are pushing back on Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s plan to create a new system of school-based youth mental health services to replace a model dependent on regional behavioral health providers that was established by her predecessor four years ago.

Sherrill wants to spend $33 million to launch what she calls Spark, for School-based Partnerships for Access and Resilience for Kids, to expand access to mental health services within school facilities. Her budget plan directs the state Department of Education to create a competitive grant program that school districts could tap to pay for on-site mental health professionals starting next fall.

New Jersey sought to expand behavioral health programs in schools across the state four years ago under former Gov. Phil Murphy when it launched NJ4S, or the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services program.

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