Structuring Chaotic Minds

The Silent Crisis in Bexar County’s Charter Schools: Why Mental Health Support Matters

• Season 3 • Episode 1

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In this deeply personal episode of Structuring Chaotic Minds, host Melissa Franklin explores the critical issue of mental health support for students in Bexar County’s public charter schools. Melissa shares her recent experiences focusing on her son Brayden’s mental health and how that has impacted her own journey. She also sheds light on the alarming funding disparities that leave over 25,000 charter school students without the mental health resources available to their peers in traditional public schools.

Key Points:

  • Personal Update: Melissa discusses why she has been less active on social media, focusing on her son Brayden’s mental health and her own wellness.
  • Mental Health and Entrepreneurship: The stigma around mental health challenges and how Melissa’s clients often open up about their struggles after months of working together.
  • Funding Disparity in Bexar County: The alarming statistic that $20 million has been allocated to public ISDs for mental health, while public charter schools have received $0. This gap affects 17% of the student population in Bexar County.
  • Charter Schools Explained: Clarifying the misconception that charter schools are private institutions and explaining their role in providing alternative education options within the public school system.
  • Call to Action: Encouraging listeners to advocate for equitable mental health funding for all public schools, including charters, with a critical vote happening on September 3rd.

Call to Action:

  • Learn More: Click here to learn more about the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and how they were allocated, with a focus on the disparity between ISDs and charter schools.
  • Get Involved: Advocate for equitable mental health funding in Bexar County’s public charter schools by reaching out to local representatives and spreading the word.

Upcoming Episodes:

  • Preview: In future episodes, we’ll hear from entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals who have navigated their own struggles—whether dealing with mental health challenges, battling addiction, or overcoming business setbacks. These are real stories of resilience, offering valuable ins


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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Structuring Chaotic Minds, a show focused on balancing mental wellness and life. If you're just like me, then you likely enjoy crushing your goals, but it's also possible that right now, you're struggling with anxiety, being overwhelmed or balancing life due to mental health. I'm here to help. I'm your host, melissa Franklin. I'm a leadership and personal development coach on a mission to amplify the fellow voices about our situations, share critical information and knowledge with our family and friends and, at the same time, help remove the social BS about mental wellness and mindsets. Welcome back to another episode of Structuring Chaotic Minds, where we tackle the complexities of life, leadership and mental wellness. I'm your host, melissa Franklin, and today's episode touches on an issue that's particularly close to my heart mental health, especially as it pertains to our youth and their education. As some of you may know, I've been taking a bit of a step back from social media lately. My family has been my primary focus, especially my son, brayden, who has been going through some tough times. We've been navigating his mental health journey together and it required my full attention. Sometimes, taking a break is necessary for my own mental wellness, and while I haven't been as present online, I knew I needed to come back and share this message for others who might be in similar situations. For someone who's been through my own mental health challenges, I know firsthand the importance of proper support, and I've seen this time and again with my clients, many of whom eventually are able to feel safe enough to talk about and open up with the struggles that they deal with in conditions like bipolar disorder, depression or even anxiety. For some it takes months to build that trust, but when they do, they find the strength to acknowledge that they've been battling with it and, most importantly, that they need to seek help. Mental health struggles don't diminish your worth. If anything, they build resilience and strength, something I've seen in my own life and the lives of those I work with. Strength, something I've seen in my own life and lives of those I work with Funding disparity in Bayer County.

Speaker 1:

Now let's shift our focus to a critical issue that's unfolding here in Bayer County, an issue that directly impacts the mental health and well-being of thousands of students. Did you know that over 25,000 students in Bayer County's public charter schools are being left behind right now? Here's the reality $20 million has been allocated to independent school districts, also known as ISDs in Bayer County for mental health programs, but public charter schools were allocated exactly zero dollars. That's right, zero dollars. This is not a financial oversight. This is a a financial oversight. This is a crisis that actually affects 17% of the student population in the county, leaving these students without access to essential mental health resources that their peers actually have. So I want you to think about that for a moment. These are children, our future leaders, our innovators being denied the support that they need to navigate the complexities of growing up in today's world, especially post-COVID. Mental health is foundational to every aspect of life, especially our students' lives. It affects their ability to learn, to form relationships and to cope with challenges that come their way. Without access to mental health resources, these students are more likely to struggle academically, socially and emotionally, which doesn't just impact their futures, but the future of our entire community.

Speaker 1:

Clarifying misconceptions about charter schools there is a misconception that charter schools are private institutions, but that's simply not true. Charter schools are public schools, created to address gaps in the traditional public education system by offering smaller, more focused learning environments. This idea is to provide an alternative that can meet the needs of certain student populations, particularly those who may not thrive in a larger, more traditional school setting. However, because they operate differently, charter schools often face resistance from those within the traditional public school system. Some see charter schools as competition rather than complementary forces working towards the same goal providing the best education for all students. I've seen firsthand how the presence of a charter school can push public schools to step up their game. Back in my hometown, when local charter schools were introduced, it created a significant impact on the improvement of public school systems over time. Competition doesn't have to be a bad thing. On the improvement of public school systems over time. Competition doesn't have to be a bad thing. It can drive innovation and improvement. But for charter schools to have this positive impact, they need to have the same level of support and funding that's available to public schools.

Speaker 1:

Personal insights and challenges. Let me get personal for a moment. I'm a single mom. I've had to make some tough choices to ensure that my kids have what they need emotionally, mentally and physically. And let me tell you it is not easy. I've walked into rooms filled with business owners who have partners at home handling those day-to-day things with their kiddos and I've heard comments like don't you have anybody to help? The reality is I don't have that luxury. I've paid for nannies. Before in my life as just a teacher as an educator, I was making six figures a year because I was constantly juggling extra tasks. Every move I make is carefully calculated to ensure that my children are supported. But the judgment doesn't stop there. I learned a long time ago that when I stopped sharing with people what was next, I actually made more progress. There were people who weren't cheering for my success. They were actually waiting for me to fail. So I had to be cautious about what I shared and with whom. So I had to be cautious about what I shared with and with whom.

Speaker 1:

This season has been about figuring out what's going on at home first and thankfully my teams have stepped up in incredible ways for both companies but it's also been about being strategic and knowing when to share and when to hold back. Let's be real people are always going to have opinions. Some people might look at everything I'm juggling and wonder if I really can handle it all. They don't see the behind the scenes work, the late night sacrifices, and that's okay. I'm not here to prove myself to anybody. I'm here to make an impact, to use my experiences, both the successes and the struggles, to help others. The bigger picture. This brings us back to the issue on hand.

Speaker 1:

On September 3rd, there's a critical vote that could change the future of thousands of students in Baylor County's charter schools. We need to step up and advocate for equitable mental health funding across all public schools. This includes charter schools. We can't let 25,000 students be left behind because of a funding oversight or because of a preference of funds in another area. Click the link in the show notes to learn more about the American Rescue Plan Act, also known as ARPA funds, and how they were allocated. The attachment will provide details on how public ISDs received a significant amount of support, while public charter schools were left out. Together, we can make sure that every child in our community gets the support that they deserve, and it doesn't go as an oversight that the funding is still there. It just hasn't been awarded at this point. So we can advocate and ask our county commissioners hey, is there a reason this funding wasn't awarded to our charter school kiddos? And if it's not, what is it being used for? We have that right to know, because the money was there. The money is there, and now we just need to advocate to let them know we care about these 25,000 kiddos. We care about this 17% of kids not getting the same amount of help.

Speaker 1:

Upcoming episodes. Before we wrap up, I wanna give you a sneak peek into what's coming up in our next episodes. In our upcoming episodes, we'll be talking with entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals who have faced their own struggles dealing with either mental health issues, battling addictions or overcoming business setbacks. These conversations are meant to be real and raw, but they're also meant to be incredibly inspiring. We'll discuss practical strategies for not just surviving but actually thriving in both your personal and professional life. I'm really excited about what's to come and I hope you'll join me as we continue to explore these important topics.

Speaker 1:

Thank you again for being here. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on that episode, and if today's discussion resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it. If you know anybody in the Bayer County area or anybody with kiddos who might not have been aware of the situation and who can advocate to actually have an impact, please share it with them as well. Thank you for being here with me today. Let's keep pushing forward, growing and making a difference both in our lives and in our communities. Until next time, stay strong, stay inspired and keep striving for your best self.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much for joining me for today's episode. To catch up on the rest of the season, visit structureandchaoticmindscom or takea quick browse on your current app to see which episodes resonate with you. If you struggle with your own mental wellness or even just balancing life, we have a team of individuals at our site who can help. You can visit structureinnovationscom and find a coach or mentor fit for you. Thank you for joining me once again, melissa Franklin, on this episode of Structuring Chaotic Minds. Stay structured and smiling.