WPS EMPLOYEES GETTING MORE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Oct 29 2024

One of the first questions employees ask when considering accepting a job offer is “How much will I make and what are the benefits like?” It is widely known that starting teachers in WPS are the highest paid in the state and that other job classification salaries are competitive with other positions in public education in Colorado. What WPS employees may not know is that WPS is also leading the way in mental health support. In fact, WPS is one of just a handful of districts to have been awarded a Project Aware Grant by the Colorado Department of Education.

The district’s “Less Stress with WPS” campaign is working to spread the word among students and staff that it’s OK to talk about mental health, and to understand that there are a lot of resources available to them.

Wellness Director Melissa Sandoval, with a lot of support, is running the program that is backed by free access to in-person and online therapists, financial planners, fitness videos as well as soothing apps such as Calm and Headspace that lead the user through meditations and support healthy sleep habits.

This week’s What’s Up WPS video profiles the focus on mental health being provided by Sandoval and Chief of Staff Kirk Leday.

You can also learn more about the resources available to students, families and staff by visiting the Less Stress with WPS website at wps.org/lessstress.