Fremont City Council Meeting: 09/09/25 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Human Services Department Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5520) DOC ID: 5520
Updated: 9/5/2025 3:51 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 1
TASK ORDER HSD-22 TO FUSD JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT - Authorization to Execute a Task Order to the Joint Powers Agreement with Fremont Unified School District. Task Order HSD-22 for the Provision of Mental Health Services at Two Fremont Unified School District School Wellness Centers for the FY 25-26 School Year and Make Findings of CEQA Exemption.
Contact Persons:
Name: Annie Bailey Arquimides Caldera
Title: Youth and Family Services
Administrator
Human Services Director
Div/Dept: Human Services Department Human Services Department Phone: 510-574-2111 510-574-2056
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) has requested the City’s Youth and Family Services (YFS) Division of the Human Services Department (HSD) to continue its partnership with FUSD to provide mental health services at wellness centers located at FUSD middle and high schools.
The purpose of this report is to recommend that the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a FY 2025/26 Task Order (HSD-22) with FUSD, for YFS to provide mental health services, in the amount of $266,590, under the existing Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between the City and FUSD.
BACKGROUND: For many years, the YFS has provided a variety of behavioral healthcare (mental health and substance use counseling), youth diversion and family support services to FUSD. The City and FUSD have an existing JPA under which YFS provides these services through individual implementing Task Orders.
To address the increasing and ongoing need of students for mental health services, FUSD created a wellness center on each high school campus and some middle school campuses several years ago. Wellness centers are an innovative approach to dealing with issues of student stress and anxiety. They offer overwhelmed students a warm and friendly place to relax and refocus, practice healthy coping mechanisms, or talk to a mental health provider.
Wellness centers may also reduce the need for intensive care and may help to prevent emerging crisis situations by providing screening, as well as individual and group counseling to prevent and intervene early.
In FY 2024/25, YFS provided staff for the 2024-2025 school year at the wellness centers located at Washington High School and Walters Middle School. FUSD has requested that YFS continue services at these two wellness centers for the 2025-2026 school year.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The provision of on-campus mental health services at middle and high school wellness centers gives YFS/HSD a unique opportunity to increase the number of students served each year and provide a more consistent and integrated service Council Staff Report (ID # 5520) Meeting of September 9, 2025 Updated: 9/5/2025 3:51 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 2
delivery model, which will result in positive mental health and academic outcomes for students.
Under Task Order No. HSD-22, in FY 2025/26, YFS will provide:
• Individual and group mental health services;
• Collateral services, including family engagement, and staff consultation; • Crisis intervention and consultation for identified students, as needed; • Participation in Coordination of Services (COS) Team meetings, Student Study Teams, 504 Plans, and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings; • Development of student care plans; and
• Close collaboration with FUSD school site outreach coordinators.
FISCAL IMPACT: The proposed approval of Task Order HSD-22 has no fiscal impact on the General Fund. Under Task Order HSD-22, the City will receive $266,590 in funding, which will cover the cost of compensating two temporary, 0.75 FTE post-graduate counseling associates to work 40 hours per week during the school year, and a 0.30 FTE clinical supervisor to provide the legally required supervision and oversight. Task Order HSD-22 will also cover information technology services, auto, insurance, and overhead costs associated with providing the services. As part of the FY 2025/26 Adopted Operating Budget, the City Council appropriated sufficient funding for these services.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Approval of Task Order HSD-22 is exempt from and not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because, without limitation, it is not a “project” under CEQA Guidelines sections 15378(b)(2), (4) & (5), and/or because it has no possibility of a significant effect on the environment, as specified in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3). Each of the foregoing provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA exemption.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute Task Order HSD-22 to the Joint Powers Agreement with Fremont Unified School District, in an amount not to exceed $266,590, for the Youth and Family Services Division of the Human Services Department to provide school-based wellness center mental health services for the 2025-2026 school year and to make findings of CEQA exemption.