On Jan. 7, 2026, in accordance with district-wide action, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) began to roll out the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative’s (CYBHI) fee schedule program to secure funding for essential education and mental health counselors, social workers and IEP specialists. This initiative is part of the California Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) efforts to secure funding for student mental health services following the COVID-19 pandemic. At Foothill Tech, part of the CYBHI funding was allocated to the creation of the wellness centers, which received a three-year grant set to expire in June 2026.
The fee schedule program is one of many programs coordinated by the CYBHI since 2021 and attempts to make student on-campus services self-sustainable. This program secures funding through parental consent to have their insurance, including commercial, Medi-cal and disability insurance, billed for the time students use their available resources. This form of billing cannot affect a family or individual’s insurance premiums and rates, as detailed in the CYBHI initiative act.
At Foothill Tech, among other services, the wellness center will rely on the fee schedule program for funding, due to the approaching expiration of its original funding grant. Based on this new source of funding, the future of the center and the permanent on-campus mental health counselor position, currently held by Rebecca Wolfe, will be determined based on funding projections for the 2026-2027 school year and the success of the fee schedule program. The program will continue regardless, though its implementation in the next school year remains to be determined.
“I would say, what’s the harm in doing it? If you never use it, you never use it. But, if you do use one of the services, then we’re able to make sure we are compensated for that,” Courtney Johnson, Foothill Tech Principal, said.
Districts across California have applied to enter the fee schedule program since Jan. 2024 by passing an evaluation process and being grouped into a cohort of districts. These cohorts introduce the program to districts and create learning collaboratives with other districts to maximize the program’s effectiveness. Cohort six is currently being filled by districts applying for the fee schedule program. Ventura Unified School District (VUSD), as part of cohort two, has been a part of these learning collaboratives and preparing for the program since July 2024.
Another component of CYBHI is the creation of certified wellness coaches as an official position at schools. These coaches will be trained in mental health support and offer education about general health and wellness, referrals to crisis support and general health screenings on campuses. Wellness coaches will not have any medical training and therefore cannot provide any clinical services or official medical referrals.
Foothill Tech’s push for student and parent engagement with the fee schedule program began Jan. 7, when the school introduced raffle prizes, passed out on Jan. 9, for students who consented to participate. This advertising persisted in announcements and raffles continued with more prizes passed out after the Athletics Rally on Jan. 15. Despite the due date for prizes closing, consent to be billed for campus services remains open and encouraged by Foothill Tech.
This source of funding offers assistance to VUSD in times of continued declining enrollment and cuts to positions, services and even the long discussed closure of a VUSD school site. Like the future of the Foothill Tech wellness center, counselor staff positions and student services funding remain tentative, leading VUSD to highly encourage the use of the fee schedule program.
