State seeks part-time mental health clinician for Mt. Edgecumbe dorms in Sitka

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development opened a request for proposals Nov. 13 for a licensed mental health clinician to provide counseling and crisis support to students living in the dormitories at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka. Proposals are due by 3 pm Nov. 30, and questions are due Nov. 24.

Mt. Edgecumbe is the state's only state-operated boarding school. The request says it serves about 400 students from about 110 villages and that 80 to 95 percent of them are Alaska Native. DEED's comparison data for the 2024-25 school year listed 422 students, six counselors and no nurses.

The clinician would work 20 hours a week between 4 pm and 11 pm, including weekends. The clinician must be physically located in Sitka and hold a current Alaska license in one of five fields the request lists. The state would provide workspace at the school.

The department estimates the fixed-price contract at $150,000 to $200,000 over four school years, from 2026-27 through 2029-30. Proposals priced above $200,000 will be considered nonresponsive. Subcontractors and joint ventures are not allowed.

DEED's October quarterly report to the state board identified student mental health as an ongoing challenge at the school and said recruitment was underway for a qualified dormitory mental health clinician.

That same month, a state review of the school ended with 22 recommendations to the state board, from dorm rules to calling parents. An ad hoc committee formed by the board met four times from June to September. Parents who answered a survey for the committee raised the need for better mental health services.