Background
Sarah Broome is a senior adviser with Bellwether in the Policy and Evaluation practice area.
She began her career as a middle school math teacher before founding Thrive Academy — a residential school in Louisiana for at-risk students. In 2021, she helped Louisiana increase the effectiveness of school-based Medicaid using ESSER funds. Her engagement with the Louisiana Department of Education resulted in the creation of permanent positions at the state education agency and its Medicaid agency to support the program, the renewed and improved communication between the two agencies, the launch of a $7 million ESSER-funded initiative focused on both adding mental health professionals to schools and billing Medicaid for those services, and the creation of a school-based Medicaid resource library.
Broome’s current focus is on the national level. She most recently wrote “Office of the Inspector General School-Based Medicaid Reports: A Consolidated Review” and created the School Medicaid Database as a central hub for all publicly available documents on school Medicaid across the country. Broome is currently a Schmidt Innovation Fellow, helping states and schools access school-based Medicaid to provide services to kids.
Why I do this work
I have seen the difference comprehensive mental health supports can make in the school setting and am passionate about helping schools access the funding they need to provide these services.
Contact Information
Issue Expertise
Charter Schools
Federal Education Policy
