May 27, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Sometimes the little things get people’s attention, such as $45,000 for psychology sessions.
The Easton Area School District will raise property taxes 3.5% for the 2026-27 school year, supporting a $223 million budget and the construction of a new $298 million high school.
Compared to those numbers, the $45,000 contract with Mind of the Athlete may not look big to the district but the contract drew the attention of some readers of this blog.
The typical taxpayer does find $45,000 to be meaningful, even if it’s a fiftieth of a percent (0.0002) of the total. After being told they’re going to pay more next year, taxpayers have a right to question costs.
The deal with Hanover Township-based Mind of the Athlete, founded by sports psychologist Dr. Jarrod Spencer, was approved Tuesday, along with the tax increase, by the school board.
Spencer will give educational speeches during the next school year on topics such as sleep, how to stay calm and win, focus and unity through diversity.
Those sessions won’t just be for Red Rover athletes, according to the contract:
“The attendees of his speeches will be selected student leaders in various clubs and organizations, as well as student athletes,” according to the agreement, posted on the district website.
Another licensed counselor will “provide fifteen health/performance psychology sessions to EAHS individual
teams, clubs, or school organizations over the course of 2026/7 schoolyear,” according to the contract.
There is more to the deal than the above, see this link for the agenda and other items from last night’s meeting. The $45,000 for psychology services is being paid by grants, according to the district. Perhaps the money will be spent well, perhaps whatever grant is funding it could have been used for something else.
Above all, every expense needs scrutiny, and a school district that has been spending its cash reserves is sooner or later going to have to make tough choices. Probably sooner, particularly with a roughly $300 million new school going up at the EAHS Palmer Township campus.
I was thinking back to my high school days of 50 years ago and whether some psychology talks with my team would have helped.
Probably not. Being kids, I don’t know if we’d have taken it seriously.
Below is a cut-and-paste version of the Mind of the Athlete agreement, omitting some routine items. “Dr. Baltz” in the contract is Matt Baltz, the EASD director of athletics.
I added the bold print at the end for the terms of the deal:
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On campus service to Easton Area High School
During each visit, Dr. Spencer will be on campus providing mental health/performance psychology consultation
in the format of educational speeches, as well as meeting with the administration. The attendees of his speeches
will be selected student leaders in various clubs and organizations, as well as student athletes. He will arrive at
each visit thirty minutes before his keynote speeches. Each keynote will last around 60 minutes; the exact time
length can be adapted to the allotted class period. The specific time of day of these keynotes will be determined
by Dr. Baltz. Either immediately before or after these keynotes, Dr. Spencer will spend an hour in the EAHS
production studio recording videos for the school district based on each visit’s specific messages. For all the
logistics of each visit, Dr. Spencer will coordinate with Dr. Baltz.
Schedule:
September 2026 — Topic – Sleep: The #1 Factor in Mental Health & Performance
October 2026 — Topic – Mind of the Leader: How the Mind Works Best
November 2026 — Topic – Performance Anxiety: Managing Your Fear of the Unknown
December 2026 — Topic – Together: Unity Through Diversity
January 2027 — Topic – Resiliency: Strength Psychology to Thrive
February 2027 — Topic – Pressure: How to Stay Calm & Win
March 2027 — Topic – Focus: How to Lock In When It Matters Most
April 2027 — Topic – Emotional Energy: How Leaders Fuel Performance
Individual Team and Student Leadership Sessions:
Dr. Hannah Wildasin, a licensed professional counselor and independent contractor with Mind of the Athlete, as well as a graduate of EAHS, will provide fifteen health/performance psychology sessions to EAHS individual teams, clubs, or school organizations over the course of 2026/7 schoolyear. The teams and student organizations will be selected by Dr. Baltz and Allison Zimmerman, and logistical coordination of these sessions will be between Dr. Baltz, Allison Zimmerman, Dr. Wildasin, and Dr. Spencer.
Mental Health Service Logistics
Term: The psychology services will be for the 2026/27 school year.
Intellectual Property: All Mind of the Athlete intellectual property shall remain the sole property of Mind of
the Athlete, LLC.
Filming:
Easton Area High School can film the educational psychology speeches. Specific use of the videos must be determined by mutual agreement between Dr. Spencer and the High School’s representative. A copy of each video must be made available to Dr. Spencer. Similarly, a copy of all studio recordings must be provided to Dr. Spencer.
Travel & Lodging:
Travel and lodging fees are not relevant as Dr. Spencer resides in the Lehigh Valley of PA.
Referrals:
When matters arise of a more advanced clinical nature, Dr. Spencer will refer these individuals to the appropriate licensed psychologists, licensed professional counselors, or psychiatrists either within Easton Area High School or the surrounding community.
Ethics & Professionalism:
Through all these modalities, Dr. Spencer will adhere to the highest ethical guidelines put forth by the American Psychological Association, as well as the psychology licensing board of Pennsylvania.
Payment:
The fee for this Mind of the Athlete Sports Psychology offering is $45,000.00. Payment shall be made to Mind of
the Athlete, LLC. Payment is due in 2 parts: one check for $23,000 by August 15th, 2026, and the second check
for $22,000 by December 15th, 2026.
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Lehigh Valley News Briefs 