Nebraska schools to lose millions in mental health grants

The cancellation of a federal grant means Nebraska school districts will have to find other ways to fund school-based mental health services.

The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday canceled approximately $1 billion in federal grants that were part of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The bill, passed after a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers, was intended to help schools deal with an intensifying mental health crisis among students.

But a department spokesperson said in a statement to National Public Radio that the grants were not being used in a way that furthers the administration’s goals.

"Recipients used the funding to implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas in ways that have nothing to do with mental health and could hurt the very students the grants are supposed to help,” said Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Department of Education. “We owe it to American families to ensure that tax-payer dollars are supporting evidence-based practices that are truly focused on improving students' mental health."

Lincoln Public Schools received a $7 million, five-year grant as part of the bill, for which it provided a 25% match. LPS said in a news release that the grant had allowed the district to hire 18 elementary counselor positions and increase mental health supports within the district.

Interim Superintendent John Skretta said the district has enough money to pay for the counselors for the 2025-26 school year. He also said there is an appeal process, and LPS does plan to appeal.

However, even if an appeal is not successful, Skretta said it does not mean the counseling positions will go away.

“It is important to remember that LPS is a large school system with a number of vacancies in any given year,” Skretta said in a statement. “We do not foresee a reduction in force as necessary and we will work to retain our personnel and place the staff currently employed in other positions as necessary.”

The Nebraska Department of Education also received a $4.83 million grant in 2022 as part of the act, and a department spokesperson said that money has already been awarded to districts across the state and none of it is being cut.