Hundreds of Marin public school students stand to lose mental health support services with the cancellation of $14.5 million in federal grants.
The Marin County Office of Education received notice Tuesday that two five-year mental health grants of $9.95 million and $4.5 million would be canceled, effective in December, said John Carroll, the Marin County superintendent of schools.
“The reckless and chaotic nature of this surprise decision shows clearly that the U.S. Department of Education either does not understand how school funding cycles work, or is intentionally acting to harm the efficient operation of our schools,” Carroll said. “Either way, this is very bad news. Worse than that, the federal government is trying to kill a program that supports learning and social emotional growth for kids who need it most — at a time when communities are asking for more help.”
The federal agency cited a shift in funding priorities under the Trump administration as the reason for the cuts, according to Carroll. The agency said the new emphasis is on what it calls “merit, fairness and excellence,” he said.
“MCOE is actively working to seek clarification on what that means and how the grants might be reinstituted,” he said. “The office will appeal this decision and will pursue legal action as necessary.”
Lisa Miller, an assistant superintendent at the county office, said staffing and students at five Marin school districts — Miller Creek, Sausalito Marin City, Shoreline Unified, San Rafael and Novato — will be directly affected.
“Hundreds of kids in Marin County are going to miss receiving really important services if this funding stream ends,” Carroll said. “There should be plenty of public outrage about this.”