BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Money is about to dry up for a pandemic-era program, which leaders said has changed students’ lives.
Contracts for four Bexar County public school districts to connect students with licensed mental health counselors are set to expire at the end of 2026.
Three of these districts partnered with nonprofit Communities in Schools of San Antonio, which provides mental health services to public schools.
“Across all of our spaces, we have definitely seen more suicidal ideation,” said Jessica Weaver, CEO of Communities in Schools of San Antonio, “and it’s just escalated throughout the years, and the feedback we get is that it’s younger as well.”
More than $6.7 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act were given to the four districts for services between Aug. 16, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2026.
Northside Independent School District received a little more than $4.5 million for this initiative.
Northside ISD’s assistant superintendent of whole child development, Kimberly Ridgley, said the program helped address a children’s mental health crisis that was highlighted by the pandemic.
As the ARPA funds are set to expire at the end of the calendar year, the future of the program is now in question.
“Funds across all budgets are tighter,” Ridgley said, “and there is less money to go around.”
Bexar County confirmed to KSAT 12 that it will not continue to offer the funds following their expiration.
“All school districts receiving ARPA funding for this program were asked to submit a sustainability plan,” the county said in a statement, “illustrating how they planned on continuing their programs after funding expired.”
Northside ISD shared its sustainability plan with KSAT. In it, district staff said they are actively looking for grant release announcements, but acknowledged they don’t have much set in stone.
Ridgley said the district remains committed to looking for where funding to keep the program running might come from.
“Legislative conversations certainly, because they have the ability to allocate different resources,” Ridgley said, “and then looking for other grant opportunities.”
Ridgley said she believes, ultimately, if the community looked at mental health as a community epidemic, it would help open up resources from other sectors.
KSAT 12 reached out to the other three districts who recieved funding from the program: Edgewood ISD, Somerset ISD and Southside ISD.
Somerset ISD, which did not utilize Communities in Schools but a similar program, said it feels confident the program can continue using local funding.
It recieved $476,750 from Bexar County ARPA funds and said it is also actively seeking other funding sources to keep the programs going, however.
Edgewood ISD, which received a little over $1 million, and Southside ISD, which recieved $690,000, have yet to respond to KSAT’s request.
“I know the county and the city have seen the benefits of what we’ve been able to do with those ARPA funds,” Weaver said.
Weaver hopes community members with access to funding will reach out as soon as possible.
“We don’t want to go backward,” Weaver said.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, there is help. Call 988 or text TALK to 741-741. If there is an immediate danger, call 911.
You can also reach out to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) or the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) at 210-223-7233 (SAFE) or 800-316-9241. You can also text NAMI to 741-741.
If you are not in crisis but need someone to talk to, or want to ask for services for yourself or a loved one, call NAMI’s Warm Line at (210) 939-9999.
KSAT Reporter Courtney Friedman has covered several stories regarding mental health in children and young adults following the death of Camila Mendoza Olmos. Read more of her reporting below: