As the new school year approaches, more than $8 million in federal grants supporting mental health services in Rochester-Finger Lakes area schools remain unreleased.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer visited Seneca Falls High School to highlight concerns over the delay and its potential impact on students. The funding is intended to support counseling, crisis intervention, and violence prevention programs serving over 27,000 students across the region.
Schumer said President Trump’s Department of Education, led by Linda McMahon, “wrongfully ripped away federal grants that support mental health.” During his stop in Seneca Falls, Schumer stood with teachers and mental health professionals to demand that the DOE immediately release over $8 million for Rochester-Finger Lakes schools.
“Protecting students’ mental health should not be a partisan issue. By cutting off millions in federal funding, Trump is ripping hundreds of mental health professionals out of Rochester-Finger Lakes Schools and putting more than 27,000 students at risk,” said Senator Schumer. “Mental health professionals in Rochester-Finger Lakes Schools have a proven track record of improving academic performance and attendance. With school starting later this month, the clock is ticking on restoring these grants and ensuring our kids have access to adequate mental health resources. That’s why I’m demanding the Trump administration immediately release the federal funding that our schools need to keep our students safe.”
Seneca Falls Central School District, among others, faces challenges due to a shortage of mental health providers, and educators worry that the funding delay could affect plans to place 264 mental health professionals in schools over the next five years.
Below is a breakdown of impacted awards in the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region according to Senator Schumer’s office:
In the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region, 176 Mental Health professionals earning their graduate degrees have already been placed in schools through the 5-year Mental Health Service Professionals Project (MHSP) grants awarded to the Sodus, Lyons, and Seneca Falls Central School Districts and to Nazareth University. In these placements, graduate students get real-world experience working with students in school while they complete their degrees. At the same time, schools and students benefit from having dedicated mental health professionals available to support and work with students. Moreover, in the past three years, 85% of these graduate students, after earning their degree, were subsequently hired into permanent jobs in the schools or in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals.
According to Senator Schumer, Sodus school was awarded a $2.5 million 5-year MSHP grant in 2019, Seneca Falls school was awarded a $6 million 5-year MSHP grant in 2022, of which $2.3M is now being frozen, Nazareth University was awarded a $2.6 million 5-year MSHP grant in 2022, of which over $1 million is now being frozen, and Lyons CSD was awarded a $5 million 5-year MHSP grant last year of which all $5 million is now being frozen. Together, each of the awardees provided mental health professionals earning their graduate degrees from Nazareth University, Roberts Wesleyan University, Syracuse University, St John Fisher, and the University of Rochester with on-the-job training, internships, and placement in more than 18 school districts across the Rochester Finger Lakes region.
Schumer stated that funding cuts will hit school districts throughout the Rochester-Finger Lakes region, including Romulus, Seneca Falls, South Seneca, and Waterloo in Seneca County; East Irondequoit, Gates-Chili, Greece, and Rush-Henrietta in Monroe County; Lyons, Marion, Palmyra-Macedon, and Williamson in Wayne County; and Geneva and Manchester-Shortsville in Ontario County.
Dr. Hennessey Lustica, Project Director in the Seneca Falls and Lyons School Districts, said, “When the federal funding was discontinued, it wasn’t just a line item in a budget that disappeared—it was trusted adults in schools, critical mental health supports, and a lifeline for students in crisis. We saw the progress we had worked so hard to build put at risk overnight. Without sustained investment, rural and underserved communities are left vulnerable to losing the very resources that help their youth thrive.”
Dr. Matt Barr, Superintendent, Lyons School District, said, “The Wellness Workforce Collaborative has brought talented, passionate interns into our schools—people who already understand our community, connect with our students, and step into critical roles from day one. We’ve been able to hire them back as full-time staff, creating stability for kids and families who depend on those relationships. If this funding disappears, so does that pipeline. It means fewer counselors in our halls, longer wait times for support, and more students slipping through the cracks. For our rural communities, the loss will be immediate and deeply felt.”
Schumer said there is a more urgent need for mental health professionals than ever, with an estimated nationwide shortage of over 200,000 mental health professionals, including school counselors, by 2037, that will only worsen without sustained funding. Right now, according to the Associated Press, in Wayne, Ontario, Yates, and Seneca Counties, there is only one mental health provider for every 1,100 students. Some Rochester-Finger Lakes regions impacted have a high population of students who have moved due to economic hardship, impacting their mental health, which school mental health counselors can address. In addition, in a survey of 6th-12th grade students in Wayne County, nearly half reported feeling depressed most of the time, and one in three said their lives lacked clear purpose or meaning.
After his visit to Seneca Falls, Senator Schumer made a stop in Yates County to meet with local farmers and growers and discuss how President Trump’s tariffs are impacting their industries.
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