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County education leaders warn federal grant cancellation would gut school mental‑health internships and mobile crisis services
Summary
Solano County Office of Education staff told the board that a U.S. Department of Education notice of non‑continuation for a mental‑health demonstration grant threatens clinical supervisor positions, internship stipends and mobile crisis capacity; staff said they are appealing and exploring legal options while tracking other at‑risk federal grants.
Dr. Nikki Parr, SCOE senior director of student services, told trustees the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice on April 29 that the county’s mental‑health demonstration grant will not be renewed, and said the loss would remove critical staff and services supporting school‑based mental health.
"This grant has been instrumental in expanding our mental health intern program," Dr. Parr said, explaining the award funded two clinical supervisors and a training‑coordinator position that support about 17 current interns placed at school sites. Camden Webb, SCOE director of clinical services, added: "We had 252 calls" in the first post‑pandemic year for the mobile crisis unit — far above initial estimates of 45–60 — underscoring the county’s reliance on the program to divert students from emergency rooms and law enforcement responses.
The board heard program details: SCOE runs a mobile crisis response in partnership with districts and county behavioral health, operates a clinician‑based postvention and suicide prevention training program, and is participating in a state cohort to establish billing for private insurance and fee‑schedules. Staff said 13 of 14 LEAs are enrolled in a cohort aimed at starting billing by 2026 and described seed allocations to build billing infrastructure.
Trustees pressed staff on concrete impacts. Dr. Parr said the grant paid stipends and positions that would likely be lost: "We would lose those two clinical supervisors in our clinical intern program," she said, and noted the grant supported a coordinator for trainings and a student‑support specialist. Board members asked about where clinicians meet students (wellness centers or private offices vary by site), about insurance and liability for emergency holds, and about whether other federal or state funding streams could compensate if the DOE decision stands.
Staff described mitigation steps: they are assembling documentation to appeal through congressional offices, working with California County Superintendents and legal counsel Megan Macy (Lozano Smith) to review administrative remedies, and pursuing other grants or local allocations to sustain core services for a limited time. Dr. Parr said the department is following DOE closeout procedures while advocating for continuation.
The presentation highlighted broader risk: SCOE staff reported another federal grant (the "reCAST" violence‑prevention grant) is under review and flagged roughly $2.7 million remaining on one discontinued grant’s cycle; staff warned that multiple federal and one‑time private grants end June 30, creating budgetary pressure for FY26. Michelle Henson, deputy superintendent for administrative services, said staff are modeling scenarios for the upcoming proposed budget and will bring recommended adjustments to trustees as the May Revise and local revenue projections are finalized.
The board did not take formal action tonight beyond directing staff to continue appeals and provide additional budget risk analysis for the June budget documents.
