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The funding brought innovative programs to Wisconsin that gave hundreds of rural students access to mental health care in their school buildings, brought free school therapy sessions to families in Chippewa Falls and helped a La Crosse school support students who were 鈥渟lipping through the cracks.鈥�

鈥淚 definitely feel that we've lost something,鈥� Logan High School English teacher Garrett Carlson said now that his La Crosse school鈥檚 federal grant funding has run out.

Trump鈥檚 proposed budget from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and folds the agency into a new division.

SAMHSA already lost about a third of its staff this year due to federal workforce reductions, and many regional offices have closed, .

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and three other U.S senators wrote a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. condemning Trump鈥檚 plan to 鈥渄issolve鈥� SAMHSA. Baldwin said SAMHSA has helped Wisconsin families.聽

鈥淎t a time when America is in a dual mental health and substance use crisis, a time when youth suicide is at all-time highs, a time when synthetic opioids are destroying communities and taking lives, this proposed destruction of SAMHSA will harm the American people,鈥� Baldwin and the senators said.

鈥淲e are not shuttering SAMHSA,鈥� Kennedy said during . 鈥淲e want to shift that function into a place where we're going to be able to administrate it more efficiently. And that鈥檚 all.鈥�

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Trump鈥檚 plan would consolidate five health agencies, including SAMHSA, into one: the Administration for a Healthy America.聽聽Much of SAMHSA鈥檚 budget would remain, including $520 million for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, $125 million for children鈥檚 mental health and $121 million for Project AWARE, a grant program created after the Sandy Hook shooting.

SAMHSA said via email June 9 that its work continues and that its school mental health funding 鈥渉as been a long-standing area of work with broad bipartisan support.鈥�

鈥淭he investment in children鈥檚 health and well-being is invaluable, and the important ongoing work by SAMHSA to support children鈥檚 mental health continues across the United States,鈥� SAMHSA said.

Here鈥檚 how one SAMHSA grant, Project AWARE, has helped three Wisconsin schools:

Bridging gaps in the North Woods

Lakeland Area Consortium School Districts cover more than 800 square miles in rural northern Wisconsin 鈥� the largest district geographically in the state, said district mental health coordinator Adam Nowak.

鈥淪ome students travel an hour one way to get to high school,鈥� Nowak said. 鈥淭ransportation is a major barrier for us.鈥�

For students who need mental health help, that鈥檚 a big problem.

It鈥檚 unrealistic for a parent to take off work and pull their child out of school for hours to drive to a mental health provider, Nowak said.

That鈥檚 where the Project AWARE grant comes in. Lakeland was one of three school districts selected in 2019 for a five-year, $1.8 million annual grant.

Nowak was hired to build connections with mental health providers so Lakeland could bring therapists into the schools.

鈥淲e were known as a deficient area for mental health providers,鈥� Nowak said. 鈥淧art of what we鈥檙e really trying to do is (create) a more accessible and convenient venue for these services through the school districts.鈥�

Lakeland now partners with 17 providers, giving families options to find a therapists who are covered by insurance and good fits for their children. Some are telehealth providers, but most are in-person.

Several hundred students have accessed mental health care at school through the program, Nowak said.聽In February, 162 students were seeing mental health professionals in person and another 14 via telehealth.

The program is not only more convenient for families, but also more accessible, Nowak said. Families tell Nowak they wait six to eight months for community counseling. At Lakeland schools, the wait is three to four weeks.

鈥淭he biggest thing that I champion is that families and students that want care, that are seeking care, should have access to care,鈥� Nowak said. 鈥淭his is one way that we're able to bring it to them in rural communities.鈥�

With the program in place, the main ongoing cost is Nowak鈥檚 position. Though the grant has ended, Lakeland has added his role to its budget and is receiving private funds.

In April, the district received a $55,000 grant聽to expand its school mental health program from the WEA Member Benefits Foundation, Inc., which provides mental health funding to 17 school districts.

Horses, music and mental health

The Chippewa Falls school district used Project AWARE funds to expand its mental health resources in creative ways, including providing free therapy sessions and even horse therapy.聽

The district has had a school-based mental health program similar to Lakeland's for 11 years, but the grant helped increase the number of students who used school therapy from 190 in the 2019-20 school year to 307 in the 2022-23 school year, according to annual reports. Mental health provider partnerships increased from 18 to more than 30.

"We're definitely seeing a significant increase now of mental health needs that are being supported within the school,"聽said Jamie Ganske, the district's mental health and resiliency coordinator.

To meet those needs, the district provides four free counseling sessions to families through a program that was launched in 2018. Project AWARE allowed the district to expand program availability and offer four additional free sessions for youth and parent coaching. Two local organizations, REALiving and the聽Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, also provide financial support for the program.聽

Shannon Larson, the district's mental health navigator, said the free sessions have been a big help to struggling families who can't afford mental health care. She selects providers covered by insurance even for the free sessions in case families want to continue care.聽聽

One new program started during the Project AWARE grant brings miniature therapy horses into the schools to make addressing mental health more approachable and exciting for students, Ganske said.聽

Three miniature horses 鈥� Mocha, Willow and Grandma Oreo 鈥� have visited the district so far, Ganske said. A horse handler and licensed therapist from local equestrian center Holly's Place led small group sessions, using the horses to talk with students about grief, friendship and social skills.聽聽

Ganske said the horses help students who internalize their feelings feel safe and open up about their mental health. One group of girls became friends with one another after a session. Ganske said the results are "heartwarming."聽

The district also partnered with groups offering therapy聽sessions centered around music and video games. Ganske said it's important to have options so staff can find what works best for each student.聽

"Not everybody utilizes the same coping strategies when they go through rough times in life," Ganske said.聽

Though the grant has ended, Ganske said the programs are popular and the district and community support them.

Larson's position as a navigator to help coordinate providers and refer families into services has been covered by state and district funding.

Ganske was hired as Chippewa Valley High School's principal so she could continue her coordinator work while being funded by the school budget. Ganske said it was a "good fit" because she has a principal license.聽

Ganske said she's also optimistic that Chippewa Falls and other schools will get more funding from the state Legislature for mental health.聽

"It's not a Chippewa Falls-specific problem," Ganske said. "I feel very confident that there will be a good case to continue providing funding for mental health supports in schools."聽

A better school culture

Logan High School in La Crosse took a different approach to using the Project AWARE funds they received from 2019 to 2024.

Logan used the funding primarily for staff education and awareness, as well as regular surveys of students. Carlson, who was on the mental health awareness team, said the program helped improve the school climate.

The surveys asked if students felt connected and had trusted adults at school.聽

鈥淲e caught so many kids, who we wouldn't have known, who were maybe slipping through the cracks in terms of social connection,鈥� Carlson said.

Carlson said the team then notified teachers of students who needed more support.

鈥淚t wasn't something that added onto a lot of teachers' plates,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淛ust saying, 鈥楬ey, here's a kid in your classroom that doesn't really have anyone. See if you can just check in on them more often, and let them know that you're there for them.鈥欌��

Each year from the fall to spring, "significantly more students" said on surveys they felt comfortable at school and had an adult staff member they could turn to when they were struggling with their mental health or other issues, Carlson said.

Staff also improved in teaching emotional skills in the classroom, Carlson said.聽

For example, the number of teachers who reported fostering healthy discussions "often" increased from 53% to 72% from 2023 to 2024. Teachers made sure students listened to each other, affirmed others鈥� ideas, disagreed respectfully and asked questions.

Carlson said he also saw improvements in the school culture. More students became involved in clubs, sports, pep rallies, academic events and school dances. Overall school attendance increased as well.

Carlson said he is sad to see the Project AWARE grant go because he thinks these strides could be lost in a few years time.聽

鈥淚t does feel like our school is a safer, more inclusive, more positive place to be,鈥� he said.