Minnesota students are facing a mental health crisis—and we’re failing them.

Coming out of the pandemic, young people across the state reported rising levels of anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. But instead of scaling up support, many schools are being forced to do more with less. Pandemic relief funds that temporarily allowed districts to hire school counselors, social workers, and psychologists are drying up. And federal aid that was promised after the 2022 Uvalde school shooting largely skipped over Minnesota—only two grants came to our state.

The result? Minnesota ranks near the bottom nationally in student access to school counselors, with an average ratio of 558 students to just one counselor. In some schools, one counselor is expected to serve over 1,000 kids.

We cannot expect educators to keep putting out fires with no water. Counselors like Jeanette Vyhanek at Wellstone Elementary say it plainly: there's not enough time to meet every child’s needs. And without preventative support, students in distress fall through the cracks.

Programs like the Youth Mental Health Corps and DHS school-based mental health partnerships have made a difference—but they are underfunded and overstretched. We’ve seen what works. Now Minnesota must invest in scaling it statewide.

We call on Governor Tim Walz, the Minnesota Legislature, and the Department of Education to:

• Increase permanent, per-pupil funding for school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and nurses—not just short-term grants.
• Cut student-to-counselor ratios to meet or exceed the national recommendation of 250 to 1.
• Ensure funding reaches rural, urban, and suburban districts equitably so no student is left behind.

Minnesota’s kids can’t wait. Let’s stop reacting to crisis and start building schools where every student has access to the mental health support they need to thrive.

Sign now to demand long-term, stable investment in student mental health support across Minnesota schools.

Photo: Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune