Rural schools hit by Trump’s grant cuts have few options for making up for the lost money

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By ANNIE MA

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (AP) — When the funding for Shannon Johnson’s job as a school mental health counselor came to an abrupt end, two years into a five-year grant, she thought about the work left to be done.

Johnson taught elementary and middle-school students in rural Kentucky how to navigate conflict, build resilience and manage stress and anxiety before a crisis happens. Few districts, especially rural ones, can dedicate a full-time role to early intervention amid a national shortage of mental health staff.

Shannon Johnson stands for a portrait at Martha Layne Collins High School, Nov. 18, 2025, in Shelbyville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry) Read Entire Article