MPUSD’s proposed budget cuts could hit mental health services hard.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about the cuts school districts in Monterey County and across California are making to balance their budgets. 

These cuts mean reducing staff positions or services for students. 

“We’re losing revenue year after year,” Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh told me for a Jan. 29 article about the challenges districts face.

Declining enrollment, higher costs, a larger number of students with disabilities and the drying up of pandemic-era funds are among the factors creating financial hardship.

“The state and federal government don't provide enough funding for special education,” Diffenbaugh says, noting the district only receives 14 percent from the federal government instead of the 40 percent of the costs per student promised by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

MPUSD administrators are proposing a $4 million budget cut that would eliminate 42 full-time positions, including 4.6 school psychologist positions and nine mental health professionals.

During a Jan. 27 meeting of the MPUSD board, many people—including teachers, mental health professionals and board members—shared their concerns about cutting mental health services. 

Cheyenne Ringer, a mental health therapist at Marina High School, told the board the district was part of a statewide program (Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative) and was receiving reimbursements for the mental health services it provided.

“Our team is projected to become a self-sustaining program, and yet, here we are,” Ringer said. “These cuts will not only impact children’s immediate access to life-saving mental health support, they will also undermine a program with the potential to positively contribute to the district's fiscal deficit.”

CYBHI is a five-year, $4.7 billion state initiative to fund mental health services in schools where Medi-Cal and other insurance plans reimburse school districts for providing mental health services. Billable services are expected to expand in the 2026-2027 school year. 

MPUSD began implementing this program in January 2025, but the reimbursement process has been slow. In the past year, MPUSD has submitted 9,290 claims, and so far has received $170,657, with $539,101 still pending.

“The state has not necessarily upheld their end of the bargain to date, not to say that they wouldn't in the future,” Diffenbaugh told the board. 

Diffenbaugh says the district is still gathering feedback and will bring a revised plan to the board before the Feb. 24 meeting, when it is scheduled to make a decision.

The MPUSD trustees will discuss the cuts tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 10 and will host a town hall at Seaside High School Makerspace on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 5pm.