When Shannon Johnson’s job as a school mental health counselor came to an abrupt end two years into a five-year grant, she faced an impossible choice: abandon the work she had started with elementary and middle school students in rural Kentucky, or find a position that wasn’t dependent on federal funding. The Trump administration’s decision to discontinue her grant gave her no other option.

Since President Donald Trump’s administration began its sweeping examination of federal grants to schools and universities, millions of dollars for programs supporting mental health, academic enrichment and teacher development have been withheld or discontinued. The Republican administration says the grants do not focus on academics and prop up diversity or inclusion efforts that run counter to White House priorities. While some cancellations have been temporarily paused during legal challenges, schools in states like Kentucky—where state officials are not fighting Washington’s decisions—have found little relief. Shelby County Public Schools, located 30 miles east of Louisville, does not plan to fill Johnson’s former position. Without federal money, it cannot.

The funding loss extends beyond counselors. In Shelby County, where federal spending makes up about 18% of the schools’ budget, grants also help pay for teacher development opportunities, expanded after-school programs including tutoring and clubs, and transportation. Superintendent Joshua Matthews said the programs are not political, and the funding loss only hurts students. “I don’t know about everywhere in the country, but I can tell you in Shelby County, our teachers show up every day to make sure that our kids are well taken care of, and we’re not promoting anything one way or the other,” he said. For rural schools facing these cuts, the effects may not be immediate but will compound over time. As Washington County Superintendent Robin Cochran explained, when larger districts lose funding they may scale back programs—but for rural schools, “it means that it goes away.”

The uncertainty has left educators with unfinished work and few alternatives. Emily Kuhn, a counselor at Eminence Independent Schools north of Shelby County, hopes her district can extend her role beyond this school year when funding runs out. Her position, focused purely on student mental health without the administrative tasks most counselors juggle, allowed her to build trust in the tight-knit community. “It takes more than one year to build that with people here,” Kuhn said. “I’ve noticed a huge difference this year compared to last, of kids coming in and trusting me.” The Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, which manages the grant, unsuccessfully appealed the administration’s decision and reapplied when the Education Department announced it would seek new applicants. But the cooperative was not awarded the new grant—and even if it had been, the revised guidelines limit recipients to hiring school psychologists rather than counselors, a requirement that ignores the shortage of psychologists in rural areas where counselors can be hired more quickly to provide immediate support.