City Council Votes to Expand Youth Mental Health Services, Fund 50 New Counselors in Public Schools

The New York City Council voted 39-11 on Wednesday to allocate $12 million for 50 new school-based mental health counselors, part of a broader $240 million community services package approved in the FY2027 budget adjustment. The measure, introduced by Council Member Diana Reyna (D-Brooklyn) and co-sponsored by 18 members, will place the counselors in 50 high-needs public schools across all five boroughs. The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene estimates that the new hires will reduce the average wait time for a first counseling appointment from 23 days to nine days for students in those buildings.

The vote comes amid a 34 percent increase in adolescent emergency room visits for mental health crises since 2022, according to data from the city’s Office of School Health. Local advocates, including the New York Center for Child Health, have long pressed for more on-site mental health staff, noting that only 42 percent of city public schools currently have a full-time counselor. The $12 million line item is drawn from the city’s $1.3 billion Community Recovery Fund, established in 2024 using unspent pandemic-era federal aid. Council staff say the funding is sustainable for at least three fiscal years without requiring new tax increases.

How the new funding will reach neighborhoods

Under the approved plan, the counselors will be assigned to schools in the 15 community districts with the highest rates of child poverty and food insecurity, as measured by the city’s 2025 Poverty Report. Districts in the Bronx, including Morrisania and Hunts Point, will receive 12 counselors; central Brooklyn, including Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, will receive 14; and eastern Queens, including Jamaica and Far Rockaway, will get eight. The remaining 16 counselors will be distributed among schools in Upper Manhattan, Staten Island’s North Shore and southern Westchester County, which contracts with the city for some school health services.

The budget amendment also includes $4.2 million to train teachers and school safety agents to recognize early signs of crisis, and $1.8 million to create after-hours telehealth lines for parents in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Arabic. Council staff project the telehealth service will handle roughly 6,000 calls per month by the end of 2027. Supporters on the council say the package does not reduce per-pupil spending in other categories; opponents during floor debate argued the money should have been directed to after-school programs instead of clinical staff. The final package passed with 11 no votes, all from council members representing districts in the city’s outer suburbs and Staten Island.

What happens next for families

City agencies must begin hiring the counselors within 90 days, according to the legislation. The Department of Education is required to report quarterly to the Council on placement, wait times and the number of students served. Mayor Eric Adams’ office signaled support for the measure in a statement Thursday, saying the administration will “work quickly to put these counselors in classrooms where they are needed most.” The first cohort of counselors is expected to start in affected schools by mid-November. Families can find which schools are included on the Council’s website beginning next week. The full budget adjustment also includes $6 million for summer youth employment slots and $3.5 million for rental assistance for families earning less than 50 percent of area median income, both of which passed with broader bipartisan support.