It Wasn’t in the Budget

It Wasn’t in the Budget

The staff was overwhelmed.

Some children were showing signs of trauma—night terrors, food hoarding, withdrawal, aggression.

Teachers tried everything. They brought snacks from home, sat through meltdowns, stayed late to talk to parents. But they weren’t therapists.

They needed backup.

So we made the case: a part-time consultant could provide strategies, coach staff, support families, help children build regulation skills before things spiraled.

The board nodded. They agreed it was needed.

But then came the budget meeting.

Cuts had to be made. There was no extra money.

So instead of a mental health consultant, they voted for more technology upgrades.

Instead of trauma support, they funded new iPads.

“It’s a tough year,” they said. “Maybe next cycle.”

Meanwhile, one of our students was suspended for biting a teacher.

Another started hiding under tables every time someone raised their voice.

And one little girl—whose mother had just been incarcerated—stopped speaking altogether.

The need didn’t go away. It just got quieter.

We keep talking about school readiness. But how do we prepare children for school when the school isn’t ready for them?

We can’t afford to treat emotional support like a luxury.

Because every time we say “it wasn’t in the budget,” what we’re really saying is: they weren’t worth it.

Reflection

When budgets force us to choose, what do our choices reveal about what—and who—we value most?
How might your own setting respond if the emotional needs of children were weighed with the same urgency as academic goals or technology upgrades?