Dozens of Memphis-area high school students are stepping out of the classroom and into the budget fight, pressing Shelby County and Memphis officials to spend more on school mental health. Members of the Shelby County Youth Council say they want more counselors, safer spaces, and easier access to therapy after months of work on detailed policy recommendations. They began rolling out those demands at a Youth Voices Summit in February and now want their ideas written directly into this year’s city and county budgets.
According to Daily Memphian, the council spent the past six months crafting nearly 20 policy suggestions and is now lobbying to get them included in local spending plans. The outlet reports that council members, including Maura Young, used the Youth Voices Summit to specifically call for hiring more school counselors.
Who Is Behind The Push
According to BRIDGES, the Shelby County Youth Council was created in 2019 to give high school students a formal platform on local policy and represents youth from all 13 county commission districts. BRIDGES hosts the council and gathers student feedback into reports, including the group’s latest Youth Voice Summit recommendations, now headed for budget talks.
Why Students Want More Counselors
Per the American School Counselor Association, school districts should aim for a 250-to-1 student-to-counselor ratio, a benchmark that sits well below the national average of roughly 372-to-1 in the 2024-25 school year. Youth advocates say that the gap leaves counselors stretched thin and pushes more students toward outside clinics or crisis lines when they need help right away.
What The District Already Provides
Memphis-Shelby County Schools already operates a district mental health center that lists more than 70 licensed social workers, school psychologists, and other clinicians on its mental health webpages. Students who spoke with reporters say those services matter, but argue that more frontline school counselors are needed on campus for everyday support and prevention before problems escalate.
What Comes Next
The youth council plans to keep the pressure on budget-makers in the coming weeks to fold its nearly 20 recommendations into city and county spending plans, according to the Daily Memphian. Council members say they will continue meeting with elected officials and community groups until they see concrete line items for school counselors and student mental health infrastructure in the final budgets.
