San Antonio City Council Meeting - April 21, 2026

This meeting of the San Antonio City Council, held on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM, focused on two major presentations: the Bexar County Continuum of Care project for juvenile justice reform and the city's youth mental health initiatives. Council members also reviewed a new data visualization dashboard and approved the previous meeting's minutes. Public comment was heard from a representative of a school-based mental health support organization.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The council unanimously approved the minutes from the previous meeting. No corrections were offered. All members present voted in favor, with no opposition or abstentions.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Speaker from "Calibre de las Escuelas" (school-based support organization): The speaker expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to address the council and highlighted the importance of accessible mental health support for families. They shared a story of a family of six who had lost all belongings and were living in a single room with one bed; through community resources, the organization provided beds so children could sleep in their own beds for the first time, restoring dignity and routine. The speaker emphasized that strong schools lead to a strong community and that the city's work is inseparable from school quality. They noted that 99 students are currently completing case management.

Discussion Items

Bexar County Continuum of Care Project (Item 2)

• Presenter: Erika Ferry, from the Institute for Policy Impact, presented a strategic planning process funded by OJJDC (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention). The goal is to promote a continuum of care for youth at risk of entering the justice system, using quantitative and qualitative data.
• Key data shared: School discipline disparities were shown, with Black students disproportionately affected. Suspension rates, both in-school and out-of-school, were mapped by zip code, revealing higher rates in southern areas with fewer resources. The presentation also covered risk factors such as academic failure, low socioeconomic status, and special education services.
• Priority Action Areas: Three of seven priorities were highlighted: (1) Expanding school-based restorative practices and mental health services; (2) Reducing punitive penalties for behavior by developing scalable alternatives (e.g., Southwest ISD program); (3) Investing in workforce development and training, including mentorship programs and community training.
• Councilmember Munguía asked about the Southwest ISD diversion program and noted that a change in state law from misdemeanor to grave offense had increased consequences. He inquired about resource gaps in specific zip codes (particularly 7209 and 72091) and the need for mobile services. He also questioned why priority #2 was not discussed; the presenter offered to share all seven priorities in the full report.
• Councilmember Mickey Rodríguez expressed concern about racial bias in school discipline, stating that Black students are often perceived as more aggressive and disciplined more harshly than white students. She asked what steps are being taken to address cultural bias among teachers and administrators. The presenter replied that a multi-layered systemic change approach is needed, including trauma-informed care and changing professional mindsets. The presenter also noted that school districts Southwest ISD, Northside ISD, and Central ISD are participating, and that Jacobs (a councilmember from another entity?) is a partner.
• Councilmember Core requested that the backup data for discipline slides (specifically how disproportionality was determined) be shared. She cautioned that school discipline data can be subjective, as some schools may over- or under-report incidents, and urged careful interpretation. She also asked about coordination with the city's violent crime plan (Phase 3) and the integrated community safety office. The presenter welcomed additional collaboration and noted that action committees are volunteer-based.
• Councilmember Castillo asked about zip codes in District 5 (Harnall ISD) and requested data on how many youth have incarcerated parents. He emphasized the need to support families with incarcerated parents and asked about diversion processes from both juvenile and adult jails. He also raised the issue of federal executive orders potentially limiting race-based approaches, but the presenter noted that systemic changes can still address disparities.

Youth Mental Health Initiatives (Item 3)

• Presenter: Jessica Weaver, Metro Health. She reviewed the history of youth mental health efforts since 2021, including community sessions that led to 20 two-year contracts totaling $15.5 million. Over 6,000 children have received individual or group therapy. Fifty-two percent of services were provided in schools. Contracts cover areas such as East North Side, South, and school districts.
• Upcoming events: The third annual Mental Health Summit will be held on October 30, 2026, focused on school safety and integrating psychological and physical security. A youth mental health survey is open until May 10, 2026. Metro Health is also monitoring the impact of new state legislation (SB12 and HB11) and tracking hospitalizations and ER visits.
• Councilmember Mickey Rodríguez thanked staff and requested high-resolution flyers for council offices.
• Councilmember Munguía thanked Jessica and noted a new committee on school safety (chaired by the president) to ensure focus on student well-being.
• Councilmember Castillo praised the work and noted that Rebecca Flores is leading youth commission conversations. He emphasized the need to align resources with high-impact schools and coordinate mobile services.
• Councilmember Core asked about the TeCA program (state telehealth for psychiatry and counseling), which is expanding post-COVID. She noted that state funding could help as local grants expire. She also stressed that city dollars have power to support school-based services and urged advocacy at the state level for more school funding. She asked Jessica to identify the biggest barrier: Jessica responded that having full-time clinical staff in schools is effective but requires significant funding, and school districts are facing budget cuts, making it the top barrier.
• Council President noted that mental health impacts attendance and learning, and asked how services address social determinants like housing and food security. Jessica replied that contracted partners handle those referrals and that families receive case management. She confirmed they track referrals to partners for housing, utilities, or food.

Data Visualization Dashboard (Item 4)

• Presenter: Alejandra López (and Bethany) from the city's analytics team presented a prototype dashboard based on committee feedback. It includes three indicators: Kindergarten readiness, third-grade reading proficiency, and youth opportunity (workforce participation via Ready to Work).
• Maps shown: Kindergarten readiness data (number of participants at library events by zip code, with some exclusions noted); third-grade reading proficiency comparing to Metro Health data (2025); youth opportunity map showing participants in Ready to Work.
• Councilmember Core commented that the maps are impactful, particularly the stark north-south difference in kindergarten readiness. She noted that third-grade reading maps show more homogeneity, indicating school district efforts. She asked about data collection methods (library events have no barriers; attendance is simply counted). She suggested overlaying mental health crisis maps with poverty data to see correlations.
• Councilmember Munguía liked the prototype and asked for the ability to click on specific events to see weekly activities at libraries or parks. He noted that libraries in his district (e.g., Lyndon) are popular, so attendance reflects demand rather than need. He suggested using the data to recruit families in underserved areas to attend programs.
• Councilmember Castillo echoed interest in overlaying demographic data and understanding where demand exists versus where services happen. He asked about granularity and suggested collecting parent/student information to help target outreach.
• Presenter response: They acknowledged the feedback and will continue refining the dashboard with additional layers and data sources.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes approved unanimously.
• No formal votes were taken on the presentations. Council members expressed support for the initiatives and requested follow-up information:
  • Councilmember Core requested the backup data for discipline slides.
  • Councilmember Mickey Rodríguez requested high-resolution flyers for mental health summit information.
  • Councilmember Munguía and others requested a meeting to connect city funding (e.g., general fund grants) with school mental health programs and the Bexar County Continuum of Care.
  • Council President noted the need to track how many students involved in municipal court or truancy programs are also receiving mental health services, and asked Metro Health to explore ways to capture that data.
• Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 11:47 AM.