Trump budget cuts mentors for 700 Tri-Cities students. United Way hopes to save it
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- United Way hires local mentors to revive student support after AmeriCorps exit.
- Program relaunch begins Aug. 21 with six mentors serving elementary, middle schools.
- Community support and recurring funding needed to sustain and expand mentorship.
More than 700 Tri-Cities students were left without mentors after the sudden elimination of the federal AmeriCorps program in April.
For more than a decade AmeriCorps members volunteered with the Attendance Matters program to help Tri-Cities elementary and middle school students build a pathway to successfully graduating high school.
The unexpected closure of the agency left students to finish out the school year without the mentors they’d come to rely on.
Now the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties is looking to save the program with a scaled-back version using local mentors. They’re hiring new mentors as staff members in order to ensure they can guarantee consistency in the program.
While the fate of the AmeriCorps agency is currently wrapped up in lawsuits brought by a coalition of states, funding was eliminated in the final version of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” which set federal spending for fiscal year 2026.
United Way leadership is hoping for the best, but preparing to do what they can to ensure students aren’t left behind.
The program averaged about 20 mentors at nine middle schools through support from AmeriCorps. With local funding the nonprofit hopes to start with six new mentors, who will be ready to support students once school is back in session.
Each school district will get two mentors, one for an elementary school and its corresponding middle school, with the greatest need.
United Way hopes to grow the program, but will need community support through partnerships and recurring commitments.
Community Impact Director Asta Bonheyo said in a news release that the goal is to ensure students continue to feel supported.
“We believe that consistent school attendance is a foundation for student achievement,” Bonheyo said. “This program not only helps kids show up — it ensures they feel seen, supported and encouraged along the way.”
The mentors will work up to 20 hours per work during school hours:
- Helping local kids
- Promoting consistent student achievement
- Conducting individual and group mentoring sessions
- Collaborating with school staff and communicating with families
- Tracking student progress maintaining accurate records
They’re looking for people with strong relationship-building skills, a passion for youth development and a commitment to modeling positive habits.
Bilingual candidates, college students pursuing education or social services and retirees with flexible schedules are encouraged to apply.
“Mentors become trusted adults in the lives of students who may need just a little encouragement to succeed,” Bonheyo said. “This is about real relationships and showing up, literally and figuratively, for our youth.”
Candidates can apply online through the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties’ career page at uwbfco.org/careers. Applications are open until all positions are filled. The new mentors will start Aug. 21 and serve through June 2026.
Job details
- Pay: $16.75 per hour
- Weekdays only when school is in session.
- Must have a high school diploma or GED, reliable transportation and be able to pass a background check.
About Attendance Matters
AmeriCorps provided about $315,000 in direct funding to the Attendance Matters Program in 2023, and about 20 volunteers in that cohort received $78,000 in education awards for their service. Volunteers living away from home were also eligible for a stipend paid through the agency.
After AmeriCorps funding was cut in April, the program was completely eliminated in the FY 2026 federal budget.
AmeriCorps was a national service program with several divisions that help communities with volunteering, disaster response, employment and more.
The National Civilian Community Corps, which sends disaster response teams to communities, was the first to be cut in April. Shortly after, about 85% of the AmeriCorps administration was laid off and $400 million in grant funding was terminated.
The Tri-Cities area benefited from a variety of programs funded and staffed by AmeriCorps.
Those programs included Serve Tri-Cities, a nonprofit centered on increasing reading and math skills in elementary schools across Pasco, which received about $600,000 in funding in 2023 with 30 volunteers.
The largest AmeriCorps program in the area was the Seniors RSVP program, which was a flexible program that relied on seniors to fill critical needs in the community and provide experienced volunteers to local food banks, nonprofits and other organizations.
The seniors program was run through Catholic Charities of Central Washington. While Seniors RSVP only received about $135,000 in 2023, they paired 275 volunteers with local organizations. Their counterpart through Yakima Valley Community College had 350 volunteers that year.
A second senior oriented volunteer program through the Diocese of Yakima paired 170 volunteers with home-bound seniors to provide help and companionship. That program was the most costly in the region, at $1.2 million in 2023.
The cuts to Attendance Matters was the second major hit to the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties because of federal cuts.
Their Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which provided grant funding to local nonprofits through FEMA, saw its federal funding suddenly cut in March.
They also saw a hit to funding to help pay for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Washington state leaders stepped in to keep that funding flowing for at least another year.
To get involved or donate to the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties, visit uwbfco.org.
