Sponsors (115)
The bill increases school-based mental health staffing and targets resources to high-need and tribal schools—improving student access and continuity of care—but requires local matching, imposes eligibility thresholds and administrative rules that may create fiscal strain, uneven access, and privacy/compliance burdens for smaller or cash‑poor districts.
Students in high-need districts will gain increased access to on-site school-based mental health providers (counselors, psychologists, social workers) through targeted hiring and funding, improving timely care and reducing classroom disruptions.
Schools and grant recipients can use funds for recruitment and retention (loan repayment, stipends) and professional development, helping attract and keep mental health providers and improving continuity of services.
The law clarifies eligibility rules, aligns grant recipients with existing Title IV equity and use-of-funds standards, and requires annual public reporting of provider counts and ratios, increasing transparency and consistent program standards across districts.
Local school districts and taxpayers may face added fiscal strain because grantees must provide at least 25% non‑Federal matching funds and the law requires funds to supplement (not supplant) local spending, which can limit participation by cash‑poor districts.
Eligibility cutoffs, state-based 15% thresholds, staff-ratio requirements, and competitive/geographic distribution rules risk creating uneven access across states and districts, leaving some students (especially in rural or narrowly excluded districts) without services.
Smaller districts and nonprofit subgrantees may face significant administrative and compliance burdens (matching rules, Title IV parity, reporting), increasing costs and reducing capacity to apply for or run programs.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Creates a competitive FY2026–FY2030 grant program to help high-need school districts recruit, hire, retain, and diversify school-based mental health providers with a 25% local match and reporting rules.
Introduced June 30, 2025 by Rosa L. Delauro · Last progress June 30, 2025
Creates a competitive federal grant program to help high-need school districts and State education agencies recruit, hire, retain, and diversify school-based mental health providers (counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other covered providers). Grants run up to five years (with possible two-year renewals), require a 25% non-Federal match, reserve small set-asides for administration and Bureau of Indian Education and outlying areas, and require public reporting and compliance with student privacy and special education laws.