This bill establishes two main programs to address the shortage of mental health professionals in low-income schools. The first creates a competitive grant program that provides five-year funding to partnerships between low-income school districts and graduate education programs in school counseling, psychology, and social work. These grants can pay for placing graduate students in schools, offering coursework on-site, hiring newly trained providers for their first three years, and developing culturally-competent training programs. The bill authorizes $200 million annually for this grant program. The second program offers student loan repayment assistance to mental health professionals who commit to five years of employment in low-income schools, with a maximum repayment of $200,000 per person. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Education to study and develop a formula for identifying regions with the greatest mental health provider shortages. The legislation affects graduate education programs, low-income school districts, and mental health professionals entering the school-based mental health field, with a goal of moving toward recommended ratios of one counselor per 250 students, one psychologist per 500 students, and one social worker per 250 students.
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