School Psychologist Omnibus
Senate Bill 259 is a broad school-psychologist workforce bill intended to increase the number and quality of school psychologists in North Carolina. It does this by raising compensation for school psychologists in public schools, creating recurring grant funding for signing bonuses to recruit them, and establishing a stipend-based internship program for school psychology students and field supervisors. The bill also directs funding to UNC institutions and Appalachian State University to expand training capacity, including a virtual school psychology training program in Hickory, with the stated goal of doubling the number of school psychologists produced.
The bill further creates a School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact, which would allow qualified school psychologists licensed in member states to obtain equivalent licenses in North Carolina and vice versa, subject to background checks, state-specific requirements, and compact rules. It designates the State Board of Education as the licensing authority for compact purposes and sets out extensive provisions on governance, information sharing, discipline, rulemaking, enforcement, and withdrawal from the compact. The compact is designed to reduce licensure barriers, improve interstate mobility, and address workforce shortages while preserving each state’s authority over scope of practice and discipline.
The bill would amend Chapter 115C of the General Statutes to add new sections governing school psychologist compensation, recruitment grants, internships, and interstate licensure. It appropriates recurring and nonrecurring General Fund dollars to the Department of Public Instruction, the UNC Board of Governors, and specific UNC campuses, and it creates new statutory duties for DPI and the State Board of Education. It also adds a new interstate compact article that would supersede conflicting state laws to the extent of any conflict and would require North Carolina to participate in compact governance, data sharing, and licensure reciprocity if the compact becomes effective.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the available materials. Based on the bill text, the overall tone is strongly pro-workforce and pro-student-support, emphasizing recruitment, training, retention, and mental health services. The measure appears designed as a policy response to shortages in school psychology services rather than a controversial regulatory rollback.
The main potential points of contention are fiscal and regulatory. The bill commits substantial recurring and nonrecurring appropriations, which may draw scrutiny over cost, ongoing obligations, and whether the funding is sufficient or sustainable. The interstate compact provisions could also raise concerns about state control, administrative complexity, data sharing, and the extent to which North Carolina would be bound by compact rules and a multi-state commission. In addition, some stakeholders may question the one-year service commitment tied to signing bonuses, the prioritization of districts without full-time school psychologists, or whether the compact and training expansions will effectively address shortages without unintended licensure or oversight issues.