Establishes a student mental health apprenticeship retention and training (SMART) internship grant program; prescribes conditions for the administration of the student mental health apprenticeship retention and training (SMART) internship grant program; requires the promulgation of necessary rules and regulations.
This bill would create a new Student Mental Health Apprenticeship Retention and Training (SMART) internship grant program within the New York State Education Department. The program is designed to support graduate-level students preparing for school mental health professions, including school social workers, school counselors, and school psychologists, as well as social work licensure candidates. It would provide grant funding to eligible student interns and, separately, modest grants to field supervisors, field instructors, and supervisors who oversee them.
The bill sets out detailed eligibility rules for student recipients. To qualify, a student must be in good standing in an approved graduate-level mental health professional program and be working in a public school internship or supervised role. Priority is effectively directed toward placements in shortage disciplines, schools with at least 50 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, or schools that received state funding in the prior year. The bill allows payment either as hourly support or as a lump sum, and it requires recipients to commit to working in a public school for at least three school years after receiving funding. It also authorizes repayment assistance in extenuating circumstances and requires reporting to state leaders on the program’s status and outcomes beginning one year after enactment.
If enacted, the bill would amend the Education Law by adding a new section establishing this grant program and giving the Education Department authority to administer it, set agreements, monitor evaluations, and determine continued eligibility. It would also create a new state reporting obligation and authorize immediate rulemaking needed to implement the program. The measure would affect graduate students, public schools, school-based mental health staffing pipelines, and supervising professionals, while also potentially influencing hiring and retention in high-need school settings.
The general sentiment reflected by the bill text is strongly supportive of workforce development and school mental health access. Although there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes provided, the structure of the bill suggests a policy goal of addressing shortages in school mental health services by reducing financial barriers for trainees and encouraging them to remain in public school employment after graduation. The bill’s emphasis on paid internships, retention, and service commitments indicates a positive framing around recruitment and long-term staffing stability.
The main points of potential contention are likely to involve cost, administrative complexity, and service-obligation enforcement. The bill creates ongoing grant obligations, requires the department to evaluate eligibility and handle exceptions, and ties funding to school placements and post-graduation service commitments, which could raise concerns about implementation burden or program effectiveness. Some may also question whether the grant amounts, repayment provisions, and three-year service requirement are sufficient or too restrictive, and whether the program should prioritize certain schools or shortage areas over others.
The bill would add a new section to the Education Law establishing a state-administered grant program for school mental health interns and their supervisors. It would authorize the Education Department to distribute payments to eligible graduate students and supervising professionals, impose service and reporting requirements, and create a framework for eligibility, payment timing, evaluation review, and repayment assistance. The measure would directly affect public schools, higher education programs preparing school mental health professionals, and students pursuing school counseling, school psychology, and school social work credentials.
The bill appears to have a generally favorable policy orientation, focused on expanding the pipeline of school mental health professionals and supporting paid internships in public schools. No committee transcript or vote data were provided, so there is no recorded opposition or support from legislators to summarize. Based on the text alone, the proposal is framed as a workforce and student-support initiative intended to improve recruitment, training, and retention in high-need school settings.
Likely areas of contention include the fiscal cost of creating and sustaining the grant program, the administrative burden on the Education Department, and the enforceability of the three-school-year service commitment. The bill also creates eligibility distinctions based on shortage disciplines, high-need schools, and schools that received prior-year funding, which could prompt debate over fairness and targeting. In addition, the use of evaluations to disqualify recipients and the rules governing interruptions in service may be viewed as either necessary accountability measures or overly rigid requirements, depending on the stakeholder.