An Act to create 39.396 of the statutes; Relating to: a school psychologist loan program. (FE)
Summary
AB270 creates a new school psychologist loan program administered by the Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB). The program would provide eligible Wisconsin graduate students enrolled at least half-time in a school psychologist training program with loans of up to $10,000 per year for up to three years, for a maximum of $30,000. To qualify, students must be Wisconsin residents, attend an in-state institution of higher education, and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.
The bill also establishes a loan forgiveness incentive tied to service in schools. For each school year a recipient works full-time as a school psychologist in a public or private elementary or secondary school in an urbanized area, or in a school district in a rural county, HEAB must forgive 25 percent of both the principal and interest. The bill defines key terms such as “rural county,” “urbanized area,” and “school psychologist,” and directs HEAB to request funding for the program in its 2027-29 biennial budget submission.
Impact
AB270 would add a new section to Wisconsin statutes, creating s. 39.396 and expanding HEAB’s student loan authority to include a targeted workforce-development program for school psychologists. It would affect graduate students, school psychology training programs, HEAB administration, and public and private elementary and secondary schools that employ school psychologists. The bill also requires loan repayments and interest to be deposited into the general fund as general purpose revenue, and it includes a nonstatutory budget-request directive for future program funding.
Sentiment
The available record shows limited direct debate or recorded votes, so there is no detailed committee sentiment to assess. The bill’s design suggests a generally supportive policy approach focused on addressing school psychologist shortages through financial incentives and loan forgiveness. However, because the bill failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, it did not advance to enactment despite its workforce recruitment purpose.
Contention
No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so specific points of contention are not documented. Based on the bill text, potential areas of disagreement could include the cost of the loan program, whether loan forgiveness should apply in both rural counties and urbanized areas, the use of state funds for a profession-specific incentive, and whether the eligibility and forgiveness structure is sufficient to recruit and retain school psychologists. The bill’s failure to pass indicates it did not secure the necessary legislative support.
Includes licensed school psychologists under the provisions of the general laws governing the regulations of psychologists and expands the licensing of school psychologists for independent practice.
Includes licensed school psychologists under the provisions of the general laws governing the regulations of psychologists and expands the licensing of school psychologists for independent practice.