An Act to amend 20.255 (2) (dt) (title); to repeal and recreate 115.367 of the statutes; Relating to: aid for comprehensive school mental health services and making an appropriation. (FE)
AB339 would replace Wisconsin’s current school mental health grant program with a new categorical aid program for comprehensive school mental health services. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) would reimburse school districts and independent charter schools for qualifying mental health-related expenditures made during in-school or out-of-school time.
The bill specifies a broad list of reimbursable activities and services, including evidence-based improvement strategies, mental health literacy and stigma reduction programs, consultation and training with community providers, parent events, family assistance programs, mental health navigators, system planning, interpreter services, school-employed mental health professionals, telehealth setup and delivery, and projects addressing youth alcohol or other drug use. It also defines several categories of nonreimbursable costs, such as direct treatment services, insurance deductibles, non-mental-health training, salaries for non-mental-health positions, and ordinary school overhead. Reimbursements would be capped at the greater of $100,000 per school or $100 per pupil from the prior year, and DPI would prorate payments if appropriations are insufficient.
AB339 would repeal and recreate Wisconsin Statutes section 115.367 and amend the DPI appropriation under section 20.255 (2) (dt). It would shift state support from a grant model to an ongoing reimbursement-based aid program for school mental health services, while increasing the appropriation by $83,888,000 in each of fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27. The bill would directly affect school districts and independent charter schools by expanding the range of eligible mental health expenditures that can be reimbursed and by establishing a statewide funding formula and cap for those reimbursements.
The bill appears to have been introduced with strong support from a large bipartisan coalition of Assembly and Senate cosponsors, especially lawmakers associated with education, health, and child welfare priorities. The overall framing of the bill suggests favorable sentiment toward expanding school-based mental health resources and making funding more predictable and accessible for schools. No committee transcript or recorded vote information was provided, and the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.
The main policy tension in AB339 is likely fiscal rather than ideological: the bill creates a large new ongoing appropriation and requires reimbursement for a wide array of services, which may raise concerns about state budget cost, administrative oversight, and whether the reimbursement structure is the best way to deliver mental health support. Another possible point of contention is the scope of eligible expenses, including telehealth, navigators, parent programming, and substance-use prevention projects, versus the exclusion of direct treatment and general school operating costs. Because no committee discussion is available, specific objections from supporters or opponents cannot be identified from the record provided.