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Read. Follow. Verify.Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act
Last action · May 23, 2024: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.Sponsor: Katherine Clark
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill proposes a federal grant program to help public schools hire and keep more mental health professionals, such as counselors, psychologists, and social workers. It focuses on providing resources to 'high-need' schools to help them reach recommended student-to-provider staffing ratios.
If passed, this bill would create a new federal funding stream for states to provide competitive grants to local school districts specifically for hiring mental health staff in schools serving high-need populations.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Local Educational Agencies
They may apply for competitive subgrants to hire or retain mental health staff.
State Educational Agencies
They must manage the grant application process, provide matching funds, and distribute subgrants to local districts.
Mental Health Professionals
They are the target workforce for recruitment and retention efforts funded by the grants.
Key Facts
- The bill establishes a grant program for states to fund mental health services in high-need public schools.
- States must provide matching funds equal to 20 percent of the federal grant amount received.
- Grants are awarded for a 5-year period, renewable based on progress.
- The Secretary of Education must reserve 0.5% of funds for the Bureau of Indian Education and 0.5% for outlying areas.
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- Up to 2% of total funds are reserved for federal administration and technical assistance.
- States must distribute subgrants to local educational agencies on a competitive basis.
- Priority for subgrants must be given to local agencies serving a significant number of high-need schools.
- The bill sets recommended staffing ratios: 250 students per counselor, 500 per psychologist, and 250 per social worker.
- States must report current student-to-provider ratios in their grant applications.
- Local agencies must prioritize schools with the highest numbers or percentages of students from low-income families.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which schools are eligible for this funding?
What can the grant money be used for?
Do states have to pay for part of this program?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardized Staffing Goals
The bill explicitly codifies specific student-to-provider ratios (250:1 for counselors/social workers, 500:1 for psychologists) as federal benchmarks for school staffing.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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