S 1895119th CongressIntroduced

Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act

Introduced: May 22, 2025

EducationHealthcare

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act would create a new program to grow the number of school-based mental health providers (like school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers) by helping graduate students pay for their education. Under the plan, eligible graduate programs would partner with the Secretary of Education to cover a portion of a participating student’s cost of attendance, with the student’s cost also being shared by the institution itself. The program emphasizes public-private cooperation, with institutions potentially covering up to 50% of a student’s costs if the Secretary matches that amount. The bill sets up reporting, evaluation, and oversight requirements and would authorize federal funding to start in 2026 and increase through 2030. The overall goal is to recruit and retain more qualified school-based mental health providers so schools can better support students’ mental health needs.

Key Points

1Program design and funding
2- Establishes the Mental Health Excellence in Schools Program to increase the workforce of school-based mental health providers.
3- Eligible graduate institutions enter agreements with the Secretary to help cover a portion of a participating student’s cost of attendance; the Secretary provides a matching contribution.
4- The Secretary may contribute up to 50% of the student’s cost of attendance if the institution matches that amount.
5Eligible institutions and students
6- Eligible graduate institutions must offer programs leading to graduate degrees in fields like school psychology, school counseling, school social work, or other school-based mental health fields that prepare students for state licensing or certification.
7- A “participating student” is a student enrolled in such a graduate program at an eligible participating institution.
8Agreements and prioritization
9- Each participating institution signs an agreement specifying how it will contribute, the maximum annual contribution per student, the maximum number of students it will support each year, and priority for certain students.
10- The agreement can cover direct grants, scholarships, or other forms of support.
11Outreach and targeted eligibility
12- The Department must publicly list participating institutions and provide details of agreements.
13- Outreach efforts are targeted to students who received Pell Grants or who attended institutions listed in a specific section of the Higher Education Act, aiming to reach economically disadvantaged or underrepresented students.
14Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
15- Institutions must submit annual reports describing: how many students were served, how much of the tuition is covered, how many Pell Grant recipients are involved, and, when applicable, graduation rates and post-graduate employment.
16- An interim report to Congress is due within two years after the first contributions are made.
17- An independent national evaluation must begin within four years, with a final report and recommendations to Congress within 90 days of receiving results.
18Funding and time frame
19- Authorization of appropriations for the program: $20 million in FY2026, $30 million in FY2027, and $50 million for each of FY2028–FY2030.
20Definitions and scope
21- Cost of attendance follows the Higher Education Act definition.
22- The term “eligible graduate institution” refers to those with approved programs in specified school-based mental health fields that prepare students for licensing/certification.
23- “School-based mental health field” includes school counseling, school social work, school psychology, or other fields that lead to employment as a school-based mental health services provider.
24- The “Secretary” means the Secretary of Education.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Graduate students in eligible school-based mental health programs who receive support to help cover their education costs.- Participating graduate institutions that enter into agreements with the Department of Education.Secondary group/area affected- Students who are Pell Grant recipients or who come from institutions listed in the specified Higher Education Act section, targeted for outreach.- School districts and public schools that will benefit from an increased supply of licensed school-based mental health providers.Additional impacts- Increased capacity to recruit and retain qualified school-based mental health professionals, potentially improving access to mental health services for students.- Administrative and reporting requirements on participating institutions and ongoing Department oversight.- Public-private partnership model that relies on both federal funding and private (institutional) contributions, with long-term funding implications for federal education programs.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 3, 2025