North Carolina HB 588: School Psychologist Omnibus.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 588

Short Title: School Psychologist Omnibus. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Lambeth, Ball, Paré, and Baker (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 1, 2025
*H588-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ENACT PROVISIONS RELATED TO IMPROVING THE NUMBER AND 2
QUALITY OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS IN NORTH CAROLINA. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
5
PART I. INCREASE COMPENSATION FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS 6
SECTION 1.(a) For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, in addition to any salary received 7
under the teacher salary schedule, school psychologists shall receive the following salary 8
supplements: 9
(1) The sum of six hundred fifty dollars ($650.00) per month. 10
(2) School psychologists who have a Nationally Certified School Psychologist 11
(NCSP) credential shall receive a salary supplement each month of twelve 12
percent (12%) of their monthly salary. 13
SECTION 1.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 14
Public Instruction for the 2025-2026 fiscal year the sum of eight million one hundred thousand 15
dollars ($8,100,000) in recurring funds to provide compensation increases for school 16
psychologists pursuant to this section. 17
18
PART II. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS GRANT PROGRAM 19
SECTION 2.(a) Article 21 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 20
adding a new section to read: 21
"§ 115C-316.6. School Psychologists Grant Program. 22
(a) Program Established. – The Department of Public Instruction shall establish the 23
School Psychologists Grant Program (Program) to improve the safety, mental health, and 24
well-being of students by providing grants to public school units to recruit school psychologists, 25
to the extent funds are made available for this purpose, as follows: 26
(1) Grant application. – A public school unit may submit an application to the 27
Superintendent of Public Instruction to receive a grant pursuant to this 28
subdivision. The application shall identify current and ongoing needs for 29
school psychologist services, including needs related to recruitment. 30
(2) Criteria and guidelines. – The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall 31
consult with the school psychologist recruitment and retention coordinator 32
established in Section 7.8(a)(2) of S.L. 2021-180 to develop criteria and 33
guidelines for the administration and use of the grants under the Program, 34
including any documentation required to be submitted by applicants. 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 588-First Edition
(3) Award of funds. – To the extent funds are made available for this purpose, the 1
Superintendent of Public Instruction shall award grants to public school units 2
to provide signing bonuses to recruit school psychologists, as follows: 3
a. The Superintendent shall prioritize the award of funds to public school 4
units that do not employ a full-time school psychologist at the time the 5
application is submitted. 6
b. No individual bonus shall be greater than five thousand dollars 7
($5,000). 8
c. As a condition of accepting a signing bonus, a school psychologist 9
shall agree to remain employed in the public school unit for at least 10
one year. 11
d. Grants provided to public school units pursuant to the Program shall 12
be used to supplement and not to supplant State or non-State funds 13
already provided for these services. 14
(b) Administration. – The Department shall use up to five percent (5%) of the funds 15
appropriated for the Program each year for the administrative costs of the Program. As part of 16
administering the Program, the Department shall provide sufficient funds for the salary of the 17
school psychologist recruitment and retention coordinator. 18
(c) Report. – No later than April 1, 2026, and each subsequent year thereafter in which 19
funds allocated pursuant to this section are awarded, the Superintendent of Public Instruction 20
shall report on the Program to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and the 21
Fiscal Research Division. The report shall include the identity of each public school unit that 22
received a grant through the Program, the amount of funding provided to the public school unit, 23
and the use of funds by the public school unit." 24
SECTION 2.(b) Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to 25
the Department of Public Instruction for the 2025-2026 fiscal year the sum of five million dollars 26
($5,000,000) in recurring funds to establish and implement the School Psychologists Grant 27
Program pursuant to G.S. 115C-316.6, as enacted by this section. 28
29
PART III. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 30
SECTION 3.(a) Article 21 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 31
adding a new section to read: 32
"§ 1