North Carolina SB 636: Fund-Raising in Session.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 636

Short Title: School Psychologist Omnibus. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Bradley, Everitt, and Grafstein (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S636-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) The Department of Public Instruction shall establish the School Psychologists Grant 23
Program (Program) to improve the safety, mental health, and well-being of students by providing 24
grants to public school units to recruit school psychologists, to the extent funds are made 25
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
develop criteria and guidelines for the administration and use of the grants 32
under the Program, including any documentation required to be submitted by 33
applicants. 34

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 636-First Edition
(3) Award of funds. – The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall award grants 1
to public school units to provide signing bonuses to recruit school 2
psychologists, as follows: 3
a. The Department 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) Report. – No later than April 1, 2026, and each subsequent year thereafter in which 15
funds allocated pursuant to this section are awarded, the Superintendent of Public Instruction 16
shall report on the Program to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and the 17
Fiscal Research Division. The report shall include the identity of each public school unit that 18
received a grant through the Program, the amount of funding provided to the public school unit, 19
and the use of funds by the public school unit." 20
SECTION 2.(b) Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to 21
the Department of Public Instruction for the 2025-2026 fiscal year the sum of one million seven 22
hundred thousand dollars ($1,700,000) in recurring funds to establish and implement the School 23
Psychologists Grant Program pursuant to G.S. 115C-316.6, as enacted by this act. 24
25
PART III. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 26
SECTION 3.(a) Article 21 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 27
adding a new section to read: 28
"§ 115C-316.7. School psychologists internship program. 29
(a) The Department of Public Instruction shall establish an internship program for school 30
psychologists in public school units. Participants in an approved full-time school psychology 31
preparation program shall receive up to a 10-month stipend during the internship period of the 32
program. The stipend shall be at the beginning salary of a school psychologist. The school 33
psychology preparation program where the intern is enrolled shall provide the Department of 34
Public Instruction with certification that the intern is an eligible full-time student. 35
(b) Field supervisors in public school units provi