Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H544 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2223 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 544
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Marjorie C. Decker
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to establish the Whole Child Grant Program.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Marjorie C. Decker25th Middlesex1/15/2025Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/27/2025Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/30/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk1/30/2025Christopher Richard Flanagan1st Barnstable1/30/2025Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex1/31/2025Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/6/2025Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/10/2025Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/10/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/12/2025Mike Connolly26th Middlesex2/13/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester3/3/2025James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex3/3/2025David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester3/11/2025 1 of 5
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2223 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 544
18	18	By Representative Decker of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 544) of
19	19	Marjorie C. Decker and others relative to a program to support the social, emotional and physical
20	20	wellbeing of students and educators in public schools. Education.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act to establish the Whole Child Grant Program.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition,
30	30	2is hereby amended by inserting after section 2AAAAAA the following section:-
31	31	3 Section BBBBBB. Whole Child Grant Program Fund
32	32	4 (a) There is hereby established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate
33	33	5fund, to be administered by the department of elementary and secondary education, which shall
34	34	6be known as the Whole Child Grant Program Fund. The fund shall be credited with: (i)
35	35	7appropriations, bond proceeds or other money authorized or transferred by the general court and
36	36	8specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and private sources,
37	37	9including, but not limited to gifts, grants and donations; and (iii) any interest earned on such
38	38	10money. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money
39	39	11remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall
40	40	12remain available for purposes pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section. 2 of 5
41	41	13 (b) Amounts credited to the fund shall be used, without further appropriation, to
42	42	14administer and fund the Whole Child Grant Program established pursuant to section 100 of
43	43	15chapter 71 of the general laws. If the funds in this account are insufficient to fully fund the grant,
44	44	16the department of elementary and secondary education shall submit to the house and senate
45	45	17committees on ways and means a request for an additional appropriation to fully fund the grant.
46	46	18 (c) Annually, not later than October 1, the department of elementary and secondary
47	47	19education shall report to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the joint
48	48	20committee on education and the house and senate committees on ways and means on the fund’s
49	49	21activities. The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the source and amount of funds
50	50	22received; (ii) the expenditures made from the fund; and (iii) the anticipated funding obligation
51	51	23for the next fiscal year. The report shall be publicly available on the department's website.
52	52	24 SECTION 2. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition,
53	53	25is hereby amended by inserting, after section 99, the following new section:-
54	54	26 Section 100.
55	55	27 (a) The department shall, subject to appropriation, establish and administer a grant
56	56	28program, to be known as the Whole Child Grant Program, for the purpose of providing public
57	57	29school districts, as defined in Section 2 of chapter 70 of the general laws, with funds to support
58	58	30the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of students and educators.
59	59	31 (b) The department shall, subject to the approval of the board, promulgate regulations
60	60	32governing the grant program. The regulations shall include, but not be limited to, the following
61	61	33provisions: 3 of 5
62	62	34 (1) Eligible uses of grant funds shall include, but, not be limited to, the following: (i)
63	63	35hiring one or more school nurses to meet the Department of Public Health School Health
64	64	36Services Unit school nurse staffing recommendations and completing an assessment of the health
65	65	37care needs of the student population pursuant to Department of Public Health School Health
66	66	38Services Unit recommendations; (ii) adopting the Massachusetts Model 3.0: A Framework for
67	67	39Comprehensive School Counseling Programs and hiring one or more school counselors certified
68	68	40under section 38G of this chapter to meet a school counselor staffing recommendation which
69	69	41shall be developed by the department and take into account the American School Counselor
70	70	42Association recommendation of at least one full-time school counselor for every 250 students;
71	71	43(iii) hiring one or more school adjustment counselors certified under section 38G of this chapter
72	72	44to meet a school adjustment counselor staffing recommendation which shall be developed by the
73	73	45department; (iv) hiring one or more licensed social workers certified under section 38G of this
74	74	46chapter to meet a school social worker staffing recommendation which shall be developed by the
75	75	47department and take into account the National Association of Social Workers recommendation of
76	76	48at least one school social worker for every 250 students; (v) hiring one or more school
77	77	49psychologists certified under section 38G of this chapter to meet the National Association of
78	78	50School Psychologists recommendation of at least one full-time school psychologist for every 500
79	79	51students; (vi) hiring other school personnel that directly support the academic, social, emotional
80	80	52and physical wellbeing of students including, but not limited to, education support professionals;
81	81	53(vii) implementing elements of the statewide birth through higher education framework for
82	82	54mental and behavioral health established pursuant to chapter 140 of the acts of 2024; (viii)
83	83	55developing and implementing policies and programs to ensure the academic, social, emotional
84	84	56and physical wellbeing and safety of students and educators; (ix) providing ongoing, specialized, 4 of 5
85	85	57relevant, and research-based professional development opportunities to educators, including
86	86	58administrators, that are specific to the role for which they are hired and that foster the
87	87	59development of trauma-sensitive environments for students and educators; (x) developing and
88	88	60implementing policies related to student access to cell phones, other technological devices and
89	89	61social media during the school day and on school grounds; and (xi) recruitment and retention
90	90	62programs to support the hiring of school personnel pursuant to clauses i-vi of this paragraph;
91	91	63provided, that, such recruitment and retention programs shall prioritize attracting individuals
92	92	64from underrepresented populations to diversify the educator workforce consistent with chapter
93	93	65132 of the acts of 2019.
94	94	66 (2) As a condition for receiving grants under this section, the department shall require
95	95	67school districts to submit a plan that details how grant funds will be allocated in accordance with
96	96	68paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of this section. School districts shall work with employee
97	97	69organizations, as defined in chapter 150E of the general laws, representing employees within the
98	98	70school district to develop said plans and school districts shall agree to use the grant funds to
99	99	71supplement, not supplant, existing district funding for personnel and programs.
100	100	72 (3) The department shall establish and administer an annual reporting process to monitor
101	101	73whether a school district has met or is making reasonable progress toward the stated purpose or
102	102	74purposes for the grant funding that are outlined in its plan. Assuming compliance with this
103	103	75section, as determined by the department, grants shall be renewed annually, subject to
104	104	76appropriation.
105	105	77 (c) The department shall disburse funds to school districts on a per-pupil basis in
106	106	78accordance with the following formula: $150 per pupil for districts in which 20 percent or more 5 of 5
107	107	79of the students are designated as low-income, as defined in said section 2 of said chapter 70;
108	108	80$100 per pupil for districts in which 10 to 20 percent of students are designated as low-income,
109	109	81as so defined; and $50 per pupil for districts in which less than 10 percent of students are
110	110	82designated as low-income, as so defined.