North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S636 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 1
4		-	SENATE BILL 636
	3	+	S D
	4	+	SENATE BILL DRS15193-MTa-60
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: School Psychologist Omnibus. (Public)
8	9		Sponsors: Senators Bradley, Everitt, and Grafstein (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	Referred to: ~~Rules and Operations of the Senate~~
10		-	~~March 26, 2025~~
11		-	~~S636 -v-1~~
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRS15193 -MTa-60
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT TO ENACT PROVISIONS RELATED TO IMPROVING THE NUMBER AND 2
14	15		QUALITY OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS IN NORTH CAROLINA. 3
15	16		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
16	17		5
17	18		PART I. INCREASE COMPENSATION FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS 6
18	19		SECTION 1.(a) For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, in addition to any salary received 7
19	20		under the teacher salary schedule, school psychologists shall receive the following salary 8
20	21		supplements: 9
21	22		(1) The sum of six hundred fifty dollars ($650.00) per month. 10
22	23		(2) School psychologists who have a Nationally Certified School Psychologist 11
23	24		(NCSP) credential shall receive a salary supplement each month of twelve 12
24	25		percent (12%) of their monthly salary. 13
25	26		SECTION 1.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 14
26	27		Public Instruction for the 2025-2026 fiscal year the sum of eight million one hundred thousand 15
27	28		dollars ($8,100,000) in recurring funds to provide compensation increases for school 16
28	29		psychologists pursuant to this section. 17
29	30		18
30	31		PART II. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIS TS GRANT PROGRAM 19
31	32		SECTION 2.(a) Article 21 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 20
32	33		adding a new section to read: 21
33	34		"§ 115C-316.6. School Psychologists Grant Program. 22
34	35		(a) The Department of Public Instruction shall establish the School Psychologists Grant 23
35	36		Program (Program) to improve the safety, mental health, and well-being of students by providing 24
36	37		grants to public school units to recruit school psychologists, to the extent funds are made 25
37	38		available for this purpose, as follows: 26
38	39		(1) Grant application. – A public school unit may submit an application to the 27
39	40		Superintendent of Public Instruction to receive a grant pursuant to this 28
40	41		subdivision. The application shall identify current and ongoing needs for 29
41	42		school psychologist services, including needs related to recruitment. 30
42	43		(2) Criteria and guidelines. – The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall 31
43	44		develop criteria and guidelines for the administration and use of the grants 32
44	45		under the Program, including any documentation required to be submitted by 33
45		-	applicants. 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
46		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 636-First Edition
	46	+	applicants. 34
	47	+	FILED SENATE
	48	+	Mar 25, 2025
	49	+	S.B. 636
	50	+	PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	51	+	Page 2 DRS15193-MTa-60
47	52		(3) Award of funds. – The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall award grants 1
48	53		to public school units to provide signing bonuses to recruit school 2
49	54		psychologists, as follows: 3
50	55		a. The Department shall prioritize the award of funds to public school 4
51	56		units that do not employ a full-time school psychologist at the time the 5
52	57		application is submitted. 6
53	58		b. No individual bonus shall be greater than five thousand dollars 7
54	59		($5,000). 8
55	60		c. As a condition of accepting a signing bonus, a school psychologist 9
56	61		shall agree to remain employed in the public school unit for at least 10
57	62		one year. 11
58	63		d. Grants provided to public school units pursuant to the Program shall 12
59	64		be used to supplement and not to supplant State or non-State funds 13
60	65		already provided for these services. 14
61	66		(b) Report. – No later than April 1, 2026, and each subsequent year thereafter in which 15
62	67		funds allocated pursuant to this section are awarded, the Superintendent of Public Instruction 16
63	68		shall report on the Program to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and the 17
64	69		Fiscal Research Division. The report shall include the identity of each public school unit that 18
65	70		received a grant through the Program, the amount of funding provided to the public school unit, 19
66	71		and the use of funds by the public school unit." 20
67	72		SECTION 2.(b) Appropriation. – There is appropriated from the General Fund to 21
68	73		the Department of Public Instruction for the 2025-2026 fiscal year the sum of one million seven 22
69	74		hundred thousand dollars ($1,700,000) in recurring funds to establish and implement the School 23
70	75		Psychologists Grant Program pursuant to G.S. 115C-316.6, as enacted by this act. 24
71	76		25
72	77		PART III. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 26
73	78		SECTION 3.(a) Article 21 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 27
74	79		adding a new section to read: 28
75	80		"§ 115C-316.7. School psychologists internship program. 29
76	81		(a) The Department of Public Instruction shall establish an internship program for school 30
77	82		psychologists in public school units. Participants in an approved full-time school psychology 31
78	83		preparation program shall receive up to a 10-month stipend during the internship period of the 32
79	84		program. The stipend shall be at the beginning salary of a school psychologist. The school 33
80	85		psychology preparation program where the intern is enrolled shall provide the Department of 34
81	86		Public Instruction with certification that the intern is an eligible full-time student. 35
82	87		(b) Field supervisors in public school units providing instruction to school psychology 36
83	88		interns receiving stipends in accordance with this section shall be eligible to receive one lump 37
84	89		sum salary supplement of between five hundred dollars ($500.00) and one thousand two hundred 38
85	90		dollars ($1,200) in an amount to be determined by the public school unit." 39
86	91		SECTION 3.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 40
87	92		Public Instruction the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) in recurring funds for the 41
88	93		2025-2026 fiscal year to establish and implement the school psychologists internship program 42
89	94		pursuant to G.S. 115C-316.7, as enacted by this act. 43
90	95		44
91	96		PART IV. FUNDS FOR A VIRTUAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAM 45
92	97		SECTION 4. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors 46
93	98		of The University of North Carolina for the 2025-2026 fiscal year the sum of five million dollars 47
94	99		($5,000,000) in nonrecurring funds to be allocated to Appalachian State University (ASU) to 48
95	100		host a virtual school psychology training program at the ASU campus in Hickory, North Carolina. 49
96	101		50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
97		-	~~Senate Bill 636-First Edition~~ Page 3
	102	+	DRS15193-MTa-60 Page 3
98	103		PART V. INCREASE FUNDS FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST TRAINING 1
99	104		PROGRAMS 2
100	105		SECTION 5. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors 3
101	106		of The University of North Carolina the sum of one million six hundred thousand dollars 4
102	107		($1,600,000) in recurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to be allocated to the following 5
103	108		constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina to support the school psychology 6
104	109		programs at those institutions with the goal of doubling the number of school psychologists 7
105	110		produced: 8
106	111		(1) Appalachian State University. 9
107	112		(2) East Carolina University. 10
108	113		(3) The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 11
109	114		(4) The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 12
110	115		(5) Western Carolina University. 13
111	116		14
112	117		PART VI. EFFECTIVE DATE 15
113	118		SECTION 6. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 16