Amendment #909 to H4600

Whole Child Grant Program

Mr. Ramos of Springfield moves to amend the bill in section 2 by inserting after item 7010-1196 the following item:

7010-XXXX For a reserve to implement and fund the Whole Child Grant Program established in Section 100 of Chapter 71 of the General Laws as established by Section XX of this act; provided, that the funds appropriated in this item shall not revert to the General Fund but shall be made available for this purpose through June 30, 2026........$15,000,000;

and further moves to amend the bill by inserting the following new section:

SECTION XX. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting, after section 99, the following new section: -

Section 100.

(a) Subject to appropriation, the department of elementary and secondary education shall establish, distribute, and maintain a competitive grant program, to be known as the Whole Child Grant Program, for the purpose of supporting the academic, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of students.

(b) The department of elementary and secondary education, hereinafter referred to as the department, shall promulgate guidelines governing the grant program. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, the following provisions:

(1) Eligibility for the grant program shall be limited to public school districts, as defined in Section 2 of chapter 70 of the general laws, that commit to using the funds for one or more of the following purposes: (i) hiring one or more librarians to ensure that each school library in the district is staffed with a minimum of one full-time librarian certified under section 38G of this chapter; (ii) hiring one or more school nurses to meet the Department of Public Health School Health Services Unit school nurse staffing recommendations and completing an assessment of the health care needs of the student population pursuant to Department of Public Health School Health Services Unit recommendations; (iii) adopting the Massachusetts Model 3.0: A Framework for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs and hiring one or more school counselors certified under section 38G of this chapter to meet a school counselor staffing recommendation which shall be developed by the department and take into account the American School Counselor Association recommendation of at least one full-time school counselor for every 250 students; (iv) hiring one or more school adjustment counselors certified under section 38G of this chapter to meet a school adjustment counselor staffing recommendation which shall be developed by the department; (v) hiring one or more licensed social workers certified under section 38G of this chapter to meet a school social worker staffing recommendation which shall be developed by the department and take into account the National Association of Social Workers recommendation of at least one school social worker for every 250 students; (vi) hiring one or more school psychologists certified under section 38G of this chapter to meet the National Association of School Psychologists recommendation of at least one full-time school psychologist for every 500 students; (vii) implementing elements of the community schools model described in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title IV, Part F, Subpart 2, Section 4622 and including empowering all members of the school community and fostering shared decision-making and accountability; (viii) providing ongoing, specialized, relevant and research-based professional development opportunities to educators, including managers, specific to the role for which they are hired; and (ix) recruitment and retention programs to support the hiring of school personnel pursuant to clauses i-vi of this paragraph; provided, that, such recruitment and retention programs shall prioritize attracting individuals from underrepresented populations to diversify the educator workforce consistent with chapter 132 of the acts of 2019.

(2) The department shall develop a grant application for public school districts to apply for funds under this section. The application shall include, but not be limited to: (i) a requirement that a school district submit a detailed plan for how it will spend grant funds in accordance with paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of this section; (ii) a requirement that a school district, prior to submitting an application, consult with employee organizations, as defined in chapter 150E of the general laws, representing employees within the school district; and (iii) a requirement that grant funds be used to supplement, not supplant, existing district funding for personnel and programs. The department shall also develop a reporting process to ensure that a school district has met or is making reasonable progress toward the purpose or purposes for which it has received grant funding.

(3) The department shall create a per-pupil funding formula to calculate the grant amounts it awards under this section based on available funds appropriated for the program in a fiscal year. The formula shall be on a sliding scale, with the higher per-pupil grant awards going to school districts with the highest shares of students who are designated as low income, as defined in said section 2 of said chapter 70. The formula shall also prioritize providing higher grant amounts to school districts with mid-low percentage of poverty or higher as defined by the National School Lunch Program, and that receive minimal increases in Chapter 70 school aid from the implementation of said chapter 132 of the acts of 2019.

(4) Assuming compliance with this section as determined by the department, which shall include that a school district has met or is making reasonable progress toward the purpose or purposes for which it has received grant funding, grants shall, subject to appropriation, be renewed for one additional year for each school district awarded a grant under this section.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #909 to H4600

Whole Child Grant Program