HF 1742 Summary

• Establishes student support personnel aid program to address shortages of school counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and chemical dependency counselors in Minnesota schools.

• School districts receive initial aid of $22 per pupil enrolled (minimum $35,000) and charter schools receive $22 per pupil; cooperative units receive $4 per pupil from member districts.

• Aid must be used to hire new student support services positions or, if unable to hire full-time, contracted services from licensed personnel in eligible categories.

• Recipients must submit annual reports by February 1 measuring how new positions affected school climate, attendance, academic achievement, career and college readiness, or postsecondary completion.

• Appropriates $18.7 million for 2022 and $23.2 million for 2023 for student support personnel aid, plus $2.55 million annually for workforce development pipeline strategies to increase providers of color and Indigenous providers.