The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has been awarded federal School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMHS) grant funding to launch the “Prioritizing Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining School Psychologists” initiative. This program specifically targets the critical shortage of school psychologists in identified high-need and rural districts across the Commonwealth.
Through this grant, students planning to intern in these priority districts for the upcoming academic year may be eligible for a supplemental stipend. Applications for stipends will be processed based on districts indicating they have secured a school psychology intern for the upcoming school year.
Key Program Details:
• Selective Funding: Awards are not guaranteed. Applications will be reviewed using a competitive rubric, with funding assigned to the highest-scoring districts first until funds are exhausted. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis until funding has been exhausted.
• District Eligibility: Only interns placed in districts on the identified eligible list (meeting specific high-need criteria) are eligible for this additional funding. Districts not on this list are ineligible for these specific supplemental funds.
Application Process
Eligible districts who have an intern can complete the Rolling Enrollment: Prioritizing Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining School Psychologists in High-Needs LEAs application<https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/2fY9jWZUGu>.
Quick Q&A
Which districts are eligible for this funding? Eligibility is limited to high-need and rural Local Education Agencies (LEAs).
How is “High-Need” defined? Eligible districts are defined as those with high student-to-school psychologist staffing ratios and high rates of economic disadvantage. This federal grant also provides additional rubric points for districts identified as rural, reflecting the rural focus of the program. Funding allocation prioritizes districts with the highest psychologist-to-student ratios (indicating significant staffing shortages) and higher percentages of students identified as economically disadvantaged.
How much funding do interns receive? Interns from in-state graduate programs receive $25,000 and are encouraged to apply for the PA HELPS grant, which can bring the total internship funding to $50,000. Interns from out-of-state programs receive $30,000 to supplement the Out-of-State School Psychologist (OOSP) grant through BSE, also bringing the total funding to approximately $50,000.
Who is eligible to apply? Interns from both in-state and out-of-state graduate programs are eligible if they are placed in an identified high-need or rural Pennsylvania LEA.
When we districts receive notification regarding funding decision? Funding determinations will be made by June 15, 2026, and all districts who have applied will be receive written notification of decision.
What are the requirements for recipients? Participants must agree to complete their entire internship in an identified eligible district.
Are there other benefits besides the stipend? Yes. The grant covers Praxis exam fees ($156) and provides specialized PREPaRE Workshop 2 training and materials at no cost to the intern and their supervisor.
When are payments disbursed? Supplemental payments are issued in two installments to the district: one in December and one in May of the internship year.
What is required of the district? Districts must agree that all grant funding will be provided directly to the intern. Districts must also allow the intern and their supervisor to attend training provided by the PaTTAN/PDE team, including PREPaRE training, which helps strengthen the capacity of both the intern and the supervisor. In addition, districts must provide quality supervision, host site visits, and complete an end-of-year survey.
Contacts
Questions on the grant can be directed to either contact below:
Dr. Angela McMasters (amcmasters@pattanpgh.net) – Program Manager
Dr. Dana Milakovic (damilakovi@pa.gov) – Program Director
Click here to view the SBMH List by IU.