The bill creates a new public school-based mental health internship grant program by adding new sections to chapter 28B.77 RCW. The program is administered by “the council” identified in chapter 28B.77 RCW and is designed to help school districts, educational service districts, charter schools, and state‑tribal education compact schools recruit and pay full‑time school psychology interns who are enrolled in an accredited school psychology training program. Grants are one-year, awarded through a competitive process and subject to the availability of amounts appropriated; each grant is equal to either 75 percent of the district’s entry‑level school psychologist salary or 75 percent of the district’s entry‑level salary for an educator with a master’s degree and 45 credits. Eligibility must include enrollment in a school psychologist preparation program and placement as an intern at an eligible district or school that employs a qualified supervisor. The council must coordinate with districts, educational service districts, charter schools, state‑tribal education compact schools, and institutions of higher education to identify placements and supervisors, and must establish an advisory committee to assist implementation. The advisory committee may include school counselors and school nurses and must include representatives of school psychologist and teacher preparation programs and diverse communities; it must make recommendations on grant funding that reflect barriers and best practices. The council, in consultation with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, must report to the legislature by December 1, 2026, and then annually by December 1, with specified data elements (counts of school psychologists and other licensed providers, in‑person and remote employment, numbers of applicants and awards and award amounts, and demographic data on recipients); the report must be posted on the council’s website. The act includes legislative findings about a shortage of school psychologists and the role of internships in addressing shortages, defines “educator” to include a long list of school professional roles, and references the meaning of “school psychologist” to RCW 28A.410.044. This is a new statutory program and reporting requirement (procedural and funding program change), not a criminal or penalty change. The text provided does not specify the formal name of “the council,” the definition of “qualified supervisor,” the text of RCW 28A.410.044, the meaning of “accredited” for training programs, or any appropriation amounts or detailed application and scoring procedures. The bill is identified as S-0920.1 (Senate Bill 5666, 69th Legislature 2025).

If enacted, the state would create a competitive one-year internship grant program that can pay up to 75 percent of an entry-level school psychologist (or equivalent educator) salary to support full-time school psychology interns placed in school districts, educational service districts, charter schools, and state-tribal compact schools; the program would be run by the council, require interns to be in a school psychology preparation program and placed with a qualified supervisor, and it would include an advisory committee and an annual public report to the Legislature starting December 1, 2026. Because grants are subject to whatever money is appropriated, the number of internships funded and the program’s size will depend on future appropriations rather than being guaranteed. The groups most affected are local school employers that can host interns and already have or will need to provide qualified supervisors, higher education programs that place and certify interns, and the interns themselves; districts and schools that receive grants would see reduced salary costs for hosting interns but would take on supervision responsibilities and application work, while the council and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction will have added administrative and reporting duties. Important practical details that will shape how much this helps the workforce—such as the formal identity of the council, the definition of “qualified supervisor,” the total funding available, and specific application and award procedures—are not provided in the extracted text.