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State school‑psychology intern pay flat‑funded for years; association asks Senate to raise line item to retain trainees
Summary
The Ohio School Psychologists Association and university programs asked senators to increase the school‑psychology intern line item so interns receive pay comparable to first‑year teachers and to keep newly trained psychologists working in Ohio schools.
The Ohio School Psychologists Association told the Senate Education Committee that the state’s school‑psychology intern stipend has been flat funded since 2017–18 and is no longer sufficient to support students who must work full‑time in internships while completing graduate degrees.
Executive Director Rachel Chilton said the current line item supports interns who are expected to work full time for roughly a year but currently receive about $30,000, while first‑year teachers earn a minimum of $35,000. She requested an increase to $4.3 million per fiscal year (amendment SC 1343), which advocates estimate would raise intern pay to parity with teacher starting pay and fund roughly 100+ interns annually.
Chilton told the committee that universities and districts rely on intern placements to build the pipeline of school psychologists, particularly in underserved regions. She cited statewide attrition risk: competing states offer interns higher stipends (she cited Michigan examples) and that Ohio risks training students who then take internships and early jobs out of state. Chilton provided program data showing interns delivered tier‑1 through tier‑3 interventions to thousands of students during their placements.
Senators asked clarifying questions about current funding levels and program outcomes; no appropriation votes occurred during the hearing. Advocates asked the committee to include the proposed increase so Ohio training programs can keep new professionals in the state workforce.
