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School‑psychology interns’ low pay draws pleas for budget increase to keep trainees in Ohio
Summary
The Ohio School Psychologists Association and university trainers urged the Senate to increase the state intern line item so interns earn near starting‑teacher pay; advocates said low intern salaries push trainees to out‑of‑state programs and reduce Ohio’s future workforce.
Ohio school‑psychology trainers and the professional association told the Senate Education Committee that the current intern stipend — paid to districts to host school‑psychology interns — has not kept pace with changes to teacher minimum salaries and is deterring trainees.
Rachel Chilton, executive director of the Ohio School Psychologists Association, and Ginger Young (who supports university interns) said the line item that funds intern placements was flat‑funded for years while the teacher minimum salary has risen. Milwaukee‑area and Michigan districts are reportedly offering substantially higher intern compensation, and local programs risk losing students to out‑of‑state internships.
Chilton asked the committee to support an increase in the intern appropriation to $4.3 million per fiscal year (an amendment referenced in testimony) to allow districts to pay school‑psychology interns roughly $35,000 — comparable to a first‑year teacher — and thereby support at least 100 additional intern placements annually. Chilton said interns provide tiered supports statewide: in the prior year they delivered tier‑1 services to thousands of students and targeted tier‑2/3 interventions to hundreds.
Why it matters: school psychologists play a central role in assessments, interventions and district mental‑health supports. Witnesses argued that boosting intern pay is a modest investment to maintain the pipeline and keep graduates serving Ohio students.
What’s next: the committee heard the request but did not vote on the amendment; negotiators will consider whether to increase the intern line item during budget finalization.
