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Ohio school‑psychology training programs ask Legislature to raise intern pay to retain graduates
Summary
University programs and professional groups told the Senate Education Committee that the current stipend for school‑psychology interns is inadequate; they asked for a budget increase to raise intern pay toward beginning teacher salary and to add roughly 100 internship slots annually.
Representatives of Ohio's school‑psychology training programs and professional association asked the Senate Education Committee to increase state funding for the school‑psychology internship program, arguing current allowances are too low to sustain the pipeline of specialists who work in public schools.
Ginger Young, a practicing school psychologist who also trains interns, told the committee that an intern salary net of taxes, retirement and insurance yields an untenable take‑home pay for a year of full‑time practicum work. "Asking my students what their take home pay is after taxes, state teachers' retirement and insurance, we're around $20,000 for a year of service to Ohio's children," Young said. She said many interns carry student‑loan and credit‑card debt and that the current stipend forces some candidates to leave training programs.
Rachel Chilton, executive director of the Ohio School Psychologists Association, asked lawmakers to increase the line item that funds district stipends for interns from the current $3.0 million per fiscal year to $4.3 million per fiscal year. Chilton said the requested level would bring interns' pay closer to a starting teacher salary (approximately $35,000) and would allow the state to add roughly 100 interns a year — an increase the association says is necessary to replace retiring staff and to meet district demand. "Our analysis shows the percentage of interns who remained in the profession serving Ohio schools a year after internship was 97.8%; a year later 90% were still working in Ohio," Chilton said, underscoring that interns who train in‑state usually stay in‑state.
Witnesses urged the committee to support amendment SC1343 (as offered in committee testimony) to increase the intern line. Committee members asked for comparative figures about neighboring states; Chilton and Young noted Michigan and other states are offering higher internship pay and tuition reimbursements and that Ohio risks losing trainees to out‑of‑state programs.
No formal vote occurred during the hearing; sponsors indicated the request will be considered alongside other workforce and special‑education funding priorities.
