Decrease the students per social worker in schools.

 

 

The purpose of this bill is to meet the demand of the necessary amount of social workers in school to create

personalized and effective mental health support.

 

Minnesota is currently experiencing a student mental health crisis. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune (Oct 2025),

the average student-to-counseler ratio in Minnesota schools is 558 students to 1 social worker, more than double the

nationally recommended ratio of 250 to 1. In some schools, counselors and social workers are responsible for over 1,000

students, making it impossible to provide meaningful, preventative support. With these high workloads, school mental

health staff are forced to work reactively, focusing on crisis instead of early intervention. Students are placed on

waitlists for counseling, often not receiving help until their mental health has already severely declined. The lack of

accessible mental health support affects academic performance, attendance, safety, and overall student well being.

 

 

1. “School Mental Health Professionals” shall be defined as any licensed school counselor, school social worker, or

school psychologist employed by a public school district or charter school.

2. “Student-to-staff ratio” shall be defined as the total number of enrolled students divided by the full-time

equivalent number of licensed school mental health professionals.

3. “Eligible School District” shall be defined as any public school district or public charter school in the state of

Minnesota.

 

 

A Student Mental Health Staffing Fund shall be created in the Minnesota Department of Education budget.

The state shall grant 60 million dollars per year, adjusted for inflation, to support the hiring and retention of

licensed school mental health professionals.

The 60 million dollars will come from the Minnesota state income tax, raised by 0.5% on households making more than

$500,000 a year.

Funds shall be distributed to districts based on:

1. Student enrollment

2. Percentage of low-income students, since statistics show lower-income schools have higher mental health struggles

3. Current counselor and social worker shortages

The funds may only be used for hiring and resting licensed counselors, social workers, and psychologists, training

costs, and sustaining positions previously funded by temporary federal pandemic funds.

Any unused funds will not expire at the end of the year and will roll forward to ensure continuous support.

 

 

The Minnesota Department of Education will ensure compliance. School districts must report current student-to-staff

ratios and how funds are spent. Districts that fail to demonstrate progress towards reduced caseloads may become

ineligible for additional supplementary funding until compliance plans are submitted.

No crime penalties apply - enforcement is administrative.

 

 

This bill will take effect on July 1, 2026.