Written Testimony in Support of S.F. 903 (Rarick) to the Senate Education Finance Committee

Senate Education Finance Committee
March 17, 2026

Chair Kunesh and Members of the Committee:

We write in support of S.F. 903 (Rarick) to extend nonpublic pupil aid for counseling funding to grades K-6. The proposal is constructed to ensure that all students receive equitable funding for mental health needs and that public school students are not disadvantaged by this new funding stream. This legislation and its companion have bipartisan support, and we hope that you will include it in a supplemental budget.

Under the current law, nonpublic students are entitled to counseling and guidance for services for students enrolled in grades 7-12. Yet, as a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General makes clear, mental health issues among young people are growing exponentially, and we know that counseling and mental health services are needed for students in all grades, not just grades 7-12.¹

This provision would allow tens of thousands of nonpublic K-6 students to be eligible to receive mental health services like their public-school counterparts. These students are no less vulnerable than their public-school peers to the challenges in life that can lead them to feelings of loneliness, despair, and hopelessness.

Early intervention is key to preventing mental health needs from developing or growing in adolescence and beyond. Dollars given at the early age levels allow mental health professionals in the schools to offer more proactive, universal support and education.

This bill makes sense as it works to help prevent and intervene at the ideal time for ALL students to avoid the negative impacts of poor mental health on learning from which more students are suffering. Our Catholic schools are serving a wide range of learner types coming from a wider range of backgrounds that continues to grow. Our leaders, teachers, and dioceses are working tirelessly to welcome and support these students, and developing innovative programs to do so.² These extended dollars in the counseling role can be pivotal in how we’re able to utilize school resources to reach and support more families’ mental health needs, and how we can support at-risk youth each school day.

While there is a fiscal cost, adding this provision would amount to roughly 2/100ths of one percent of the current overall education budget for our state. This seems like a very small price tag to help kids who are struggling with mental health and emotional problems.

Thank you for your consideration.

Jason Adkins
Executive Director
[email protected]

¹https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf
²https://cscoe-mn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Peace_of_Mind_Case_Statement.pdf