Michigan Legislature

  (1) From the state school aid fund money appropriated in section 11, there is allocated $150,000,000.00 for 2022-2023 only to provide payments to districts for activities to improve student mental health. The allowable expenditures of funds under this section include, but are not limited to, the following:

  (a) Hiring or contracting for support staff for student mental health needs, including, but not limited to, school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and school nurses.

  (b) Purchasing and implementing mental health screening tools.

  (c) Providing school-based mental health personnel access to consultation with behavioral health clinicians to respond to complex student mental health needs.

  (d) Any other mental health service or product necessary to improve or maintain the mental health of students and staff.

  (2) From the allocation under subsection (1), the department shall make payments to districts in an equal amount per pupil based on the total number of pupils in membership in each district.

  (3) If funding remains after the distribution of funds as described in subsection (2), the department may provide additional per-pupil allocations to allocate remaining dollars, using for those calculations the same requirements described in subsection (2).

  (4) Except as otherwise provided in this section, to receive funding under this section, districts must apply for funding under this section in a form and manner prescribed by the department. In its application described in this subsection, a district or intermediate district, as applicable, shall document how it or, if an intermediate district is applying, its constituent district, will use community input to guide the expenditure of the funds it or the constituent district will receive under this section and it shall pledge to host, or shall pledge on behalf of its constituent district that the constituent district will host, at least 1 community conversation about student mental health and school safety. With consent of its constituent districts, an intermediate district may apply for funding under this section on behalf of its constituent districts. As used in this section, "constituent district" means that term as defined in section 3 of the revised school code, MCL 380.3.

  (5) Districts receiving funds under this section must coordinate with intermediate school districts to avoid duplication of services and to streamline delivery of mental health services to students.

  (6) Notwithstanding section 17b, the department shall make payments under this section on a schedule determined by the department.