$4 million in Student Support Personnel Workforce Pipeline Grants Awarded to Minnesota Universities (4/19/24)
MINNEAPOLIS – Today the Minnesota Department of Education announced that 10 programs at seven Minnesota universities were awarded a total of $4 million in Student Support Personnel Workforce Pipeline Program grants to be used to support students pursuing licensure as student support personnel in order to create a pipeline to expand the workforce in Minnesota.
The program aims to support students in completing accredited programs and becoming licensed school psychologists, school nurses, school counselors and school social workers. The program also aims to increase the number of student support personnel providers who identify as people of color or Indigenous.
The universities will use the funds to cover the cost of attendance, provide resources for practicum or relevant required field service, and to provide direct support for students.
The universities will also develop strategies for recruitment and retention of Black, Indigenous and people of color to programs that prepare students as school nurses, school social workers, school psychologists and school counselors. The universities will work with the Minnesota Department of Education on training, technical assistance and coaching to create recruitment and retention strategies that are culturally responsive, antiracist and equitable.
Grantees include:
- Augsburg University – School Social Worker Program
- Minnesota State University, Mankato – School Social Worker, School Psychologist, School Counseling programs
- Minnesota State University, Moorhead – School Social Worker and School Psychologist programs
- St. Cloud State University – School Social Worker Program
- University of Minnesota – School Psychologist Program
- University of St. Thomas – School Social Worker Program
- Winona State University – School Social Worker Program
The Student Support Personnel Workforce Pipeline Program grants are part of the Minnesota Department of Education Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Center’s Minnesota Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems Framework, which seeks to prepare schools to provide a full array of supports and services that promote positive school climate, social and emotional learning, mental health and well-being, while reducing the prevalence and severity of mental illness and centering equity in mental health.
A second round of $700,000 Student Support Personnel Workforce Pipeline Program grant funding will be open for applications in late April.
Gov. Tim Walz and the 2023 Legislature passed Student Support Personnel Workforce Pipeline Program grants last spring as part of the Education Bill.
Under Gov. Walz’s leadership, Minnesota has invested in expanding resources to support and diversify the education workforce in Minnesota. MDE established the Educator Workforce and Development Center to create more programs to support districts, schools, communities and Tribal Nations in work to recruit, diversify, develop and retain educators in order to build the best teaching workforce in the nation.
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