The Senate and House both advanced measures Tuesday aimed at boosting the number of school psychologists in Maryland, by joining a multistate compact with states that have comparable licensing standards and reciprocal licensing agreements.
Senate Bill 238, sponsored by Sen. Malcolm Augustine (D-Prince George’s), and House Bill 340, sponsored by Del. Bernice Mireku-North (D-Montgomery), could get final votes in their respective chambers as early as Wednesday. But the bills, a priority of the Legislative Black Caucus, still need to cross over and be approved by the other chamber.
“We know we have work to do,” Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), chair of the Ways and Means Committee, said Tuesday. “Maryland needs more school psychologists, so a qualified psychologist will want to come to our state and share their talents with us. We should do what we can to make that happen.”
The National Association of School Psychologists recommends a ratio of one psychology for every 500 students. The ratio in Maryland in the 2024-25 school year was more than twice that, at one for every 1,037 students. Maryland was one of 10 states with a ratio of one psychologist for between 1,001 and 1,500 students — and that was middle of the pack, according to the association’s dashboard.
Eleven states fell between 1,501 and 2,000 students per psychologist and eight Southern states had more than 2,000 students for every psychologist.
Connecticut and Puerto Rico were the only jurisdictions that met the association’s ratio.
Besides making it easier for school psychologists to be licensed in and move between states in the compact, the bill would also facilitate the relocation of military spouses who are licensed to provide school psychological services.
There are currently seven states in the compact: Delaware, West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. Maryland is one of five states — along with Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky — that have legislation pending to join the compact.
Because the Maryland measures would be part of an interstate licensure compact with other states, no amendments are permitted. According to the bills, “a state must enact a compact statute that is not materially different from the model compact.”
The fiscal note for both bills estimates that the state Department of Education would spend $30,000 in fiscal 2027 to enhance the state licensure system as part of the compact. In addition, another $7,000 a year, beginning in fiscal 2027, would be needed as a fee to participate in the compact.
As part of the interstate compact, Maryland must have one person join a commission. That person would be part of the state’s regulatory body that issues psychology licenses or oversees the practice of school psychology.
Some of the commission’s responsibilities include establishing procedures related to licensure, maintaining a budget and providing and receiving information from law enforcement agencies.
by William J. Ford, Maryland Matters
March 3, 2026
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