Del Valle ISD is one of 65 recipients of the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program to recruit more mental health providers to local schools.
AUSTIN, Texas — Del Valle ISD is receiving a large investment into mental health care services for its students through a new federal grant.
It will be getting $1,151,269 through the Mental Health Service Professional (MHSP) Demonstration Grant Program, which will help the district recruit more mental health service providers. The district was one of just 65 recipients for the federal grant.
The funding is part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law in 2022. That law also strengthens gun control measures, in addition to providing funding for school safety upgrades and mental health services.
Partnership with UT grad students
Del Valle ISD said the federal funding it’ll be receiving is part of a four-year grant program that will be more than $6.4 million. It will create a partnership between the school district and the University of Texas, to place graduate students studying to become school psychologists into the district’s schools.
The UT graduate students will be in the DVISD schools during their practicum, internship and third years.
“This is truly a unique opportunity for us to get hands-on training with students coming into the profession as they start their careers with us,” said a representative with Del Valle ISD.
The funding will also pay for school psychologists to receive national mental health training, and to hire three additional school psychologists as interns per year, over the four years of the grant program.
The district said its hope is to build a comprehensive and proactive mental health program throughout all of its schools, and also create a pipeline of school psychologists to help fill critical positions.
“We are very grateful for the grant to support our staff, student and families,” a DVISD representative said. “We want all students to thrive emotionally, socially and academically so they are successful today in school and beyond.”
In Texas, Education Service Center Region 20 in San Antonio received more than $600,000 from the MHSP Demonstration Grant Program, and the Region One Education Service Center in Edinburg received nearly $2 million.