Lawmakers hear emotional testimony for creating school‑psychologist licensure amid staff shortages

The Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs on April 8 heard more than five hours of testimony in support of Bill 295-38, which would establish licensure and professional standards for school psychologists in Guam and classify the occupation within the territory’s healing-arts and allied-health framework.

Judith Juan Pat, acting superintendent of the Guam Department of Education (GDOE), said the measure would align local practice with national standards while including a grandfather provision to protect the six existing school psychology practitioners employed by GDOE. “The grandfather provision is an essential element of the proposed legislation and provides relief for the six employees who are currently employed by GDOE as psychologists,” she told the committee.

Naen Tissa, lead district school psychologist at GDOE, described severe understaffing and alarming screening results from pilot programs. “There are currently six psychologists at the Guam Department of Education serving over 23,000 students,” Tissa said, citing a rough ratio of about 1 to 4,600 students compared with the National Association of School Psychologists’ recommended 1 to 600. She presented pilot screening data that identified dozens of students at risk, including referrals to child protective services and students screened for suicide ideation.

Clinicians and school-based mental-health staff argued the bill is a practical step to expand capacity, improve training and ensure continuity of services. Dr. Balahhaja, chair of the Guam Board of Allied Health Examiners, endorsed inclusion of school psychology under allied-health licensure. Multiple witnesses gave case examples in which school-based assessment and intervention altered life trajectories and prevented escalation to crisis.

Committee members pressed witnesses on technical questions: whether the bill should require NASP specialist-level credentials (typically a specialist degree or equivalent plus a 1,200-hour supervised internship), how renewal and continuing education should be handled, which exam(s) should satisfy licensure (witnesses urged flexibility rather than naming a single test), and how licensure language should distinguish school practice from independent clinical diagnosis beyond the school setting.

DOE officials and allied-health witnesses emphasized two, sometimes competing, objectives: maintain rigorous national standards while preserving workforce continuity and immediate capacity. To reconcile those goals, witnesses urged a grandfather clause for current employees and suggested that the Guam Board of Allied Health develop certification pathways (including NASP-aligned certification where applicable) so that the territory could both raise standards and recruit or certify current practitioners.

The committee signaled plans for a markup to consider clarifying language on exam equivalency, certification pathways, inclusion of charter and private schools, and referral requirements when student needs exceed school-based scope. Chair Senator Sabrina Sales Matanani said the committee intends to schedule markups before the May session.

What’s next: The committee will hold a markup to address technical language, including exam equivalency, scope limits (school vs. clinical practice), and how DOE and DOA will implement job descriptions and hiring to expand the school-psychology workforce. The hearing closed at 10:38 a.m. with no vote taken.