The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: the State Education Department shall establish a targeted grant program for high-need public school districts and schools, prioritizing communities with elevated chronic absenteeism, student mental health referrals, and low career-placement or postsecondary transition rates, to support the hiring of school counselors, social workers, psychologists, attendance intervention staff, and career-readiness coordinators, including partnerships for internships, technical education, and workforce advising; grant recipients shall submit annual public reports on staffing, attendance improvement, student engagement, and career-readiness outcomes, and funds under this act shall supplement, not supplant, existing local education spending.