Government Relations Action Alert

Urge Your Representative to Support the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Grant!

Calls must be made on Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7!

THE ISSUE AT HAND

Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-OR) sent a “Dear Colleague” to the U.S. House of Representatives asking Members to endorse a letter requesting $75 million for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program in Fiscal Year 2003. Representatives Marge Roukema (R-NJ), Rep. Brian Baird (D-OR) and Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL) are also working hard to garner support for this letter.

ACTION NEEDED

Please call your Representative on Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7 by dialing the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask to speak to the Legislative Assistant who handles education issues. Let this assistant know that you want your Representative to sign on to the Roukema-Langevin-Hooley letter that is being sent to the Appropriations Committee. The letter requests $75 million for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program. Please explain that this program, which President Bush’s budget eliminates, provides school districts with the necessary resources to provide comprehensive counseling services. Adequate access to school counseling services, which are often provided by school social workers, is proven to help improve student’s academic achievement and school safety.

The deadline for Representatives to sign on to the letter is Tuesday, May 7. To sign on to the letter, or if the office has further questions, the Legislative Assistant should contact Brian Daniels in Rep. Langevin’s office at (202) 225-2735 or Lesli McCollum in Rep. Roukema’s office at (202) 225-4465.

BACKGROUND

Due to the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program’s statuary funding trigger, secondary schools will not be eligible to participate in the program until the total funding exceeds $40 million. In FY02, Congress provided $32.5 million for the school counseling program. This year, the President’s budget calls for the elimination of all funding for the program. Therefore, it is critical for you to show your support for the school counseling program by calling your Representative.

The “Dear Colleague” urges House Members to sign a letter, to be sent to Representative Ralph Regula, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Representative Obey, the Ranking Member, requesting $75 million for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program.