December 13, 2004
School Counseling Program Receives
Funding for FY05!
As part of the Omnibus appropriations bill, the Elementary
and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) will receive
$34.7 million for FY05. Originally the program was to receive
$35 million, but the final figure was reduced due to an across
the board cut of .82% to all programs. This is an increase
over last year's allocation of $33.5 million.
NASW is pleased with this increase, especially since the
President's budget request for FY05 slated the ESSCP for elimination.
NASW members should be congratulated and thanked for their
efforts to keep this program funded. Many contacted their members
of Congress to express their support for this important program
over the past year. In addition to the efforts of individual
members, NASW's government relations staff continued to advocate
for this program in coordination with the School Social Work
Association of America, the National Association of School
Psychologists, the American Counseling Association, the American
School Counselors Association, the National Association for
College Admission Counseling, the American Psychological Association,
and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Background
The ESSCP, formerly known as the Elementary School Counseling
Demonstration Program, is a discretionary grant program that
provides grants to school districts to establish or expand
comprehensive counseling programs and mental health services
through qualified school social workers, school psychologists,
and school counselors.
The ESSCP was reauthorized as part of the No Child Left Behind
Act in 2002. While the reauthorization expanded the program
to include secondary schools, it also included a funding trigger.
This funding trigger requires that the program be funded at
more than $40 million before secondary schools can participate.
To read more about this program, please refer to the Department
of Education's website-- http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/index.html
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