Senator Feingold Continues Effort To Increase School Counseling Funding

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Additional Funding Would Improve Educational Guidance for Students and Families

May 18, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is leading efforts in the Senate to increase funding for school counseling programs that are crucial to the academic and social success of students. In a letter to Senate appropriators, Feingold and thirteen of his Senate colleagues called for increased funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) so elementary schools, as well as our nation’s high schools, are provided with expanded school counseling services.

Despite the significant role school counseling professionals, including school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists, play in our nation’s public education system, many schools lack the resources needed to properly meet the counseling needs of their students. According to the American School Counselor Association, the recommended student-to-counselor ratio is 250 to one, but in reality, the average student-to-counselor ratio now approaches 476 to one.

“School counseling professionals provide invaluable guidance and support to students and their families through academic and social programming,” Feingold said. “Despite the ongoing need for additional guidance counselors and other professionals, far too many schools lack the proper resources to provide sufficient counseling services for their students. I am working to increase funding for this valuable school counseling program so we can help ensure all of our children are receiving the best education possible.”

The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District has received funding from the ESSCP. Superintendent Kurt Wachholz of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District said, “ESSCP funding has been crucial in the delivery of services and curriculum in the areas of social/emotional learning, academic success, and career planning and management for all K-12 students in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. This grant has allowed the district to bring its counselor-to-pupil ratio in accordance with Wisconsin and American School Counselor Association guidelines, enabled the district to provide professional development in the areas of Parent and Student Educational/Career Planning Conferences and Individual Learning Plans in keeping with the 21st Century Skills Initiative, and facilitated curriculum development and delivery designed to promote positive social/emotional growth at all grade levels. These funds have been essential to meeting the district goal of a fully implemented Comprehensive School Counseling Program that contributes to academic success for all students, while closing the achievement gap.”

Feingold has been a strong supporter of our nation’s school counseling programs. Last year, Feingold’s leadership helped to increase federal funding to ESSCP by $3 million, thereby ensuring that grants could be awarded to high school counseling programs as well as elementary school programs. Additional funding this year would help even more students receive adequate counseling services and help lower student-to-counselor ratios in schools. The school counseling services supported by the ESSCP program are also critical to the ongoing effort to close the persistent achievement gap that exists in schools in Wisconsin and around the country. In addition, the Senate recently passed a Feingold-supported resolution, S. Res. 58, supporting school social workers. As Congress begins to work on reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Senator Feingold will work to help ensure the reauthorized legislation supports students and school counseling professionals.

A copy of Feingold’s letter can be viewed here.

Source: Senator Russ Feingold