to SSWAA's Legislative AgendaOn December 26, 2007, President Bush signed an omnibus appropriations package. The bill includes funding for the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor for federal Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08 = School Year 2008-09), which officially began on October 1, 2007.
The bill provides a very small increase of only 2.9 percent for the U.S. Department of Education, but the total of $59.2 billion is distributed in significantly different ways than was initially anticipated by the President's budget proposal. As an example, the president had requested $1 billion for the Reading First, one of the signature programs under the No Child Left Behind Act. However, Congress gave the program only $393 million, opting instead to fund other programs for which the president had requested reduced or no funding. One of the winners was the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP).
Funding the School Counseling Program
The ESSCEP is one of SSWAA's funding priorities. This program is the only dedicated source of federal grant dollars that may be used by school districts to hire school social workers, school counselors, and school psychologists. A funding trigger of $40 million must be met before a school district may use any part of its grant for secondary schools. Once the trigger is reached, $40 million must be used for elementary schools, and any funding above that amount may be used in middle and high schools.
For the last seven years, the president has requested that the program be eliminated. Each year Congress, through champions including Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Specter (R-PA), has continued the program. Although Congress has even increased funding slightly over the last few years, the appropriation level has never come close to the $40 million trigger.
The Big Winner
This year, after a strong combined advocacy push from SSWAA and its partner organizations representing the school counselors and school psychologists, Congress gave the ESSCP one of the largest percentage increases of any program in the Department of Education. Funding has jumped from $34.65 million in FY07 to the new level for FY08 of $48.62 million! This increase also moves the program beyond the $40 million trigger, allowing grantees the option to use some of their money for middle and high school counseling programs.
Advocacy At Work
We believe that the impetus to add funds for the ESSCP may have originated with the push for high school reform. The National Association of Secondary School Principals has long been a supporter of the program and has consistently asked for a large increase, recognizing the importance of supports for students in middle and high school.
While high school reform may have been what tipped Congress toward increasing funding, what really did the trick is the consistent advocacy of SSWAA and its partners. For a number of years, we have visited every member of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, carrying the message about this program. We have sent joint letters signed by many education and mental health organizations touting the importance of the program. YOU have sent emails, called, and visited your members of Congress. This consistent and collective effort has paid off in a way that will benefit the students and families and the profession of school social work. Congratulations!
But we can't stop now. The President will release his proposed budget for FY09 in the beginning of February. We hope that the proposal will include, at a minimum, the FY08 funding level. Regardless of the President's proposal, we will have to make our visits, send our emails, and push even harder to build on the success we have had in FY08. Are you ready? Stay tuned!
