Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) FY03 Funding
The Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) supports school counseling services to approximately 210,000 students in 34 states and more than 600 elementary schools. Per the "Leave No Child Behind Act," when the program is funded at over $40 million, secondary schools will be eligible to apply for grants. In FY2002, ACA's lobbying efforts produced another significant victory for school counselors by securing $32.5 million --an 8.3 percent increase over last year -- for the ESSCP program. ACA has been requesting an increase in funding for FY2003 up to $75 million, to reflect the program's expansion to secondary schools.
Although federal financial support for education programs has been growing over the past few years, this trend would not continue under House Republican leadership-drafted bill providing funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, which is based on the President's budget proposal for FY2003. Both the President's budget and the House Labor-HHS-Education appropriations proposal would eliminate funding for ESSCP. The President's budget/House bill provides only $50.3 billion for discretionary programs at the Department of Education (ED), a 2.8% increase over FY02. This is $7.2 billion below the level targeted in Bush's own education bill, and would be the smallest annual dollar and percentage increase provided for ED since 1996. Programs funded under the 'No Child Left Behind Act' would be cut by $87 million below current-year levels.
The Senate Appropriations Committee in July approved an FY03 spending bill, which would increase education funding by $4.2 billion over last year. (While this is a step in the right direction, the education community is pushing for an additional $4.5 billion over the Senate's figure, in order to meet the goals laid out in the 'No Child Left Behind Act,' and keep pace with inflation and student population growth.) The Senate's appropriations bill would provide level funding of $32.5 million for ESSCP in FY03.
Unfortunately, the 107th Congress adjourned in November without passing a majority of the FY03 spending bills. It will be up to the 108th Congress to decide the fate of education funding, including ESSCP. Congressional aides are predicting that an omnibus spending bill combining several appropriations bills into one larger bill will be developed to resolve the spending impasse.
Earlier this year ACA sponsored a Committee for Education Funding (CEF) congressional breakfast briefing on education FY03 funding requests, as part of an effort to draw attention to the ESSCP program. ACA also attending a breakfast briefing with Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. At the briefing, ACA expressed concern about the proposed elimination of funding for ESSCP. Regula acknowledged the issue and agreed it needed to be looked into. Later, ACA staff also met with Regula's staff to discuss the issue. Regula's staff was cautiously optimistic that the trigger could be reached or even exceeded. ACA and PPL Chair, Bob Walsh and student representative Melissa Spriggs, attended the CEF Annual Legislative Conference and Awards Ceremony.
ACA also worked with Jim Langevin's office (D-RI) to write and circulate a "Dear Colleague" letter urging members to increase funding for the ESSCP program. In total, 65 members of Congress sign the letter. ACA led the lobbying efforts to persuade members to sign. ACA and 32 other organizations sent a letter to House appropriators reminding them to increase funding for ESSCP. The number of signatories was a tremendous success for ACA.
ACA has been working with the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), the National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO), the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA), and the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) on this issue. ACA provides the primary lead role in the school-based counseling provider group on ESSCP funding. ACA has organized meetings, grassroots alerts, messages, and strategy with this group.
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