U.S. Department of Education Announces Awards for Elementary School Counseling Grants!

Finally, as the end result of our collective advocacy, federal funds will begin flowing to local communities for developing or expanding comprehensive elementary school counseling programs. This month, just in time for the start of the new school year, the U.S. Department of Education contacted the school districts which will be receiving grants under the Elementary School Counseling Demonstration Program. Approximately 60 districts were expected to receive average grants of $325,000. A complete listing of grantees will be sent separately, once it is publicly released by the Department. If you submitted a grant and not yet heard from the Department, you may send an email to Loretta_Riggans@ed.gov.

Congratulations to all successful applicants and also to all those who applied. The overwhelming number of applications received (over 500) will help build the case for additional funding in future years. At present, $30 million in funding for next year (a $10 million increase over this year) is included in the FY 2001 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Conference Report (not yet approved by the House or Senate). Final action on the bill, which the President has threatened to veto, is not expected for several weeks.

One successful effort of which we are aware is School District #5 of Lexington and Richland Counties in suburban Columbia, South Carolina. The district's success was a team effort and is a direct result of the tireless advocacy by NASW members in educating local decision-makers about the value of school social workers, having social workers in key elective posts (in this case, as a member of the school board), working with state legislators, participating in the Governor's School Safety Task Force, and utilizing information on actions by Congress and the U.S. Department of Education.

According to Cindy Sweigart, former executive director of the NASW South Carolina Chapter and member of the school board, their success "was a super effort on the part of the staff and community partners to work together to design a program using school social workers to enhance school success. Additionally there was a critical mass of NASW members involved -- Reg Hutchinson, Director of Public Health Social Work at the Department of Health & Environmental Control, and president of the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Social Workers and Dr. Frank Raymond, Dean of the College of Social Work, University of South Carolina were vital to this successful outcome. . . . Certainly, we had to dream the vision for the design and now implement the program, but your [NASW's] lobbying and consistent, timely updates as to the progress of the money were invaluable. . . . My superintendent continues to confirm that the district was so busy at that time with other Safe School state efforts that they never would have even known about this RFP. It’s then that I respond, 'That’s my professional association at work!'"

Again, congratulations to South Carolina and the other grantees. Their success shows that by working together at the local, state, and federal levels, we can make a significant contribution to the lives of students, their families, and communities. It not only "takes a village to raise a child," it takes a village to promote the value of school social work!

Again, please let me know about your involvement in the grant application process and/or school social worker involvement in grant programs, themselves. Thanks.