Monday, June 11, 2007

ESSCP

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Approve Largest Increase Ever To

Thanks to the ongoing efforts of ASCA members' calls, letters, face-to-face meetings with congressional staff and testimony on Capitol Hill provided by ASCA's president-elect, Eric Sparks, and ASCA member Lesli Myers, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS-Ed) rejected President Bush's recommendation to eliminate the program and instead approved a spending bill for Fiscal Year 2008 that included the largest increase ever to the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) to $61.5 million. This is an increase of 77.5 percent over Fiscal Year 2007. In fact, this is the largest percentage increase to any education program found in the House LHHS-Ed FY 2008 Appropriations bill!.


What Happens Next?
The LHHS-Ed appropriations bill next goes to the full House Appropriations Committee on June 14 and then to the floor of the House of Representatives for debate and votes the following week. The Senate will go through the same process later this month, and then the different House and Senate bills must be rectified into one final bill that is passed by Congress and signed by the president.

If the increase in funding to ESSCP reaches above $40 million, the funding "trigger" will go into effect making the monies above $40 million available to secondary school counseling programs as well as elementary school programs. This will be the first time in the program's history that the funding level will be large enough to put the trigger into effect and make funds available for secondary school programs.

Next Step for ASCA Members
We want to make sure that Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), chair of the LHHS-Ed Appropriations Subcommittee and chair of the full Appropriations Committee, knows how much we appreciate his efforts on behalf of school counselors and thank him for acknowledging the important role we play in schools by increasing ESSCP funding. To help in this effort, we have drafted a letter template thanking Obey for his efforts and for and for his continued support.

Please take a moment to personalize this letter, and fax it to Obey's office at (715) 842-4488 or e-mail it directly to connolly.keigher@mail.house.gov.

 

Friday, June 08, 2007

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program Update!

From American School Counselor Association
Subject: Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program Update!

 

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROVES LARGEST INCREASE EVER TO ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS

Thanks to the ongoing efforts of ASCA members’ calls, letters, face-to-face meetings with congressional staff and testimony on Capitol Hill provided by ASCA's President-Elect, Eric Sparks, and ASCA member, Lesli Myers, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS-Ed) rejected President Bush’s recommendation to eliminate the program and instead approved a spending bill for Fiscal Year 2008 that included the largest increase ever to the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) to $61.5 million.  This is an increase of 77.5 percent over Fiscal Year 2007!  In fact, this is the largest percentage increase to any education program found in the House LHHS-Ed FY 2008 Appropriations bill! 

What Happens Next?
The LHHS-Ed appropriations bill next goes to the full House Appropriations Committee on June 14 and then to the floor of the House of Representatives for debate and votes the following week.  The Senate will go through the same process later this month, and then the different House and Senate bills must be rectified into one final bill that is passed by Congress and signed by the President.

If the increase in funding to the ESSCP reaches above $40 million, the funding “trigger” will go into effect making the monies above $40 million available to secondary school counseling programs as well as elementary school programs.  This will be the first time in the history of the program that the funding level will be large enough put trigger into effect making funds available for secondary school programs.

Next Step for ASCA Members
We want to make sure that Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), Chair of the LHHS-Ed Appropriations Subcommittee and Chair of the full Appropriations Committee, knows how much we appreciate his efforts on behalf of school counselors and thank him for acknowledging the important role we play in schools by increasing ESSCP funding. To help in this effort, we have drafted the attached letter template thanking Rep. Obey for his efforts and for and for his continued support.  PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO PERSONALIZE THIS LETTER AND FAX IT TO REP. OBEY’S OFFICE AT (715)842-4488 OR EMAIL IT DIRECTLY TO CONNOLLY.KEIGHER@MAIL.HOUSE.GOV

Also, spread the word and share this good news with other school counselors in your school and state. 

 

 

 <<Insert Date>>

 

Chairman David R. Obey

Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee

2314 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

 

Dear Chairman Obey:

 

On behalf of the <<INSERT YOUR SCHOOL NAME OR STATE SCHOOL COUNSELING ASSOCIATION>>, I want to thank you for your support to increase funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) to $61.5 million in the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill for FY 2008.  We commend you for your continued leadership and acknowledgement of the school counseling profession and your willingness to increase funding for the ESSCP by over 77% despite the President’s recommendation to cut the program altogether.  

 

The need for school counseling services at both the elementary and secondary school levels is clear. As you well know, school counselors take the lead in efforts to help students cope with the effects of bullying, school violence, and natural disasters. School counselors also help students with academic, personal and social and career development to enable them to become contributing members of society.   <<INSERT DETAILS ABOUT YOUR COUNSELING PROGRAM IN YOUR SCHOOL>>.

 

Currently, the average student-to-counselor ratio in America’s public schools is 479 to 1. The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) and other organizations recommend a maximum ratio of 250 to 1 to adequately meet students’ needs.  Funding from the ESSCP has provided grants to hundreds of counseling programs, helping many communities improve these critical student services.  With funding now reaching above the $40 million trigger, ESSCP grants will now be available to fund secondary school activities which is very exciting.  <<INSERT ANY PLANS YOU MAY HAVE FOR HOW THIS FUNDING COULD BE USED>>

 

We are so thankful you saw the importance of the Elementary and Secondary School program even in light of the current tough fiscal climate.  We greatly appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to continuing to work with you on this important initiative.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Friday, June 01, 2007

2007 Delegate Assembly

2007 Delegate Assembly

Right after the Leadership Development Conference, join us for the 2007 FCA Delegate Assembly meeting which will start on Sunday, June 10, 2007, at 10:00 am in Safety Harbor, Florida.

Safety Harbor Resort & Spa
1-888-BEST SPA
105 N. Bayshore Drive - Safety Harbor, FL 34685

Show your support for an exciting proposed change that will give you more choice in benefit and service options. The Florida School Counselor Association has proposed a change to the FCA Bylaws which will be considered at the upcoming Delegate Assembly meeting in Safety Harbor, Florida. The Bylaws change specified below will give Florida counselors from all specialties the freedom to choose Association membership. That is, they may choose to belong to FCA and/or other Divisions (or both).

Update to the FCA Bylaws:

According to FCA Bylaws Article IX regarding Bylaws amendments, Section 1:

A.       Proposed changes to the By-Laws shall be submitted in writing to the President and Executive Director.

B.       The President shall appoint a By-Laws Revision Committee to study the proposed changes and make recommendations to the Presidential Council and Executive Board.

C.       The Presidential Council and Executive Board shall study the committee’s recommendations and present all proposals to the Delegate Assembly with the Presidential Council’s and Executive Board’s approval.

D.      The Delegate Assembly may amend these By-Laws by a majority vote.

>>>>> 

 

The FSCA Board has followed the FCA procedures for requesting a By-Laws change to delete the part in Article 1, Section 1H, as follows:

 

Members of FCA are encouraged to apply for membership in more than one FCA Division. Membership in a Division requires meeting Divisional requirements and holding current FCA membership, except applicants for an FCA-approved Divisional affiliate membership category.

 

As amended, the updated Bylaws would read:

 

Members of FCA are encouraged to apply for membership in more than one FCA Division. Membership in a Division requires meeting Divisional requirements except applicants for an FCA-approved Divisional affiliate membership category.

 

 

We are also including our responses to some questions which we anticipate you may have:

Why is FSCA proposing this Bylaw change?

FSCA merely endeavors to update the way it does business to make itself more efficient and effective in accomplishing organizational goals. The current Bylaws change will help make the organization more flexible, responsive, and more accountable to its members. FSCA believes that allowing Florida’s counselors greater freedom of choice in selecting organizations is the right thing to do. FSCA is also inspired by our national organizations, ACA and ASCA, which have demonstrated now over 10 years time that this membership structure allows all organizations to excel in helping counselors and advancing the profession.

          What is the anticipated impact of this Bylaws change?

There actually are many advantages which all Divisions can experience:

·   Florida counselors will have greater flexibility when choosing membership among various professional organizations.  

· The FSCA Board members will have greater access to data and influence over matters for which they are held responsible and accountable. For example, membership processing, communication, collaboration, and member benefits and services.

· FSCA can take greater advantage of organizational services when membership dues are not commingled with other accounts.  

· FCA will be relieved of its duties to manage Division membership and data if the Division chooses this option. Instead, FCA can focus more on the goals of its organization for advancing all counseling specialties in Florida.

· FCA will be relieved of some liability for its Divisions as it relates to officer actions and financial decisions.

Also know that:

· The current Bylaws change only presents the opportunity to allow its members to join one or more select organizations. Any Division may opt to continue the current structure if they so choose.

· Any Division that chooses to allow for flexible membership will experience significant pressure to provide benefits, resources, and advocacy for its members/profession. As no organization can accomplish their goals alone, we believe that this will foster new and exciting collaborations and partnerships among Divisions and with FCA.

Does this mean that FSCA is disaffiliating from FCA?                                                 

· No. Affiliation and membership are two different things. FSCA does not seek to disaffiliate from FCA. This does not in any way affect our Division status with FCA. In fact, we are following FCA Bylaws procedures because maintaining our FCA Division partnership is very important to FSCA. The FSCA leadership looks forward to a future partnership between FCA and other Divisions that is stronger and even more collaborative. What we are doing is not new and simply reflects the structure of our national groups, ACA and ASCA and other successful state school counseling associations (e.g., Kentucky Counseling Association).

Why did FSCA not poll its membership to see if this is actually what they want?

· The FSCA Board members were elected to be the leaders and stewards of our Association in the State of Florida. The organization must be nimble, effective, and visionary. We cannot poll our members every time we need to make an important decision about where we’re headed to best serve school counselors in the 21st century. FSCA board members have considered our Bylaws changes very carefully and very seriously. We have compiled and analyzed data from other states, polled leaders in those states, and consulted with non-profit organization professionals (data will be presented at Delegate Assembly). The benefits of the Bylaws changes for professional school counselors and for Divisions are clear.

What about FCA? They would not exist because counselors would simply go for the cheaper rate.

· This is simply not true. As the Florida Counseling Association provides benefits and services that are of interest and value to a counselor, the counselor will join the Association. Our national organizations, the American Counseling Association and the American School Counselor Association, have demonstrated that two such organizations can effectively exist and uniquely contribute to the counseling professions.

What services would FSCA members get if this Bylaws change passes? Only a newsletter and a website?

· Actually, FSCA already provides many valuable benefits and services that include legislative advocacy, statewide professional development institutes, electronic resources and tools, a periodic newsletter, immediate and updated news via the FSCA blog, representation at the national delegate assembly, collaboration with the department of education, and various aspects of the annual conference such as exhibit hall development and programs (see http://www.fla-schoolcounselor.org). This Bylaws change will put pressure on the organization to perform beyond current levels. At the same time, the proposed Bylaws change will allow FSCA the flexibility to meet future standards of performance. 

Then school counselors would have to pay the non-member rate to attend FCA's convention, right?

· There are still many unknowns regarding the annual conference. It may be that FSCA and FCA work out an agreement so that all of our members can attend one conference at a single rate. It could also be that FSCA holds an annual conference and invites all counselors from all specialties, including FCA members, at a single or discounted rate. It may also very well be that the full conference rate plus a FSCA membership under the new Bylaws may still cost less than the current cost of joining both FCA and FSCA. Providing quality professional development at a fair price is a primary goal of FSCA and will continue to be a primary priority and focus.

This may benefit FSCA but not FCA or any of the smaller Divisions.

· Actually, the proposed Bylaws changes would give all Divisions the same advantages as outlined above.

The small Division reps have worked so hard to build their memberships; how would this affect them?

· Under the proposed Bylaws changes, they will have the same opportunity to respond and grow if they so choose, similar to many of the ACA Divisions at the national level.

How would we represent our members legislatively because the Lobbyist belongs to FCA?

· This question assumes that there is only one way to develop an effective legislative agenda for counselors in the state of Florida. In fact, there is more than one way which could include a shared lobbyist among FCA, FSCA, the other Divisions, and perhaps even related professions such as psychology and social work. 

Although FSCA isn't calling it disaffiliation, this is exactly what it is, isn’t it?

· This is simply not true. FSCA will continue to be a Division of the FCA (as well as the American School Counselor Association), will designate itself as such, as well as continue to adhere to the FCA Bylaws. It is important for FSCA to continue being a Division of the FCA which is why FSCA has chosen to propose the FCA Bylaws instead of acting in a way that would render the Association out of compliance. 

shansheraPlease feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!

President
Shanshera Banks-Quinn Shanshera.quinn@sdhc.k12.fl.us