California School Counselor - Summer 2008 - (Page 21)

Calendar 2008 5th ANNUAL CS3 SYMPOSIUM: ACTION RESEARCH IN EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP May 16-17, 2008 Online registration www.sandiego.edu/academics/soles/instcenter/studentsupp/events/cs3/ WESTERN ASSOCIATION FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS COUNSELING ANNUAL CONFERENCE Flamingo Hotel and Resort, Las Vegas Online registration www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=182491 ASCA’s 2008 ANNUAL CONFERENCE Setting New Standards Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Georgia Online registration www.schoolcounselor.org CASC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE AND BOARD MEETING For information contact hudsonconsulting@charter.net May 28-30, 2008 June 28-July 1, 2008 August 1-3, 2008 continued from page 7 with revenue tied to it holding the rest of the legislators as hostages. Where do we stand now? School counseling in California over the past decade is a story about perseverance and political savvy. Led by the eﬀorts of CASC and other school counseling leaders, a new vision for California school counseling has been established. Change in school counseling, like any reform, is a political process, one that requires support, legitimacy and institutionalizing the change. CASC has aligned with key political constituencies to connect school counseling to other educational reforms recognizing that when education suﬀers school counseling suﬀers (and California’s children suﬀer). “The Middle and High School Supplemental Counseling Program (MHSSCP) was arguably the most signiﬁcant new funding for school counseling in the United States in decades. From an educational policy perspective, the inclusion of the MHSSCP in the AB 1802 bill marked a signiﬁcant step forward for school counseling. The announcement of the $200 million for school counselors for grades seven through 12 included an explicit acknowledgment that school counseling is a critical educational priority in California” (Whitson, Rowell 2008). CASC is now mobilized in an outreach eﬀort to engage legislators in Sacramento to advance the education agenda and to maintain support for school counseling. The critical issue at hand is a proposal to consolidate categorical programs into block grants allowing districts more ﬂexibility in spending. This proposal has the potential to damage the AB 1802 funds that support MHSSCP. The other critical issue is a loop-hole in the AB 1802 language regarding supplementing vs. supplanting. California Department of Education in- terpretation of the funding has in essence allowed districts to use the MHSSCP funds to subsidize school counselors who were hired prior to 2006. Even though this was not the intent of the legislation, swift action needs to take place to remedy this problem. Two years ago CASC hired School Innovations and Advocacy, the largest educational lobbying ﬁrm in the state. Every step of the way this company is helping us engage in overcoming the aforementioned issues. At the time of this report CASC launched a statewide campaign targeting key legislators. Please see the article “Advocacy and Outreach… Many Voices, One Message” for what you can do to help. The public must get a sense of what these budget proposals mean and that many counselors won’t be at school next year if these plans are carried out. We must remind legislators that funding MHSSCP and the restoration of school counseling is a strategic investment in the state’s future and in 2006 was considered by the governor’s oﬃce a signiﬁcant element in the overall eﬀort to make major improvements in California public education (Oﬃce of the Governor, 2006). ■ Mainspring CMS Clearing the path to a powerful web presence. Simple, elegant web content management Brought to you by Clockwork Logic (231) 903-5032 ejustian@clockworklogic.com website: www.MainspringCMS.net The California School Counselor | summer 2008 21 http://www.sandiego.edu/academics/soles/instcenter/studentsupp/events/cs3/ http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=182491 http://www.schoolcounselor.org http://www.MainspringCMS.net

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of California School Counselor - Summer 2008

California School Counselor - Summer 2008 Contents Presidential Perspectives Jackie’s Jottings Executive Director’s Report Cyberbullying and Equal Access Northern California Conference Highlights Book Review Making a Difference One Family at a Time An AB 1802 Success Story Legislative Update CASC Members Honor Assemblywoman Linda Sanchez Pics, Clicks and Technics Calendar Index to Advertisers

California School Counselor - Summer 2008

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