Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 981 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors in troubled title I schools to reduce the dropout rate. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 5, 2019 Ms. SA´NCHEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a demonstration project to fund addi- tional secondary school counselors in troubled title I schools to reduce the dropout rate. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Put School Counselors 4 Where They’re Needed Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 981 IH SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ADDITIONAL SEC- 1 ONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS. 2 Part D of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 3 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6421 et seq.) is amend- 4 ed by adding at the end the following: 5 ‘‘Subpart 4—Demonstration Project for Additional 6 Secondary School Counselors 7 ‘‘SEC. 1441. FINDINGS. 8 ‘‘The Congress finds the following: 9 ‘‘(1) Nationally, only 70 percent of students 10 graduate from high school with a regular high school 11 diploma. 12 ‘‘(2) Every school day, 7,000 American high 13 school students become dropouts. 14 ‘‘(3) High school students living in low-income 15 families drop out of school at three times the rate 16 of their peers from high-income families. 17 ‘‘(4) Only about 55 percent of African Amer- 18 ican students and 52 percent of Hispanic students 19 graduate on time from high school with a regular di- 20 ploma, compared to 78 percent of white students. 21 ‘‘(5) The dropout rate for students with disabil- 22 ities is approximately twice that of general education 23 students. 24 ‘‘(6) High school is the final transition into 25 adulthood and the world of work as students begin 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 981 IH defining their independence and forging their own 1 pathways. As our next generation of leaders, our 2 youth, are deciding their futures, they are faced with 3 many challenges, including peer pressure and bul- 4 lying, high-stakes testing, the challenges of college 5 admissions, the scholarship and financial aid appli- 6 cation process, and entrance into an ever more com- 7 petitive job market. Students need guidance and 8 skills to help them navigate these complex decisions, 9 which have serious and life-changing consequences. 10 ‘‘(7) School counseling programs are essential 11 for students to achieve optimal personal growth, ac- 12 quire positive social skills and values, set appropriate 13 career goals, and realize full academic potential to 14 become productive, contributing members of the 15 world community. 16 ‘‘(8) Professional secondary school counselors 17 are highly qualified educators with a mental health 18 perspective who understand and respond to the chal- 19 lenges presented by today’s diverse student popu- 20 lation. 21 ‘‘(9) The professional secondary school coun- 22 selor holds a master’s degree or higher in school 23 counseling (or the substantial equivalent), and is 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 981 IH certified or licensed by the State in which the coun- 1 selor works. 2 ‘‘(10) Professional secondary school counselors 3 are integral to the total educational program. They 4 provide proactive leadership that engages all stake- 5 holders in the delivery of programs and services to 6 help the student achieve success in school. Profes- 7 sional secondary school counselors align and work 8 with the school’s mission to support the academic 9 achievement of all students as they prepare for the 10 ever-changing world of the 21st century. 11 ‘‘(11) Professional secondary school counselors’ 12 opportunities to assist students are often hindered 13 by extraordinarily high student-to-counselor ratios. 14 Currently, the average student-to-counselor ratio in 15 America’s public schools is 471 to 1. The American 16 School Counselor Association, the American Coun- 17 seling Association, and the National Association for 18 College Admissions Counseling all recommend a 19 ratio of one school counselor to 250 students and a 20 lower ratio for counselors working primarily with 21 students at risk. 22 ‘‘SEC. 1442. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. 23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available to 24 carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall carry out a 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 981 IH demonstration project under which the Secretary makes 1 grants on a competitive basis to secondary schools that 2 receive funds under this title and have a four-year ad- 3 justed cohort graduation rate of 60 percent or lower. 4 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.—A grant under this subpart shall be 5 for a period of 4 years and may be used— 6 ‘‘(1) to provide additional school counselors 7 during that period; and 8 ‘‘(2) to provide additional resources (such as 9 professional development expenses or travel expenses 10 for home visits, and any services and materials re- 11 ferred to in subsection (d)) and to pay overhead ex- 12 penses. 13 ‘‘(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 14 gress that a participating school should aim to provide, 15 under subsection (b)(1), one additional counselor per 250 16 students at risk. 17 ‘‘(d) SCOPE OF COUNSELING.—The additional school 18 counselors shall identify students who are at risk of not 19 graduating in 4 years and shall provide counseling pri- 20 marily to those students. The counselors may identify such 21 students at any time, but shall strive to identify them be- 22 fore they enter grade 9. Services shall be provided as long 23 as necessary, including to the extent allowable and appro- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 981 IH priate, after the student’s cohort graduation date. The 1 counseling provided— 2 ‘‘(1) may include a full panoply of services, in- 3 cluding an individual graduation plan and other re- 4 sources, such as appropriate course placement and 5 supplemental services (to include not only supple- 6 mental educational services tutoring if available at 7 the school site, but also other tutoring as necessary, 8 along with supplemental books and materials); and 9 ‘‘(2) shall include meetings with each student so 10 identified and with the teachers, tutors, supple- 11 mental educational services providers, and parents of 12 the student, and may also include meetings with 13 other relevant individuals, such as a probation offi- 14 cer, mentor, coach, or employer of the student. 15 ‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds under 16 this subpart shall be used to supplement, not supplant, 17 funds from non-Federal sources. The additional school 18 counselors provided through funds under this subpart 19 must be in addition to any employees who work in the 20 secondary school guidance or counseling office, such as 21 counselors, college admissions specialists, career develop- 22 ment specialists, guidance information specialists, or any 23 other professional or paraprofessional. 24 ‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL GRANT PERIODS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 981 IH ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A school that receives a 1 grant under this subpart and demonstrates adequate 2 improvement over the period of the grant is eligible 3 to receive a second grant for a second period. If the 4 school again demonstrates adequate improvement 5 over that second period, the school is eligible to re- 6 ceive a third grant for a third period. The third 7 grant shall provide amounts that decrease for each 8 year of the third period and require the school to 9 provide corresponding increases in non-Federal 10 funds. 11 ‘‘(2) ADEQUATE IMPROVEMENT.—For purposes 12 of paragraph (1), a school demonstrates adequate 13 improvement over a grant period if the four-year ad- 14 justed cohort graduation rate increases (or is pro- 15 jected to increase) by 10 percent or more over that 16 period. 17 ‘‘(g) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall carry out the 18 demonstration project in at least 10 schools. The first five 19 schools selected to participate shall each be from a dif- 20 ferent State. 21 ‘‘SEC. 1443. DEFINITION. 22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this subpart, the 23 term ‘regular high school diploma’ means the standard 24 high school diploma awarded to the preponderance of stu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 981 IH dents in the State that is fully aligned with State stand- 1 ards, or a higher diploma, and does not include GEDs, 2 certificates of attendance, or any lesser diploma award. 3 ‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—For those students who have 4 significant cognitive disabilities and are assessed using an 5 alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement 6 standards, receipt of a regular high school diploma or 7 State-defined alternate diploma aligned with completion of 8 their entitlement under the Individuals with Disabilities 9 Education Act shall be counted as graduation with a reg- 10 ular high school diploma for the purposes of this Act. No 11 more than 1 percent of students can be counted as grad- 12 uates with a regular high school diploma under this sub- 13 paragraph. 14 ‘‘SEC. 1444. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 15 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 16 this subpart $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 17 through 2022.’’. 18 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 19 (a) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1002(d) of 20 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 21 U.S.C. 6302(d)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(other than 22 subpart 4)’’ after ‘‘part D,’’. 23 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 24 section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 981 IH of 1965 is amended by inserting after the item relating 1 to section 1432 the following: 2 ‘‘SUBPART 4—DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ADDITIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS ‘‘Sec. 1441. Findings. ‘‘Sec. 1442. Demonstration project. ‘‘Sec. 1443. Definition. ‘‘Sec. 1444. Authorization of appropriations.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:09 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H981.IH H981 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS