Recognizing that our students will need extra social-emotional support due to the impacts of the pandemic, Superintendent Enfield has decided to invest nearly $1 million to provide every school with at least one full-time counselor in 2021-22.
State funding for counselors is based on student numbers, and with declining enrollment, Highline schools were funded for fewer counselors next school year. We will use federal COVID relief dollars to ensure that every elementary school has a full-time counselor. Larger elementary schools will have two full-time counselors. Three secondary schools will see an increase in counselors.
This federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding is one-time funding due to the pandemic. It is not ongoing funding. In 2022-23, the state will increase funding for counselors at high-poverty schools. We will take advantage of these additional federal funds to ensure our students have additional support until the increased state funding kicks in.