Governor Schwarzenegger Applauds School Counselors for Efforts to Increase Student Achievement

Thanking school counselors for making a difference in the lives of students, Governor Schwarzenegger today delivered the keynote speech at the California Association of School Counselors (CASC) conference in Sacramento.

“I want to congratulate and thank all of you for your hard work and great advocacy on behalf of our school children. I know how hard you worked on this issue for years,” Governor Schwarzenegger told the group of more than 800 school counselors and educators. “You never gave up. You kept fighting for our kids and in the end you made a tremendous difference because you care deeply about our young people. Like me, you want them to have all the tools they need to succeed in school and in life.”

CASC was a strong supporter of the $200 million included in the Governor’s budget to increase the number of school counselors at middle and high schools, bringing the number of counselors serving students to national standards. This is the first time in California history that specific funds have been earmarked to enhance school counseling services for both middle and high school students. With this new funding, counselors will help students with class selection as well as information about after-school and tutoring programs, higher education and vocational education. Counselors can also play a vital role as mentors to students.

“Before a student becomes disheartened and considers dropping out, a counselor can ignite a spark in him that makes school seem worthwhile again,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

The Governor’s spending plan fully-funds education with more than $55.1 billion. This reflects an increase of $8.1 billion, a more than 17 percent overall funding increase from 2004-05. In addition, the current budget increases per student spending to a record $11,264 – an increase of $516 from last year.