The Virginia General Assembly has completed its work on the biennium budget. K-12 education funding has been decreased by $253 million over the next two years. It is time for school psychologists across the state to spring into action.
Here is information from the budget that directly effects K12 education:
The current budget maintains
Grant lottery-funded programs for at-risk students,
VA Preschool Initiative
Early Intervention Reading Initiative
The current budget targets K-3 Class Size Reduction program to only those schools with free lunch eligibility of higher than 30 percent.
The current budget will continue to use the Composite Index in the first year and a 50 percent to distribute money for K12 education to localities.
Senate Joint Resolution 87 requests the Department of Education to study dyslexia screening for kindergartners. In conducting the study, DOE will analyze available scientific data on the success of early screening for dyslexia, consider cost effectiveness of such strategy, and make recommendations as to whether such screening is advisable and, if so, the particular method that is most effective. DOE shall complete meetings by November 30, 2010.
A Call to Action:
School psychologists have a potential role in each of the budget items listed above. We need to meet with our local representatives and school board members to share them how we interface with children in the schools. We need to show these professionals through our own experiences and through the research how our skills provide both academic and social emotional support for the students.
Our skill set includes:
The ability to diagnose the specific learning difficulties that impede children’s
success in school and then to help create learning strategies with teachers (RTI) to create learning opportunities that these special needs learners can access.
The ability to work with children’s social and emotional difficulties so that they
are more available to access academic materials.
We know or can research and help to create optimal learning environments and
thus are able to help craft/rate curricula for charter schools.
We understand and can assess children who are at risk and in need of preschool intervention and older at risk children in need of reading intervention.
Please share information about your job skills with your local and school representatives. We do our jobs best when we are invisible. However now is the time to become visible to those who create budgets do not cut school psychology positions because they are not aware of the profound positive influence we have on the growth and development of children in the academic setting.
If you have any questions, please contact either of the co-chairs of the VASP legislative committee:
Ellen Goldberger: emgoldberger@fcps.edu
Jackie Jones: jjones@pgs.k12.va.us
Thank you on behalf of all school psychologists in
Ellen Goldberger, Ph.D.
School Psychologist
Early Childhood Services
Fairfax County Public Schools
703-208-6405
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