167.265. Guidance counselors, grades kindergarten through nine--eligibility--application. - Missouri Statutes

Guidance counselors, grades kindergarten throughnine--eligibility--application.

167.265. 1. A program to provide guidance counselors ingrades kindergarten through nine is established. Any publicelementary school, middle school, junior high school, orcombination of such schools, containing such grades which meetthe criteria pursuant to this section shall be eligible for astate financial supplement to employ a guidance counselor.Eligibility criteria are: the school shall have a minimumenrollment of one hundred twenty-five pupils per school site,shall have a breakfast program, and shall serve at least fortypercent of its lunches to pupils who are eligible for free orreduced price meals according to federal guidelines.

2. A school district which contains such eligible schoolsmay apply to the department of elementary and secondaryeducation for a state financial supplement to employ a guidancecounselor in those schools named in the application and in noother schools of the district. The state financial supplementshall not exceed ten thousand dollars per guidance counselor.No more than one guidance counselor per school shall besupplemented by the state pursuant to this section, except thata district may apply for an additional guidance counselor if theenrollment at the school equals four hundred or more pupils.Guidance counselors thus employed pursuant to this section shallat a minimum engage in direct counseling activities with thepupils of the school during a portion of the school day whichrepresents that portion of the guidance counselor's salary whichis supplemented by the state pursuant to this section.

3. The state board of education shall promulgate rules andregulations for the implementation of this section. Such rulesshall include identifying any qualifications for guidancecounselors which may be in addition to those promulgatedpursuant to section 168.021, RSMo, establishing applicationprocedures for school districts, determining a method ofawarding state financial supplements in the event that thenumber of applications exceeds the amounts appropriatedtherefor, and establishing an amount of state financialsupplement per guidance counselor based upon the salary scheduleof the district.

(L. 1990 S.B. 740 § 4)