Bill to fund counseling for military families

Legislation that would provide funding to hire more counselors in school systems with high numbers of students with military parents was filed Jan. 30 in the state House.

House Bill 178 is sponsored by Chairman of the House Military Affairs Study Committee Dave Belton, R-Buckhead.

School systems would receive enough funding to pay the beginning salary of one counselor for every 200 military students in the system, and counselors funded this way must spend at least half their time counseling or advising military students and their families, the bill states.

School systems are required to spend the money on counselor salaries, and the funding does not replace any other funding school systems may qualify for.

To be recognized as a military student, a student must have a parent or guardian who is an active-duty member of the military, was medically charged from the military or died while serving in the military.

Belton wrote in an op-ed for 21st Century Partnership that K-12 education must be improved for military families to prevent base closures in Georgia.

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