American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) mad available approximately $100 billion to the Education Department in an effort to deliver emergency education funding to all the states. More than $67 billion in formula grants were awarded by Sept. 30, 2009. Based on the reports of stimulus spending that states submitted to the Office of Management and Budget on Oct. 30, 2009, the department has created a state-by-state report summarizing and clarifying where and how 325,000 jobs have been saved or created throughout the country.

Race to the Top: ASCA recently provided comments during the public comment period for the Race to the Top programs as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

ESSCP  Awards Made: The Department of Education announced recipients of 52 new 2008 awards. Get more info.

Loan Forgiveness for School Counselors FAQ

Important New Resource for Borrowers
www.IBRinfo.org is a new web site that provides independent, reliable information about Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, two new federal programs to help make student loan repayment fair and manageable. The site explains the programs and will be updated as new information becomes available. Users can register to get updates on important developments as the U.S. Department of Education finalizes regulations and creates the systems for managing the new programs.

If you are hearing from individuals or groups worrying about student loan payments or those wondering if they can afford to take a public service job, www.IBRinfo.org will be helpful.

Income-Based Repayment (IBR) is a new payment option for federal student loans. It will help borrowers keep their loan payments affordable with payment caps (less than 10% of income for most eligible borrowers) based on income and family size. IBR also will forgive remaining debt, if any, after up to 25 years of qualifying payments. Public Service Loan Forgiveness will forgive remaining debt after 10 years of eligible employment and qualifying loan payments for people working in key public service professions such as teaching, government, social work, law enforcement, and non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.

These new programs take effect in July 2009. It will take a while before the U.S. Department of Education has all of the regulations written and the systems up and running. In the interim, IBRinfo.org will provide information on these two new federal programs, as well as other student financial assistance. On this website, consumers also can sign up to receive alerts about new developments as they occur.

National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations
ASCA is a member of The National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO).  NAPSO is a coalition of national professional organizations whose members provide and support a variety of school-based prevention and intervention services to assist students in becoming effective learners and productive citizens.

NAPSO organizations represent over a million members, including school counselors, school nurses, psychologists, school psychologists, social workers and school social workers; occupational therapists, physical therapists, art therapists, dance/movement therapists, and music therapists; speech-language pathologists and audiologists; teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

NAPSO promotes interdisciplinary practice and collaboration and advocates for ensuring access to quality pupil services for all students. NAPSO member organizations are bound together by our common vision to bring all students, in all states, the programs and professional support services they need to insure success in school. Click here for more information.

Legislative Updates
Each week, ASCA distributes an e-mail update to interested members alerting them to education-related events on Capitol Hill. To sign up, mark your membership record to "receive legislative updates." 

Legislative Links
Searching for information on a particular member of Congress or a particular bill? Check out these links:

U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
The White House
Library of Congress Thomas System