State law provides for funding for school districts to establish centers to locate and assist children with problems of disruptive behavior. The Legislature, through a rider in the current services budget, has directed that funds for the operation of the School Community Guidance Centers be placed in areas reflecting high concentrations of adjudicated persons. All government agencies are required to cooperate with the centers, and the Central Education Agency is required to evaluate all programs and make recommendations to the Legislature concerning the operation of these programs. Local school districts apply for grants that are awarded based on the size of the district. All grants have some components that are the same but each program is tailored to the individual school district.
All programs offer counseling and reduced pupil-teacher ratios.
While the initial concept of the program is commendable, the need for the program has been eclipsed by new educational developments, including school-based referral of human services and the proposed development of a comprehensive policy on children and families. The funds for the Governor's School are targeted to provide a tuition-free summer residential program for 200 students who are enrolled in a high school program for gifted students during the regular school year. Districts receive information about the program and students apply to participate in the four-week program held on a university campus. The general revenue appropriation is matched by donations. It is not clear why the program is of greater necessity than other possible uses of state funds.