Guidance counseling services expenditures at Texas schools: A multiyear statewide investigation

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the degree to which differences were present in the distribution of Guidance Counseling Services dollars spent per student at the elementary, middle, and high school levels for the 2009-2010 through the 2018-2019 school years in Texas. Texas statewide data were obtained from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System for 10 school years. Specifically targeted in this multiyear investigation was the expenditure, out of the total amount of available dollars, of monies toward providing guidance counseling services to students. Through the use of inferential statistical procedures, statistically significant differences were established. The amount of school counseling dollars spent per pupil were highest at the high school level, followed by the middle school level, and were lowest at the elementary school level. From the 2009-2010 school year through the 2018-2019 school year, expenditures for elementary, middle, and high schools across the State of Texas increased by only $60, $95, and $100, respectively. Implications and recommendations for future research were discussed.