Article archive / July 1, 2012
Originally published: . Volume 3, No. 11. Source pages: 1, 5.
An eleventh hour message that the Louisiana School Psychology Internship Consortium (LAS*PIC) was to be cancelled prompted a number of actions by the program director and concerned colleagues. These efforts to support the program, one of only eleven APA-accredited school psychology internships in the US, forestalled the Department of Education’s apparent decision to cancel funding.
In late June, Director Dr. Alan Coulter received an “official cancellation” of the program, with interns for 2012-2015 scheduled to arrive in a matter of weeks. This was according to memos sent to a number of community members by Dr. Coulter and others.
LAS*PIC, of the LSU Health Sciences Center, Human Development Center, is one of only eleven APA accredited school psych- ology programs in the US. The Department of Education’s move prompted Dr. Coulter to seek support from colleagues around the state, including a plea to members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to address the issue.
Dr. Coulter sent a message to Catherine Pozniak, Executive Director of BESE and emphasized that in April he had been told the 2012-2015 contract for the program had been approved, signed, and sent to processing. Mr. James Garvey, 1st BESE District, from Metairie, and Secretary- Treasurer of BESE, contacted officials at the Department of Education and asked about the cancellation, according to a copy of his message obtained by the Times.
In the message, Garvey said that he had been contacted by LAS*PIC alumni and psychology colleagues regarding the cancellation, all of them asking for a reconsideration. Dr. Coulter had sent the request to colleagues reminding them that school psychologists are professional service providers and in critical shortage throughout the United States, especially in Louisiana. He wrote, “LAS*PIC recruits and trains, in partnership with Louisiana schools, school psychology interns during their internship year. To date, we have recruited more than 190 school psychologists to Louisiana. More than 50% of those recruited have stayed at least two years and about 1/3 of all those recruited are still working in Louisiana schools in 2011-12. This year there are eight school psychology interns, six of whom will stay in Louisiana next year as fully trained Ph.D. school psychologists.”
Dr. Alicia Pellegrin, Louisiana Psychological Association Legislative Chair and Secretary, told the Times. “We were quite concerned about what appeared to be an end around on the part of the administration to cut this program after the contract had been signed and interns had committed. By the time we marshaled our forces, the program was reinstated, thanks, we believe, to the huge outcry on the part of many. This will be on LPA’s radar for next year and we will follow closely what happens. This program is too important to be left to chance.”
Dr. George Hebert, LAS*PIC Coordinator said, “Our internship was on the brink of losing state funding and Alan invited action to BESE from the profession and LPA stepped up to the plate.” But, he explained, “This last minute save does not ensure the future of the program.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.