For years, St. Louis Park elementary school students struggling with issues from family divorce to school bullying would turn to teachers or other staff, with no trained counselor in sight.

Soon, extra support will finally be available.

The school district is the only one in Minnesota to receive a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. It will fund the hiring of a program coordinator and a counselor for each of the district's four elementary schools.

"There are tremendous needs not being met," said Angela Jerabek, a counselor who will oversee the project. "We need someone here to help these children."

The counselor shortage isn't unique to St. Louis Park.

Across Minnesota, the ratio of 759 students to each counselor in grades K-12 ranks among the worst in the nation -- 49th, ahead of only California. The American School Counselor Association recommends a 250-to-1 ratio; the national average is 457 students per counselor. Lagging state funding is blamed for the shortage in Minnesota.

At the Park Spanish Immersion School in St. Louis Park, the hiring of a counselor next month will help all 518 students -- not quite the national average, but better than going without, Principal Corey Maslowski said.

The four counselors will do traditional one-on-one work with students, helping them cope with issues from family divorce and homelessness to bullying and building friendships. But they'll also start school-wide programs with a focus on the Search Institute's "Sparks" curriculum, to motivate and engage students through activities they're passionate about.

The counselors also will launch a small group program, modeled after gifted-and-talented programs, that will work with students, giving them individualized attention to boost their grades. By helping potentially at-risk students early on in their education, Andy Wilkes, the district's gifted-and-talented specialist, hopes to see more diversity in junior and high school advanced classes down the line, including more students of color or from low-income families.

"It's exciting to see that same opportunity be extended to an under-performing student," he said. "What would resonate with high-performing students can work for under-performing students."

Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141