WASHINGTON COUNTY — Washington County Public Schools will spend about $1 million over three years on additional social workers and school counselors for the county’s most poverty-stricken schools.

The money was received through a U.S. Department of Education grant and about $344,000 is expected to be received this year, according to Steve Burnett, supervisor of school counseling for WCPS. More than $337,000 will be received in the second year of the program and more than $332,000 in the third year.

He said the money will be spent to help students at the county’s eight Title 1 schools: Bester, Eastern, Fountaindale, Hickory, Lincolnshire, Pangborn, Salem Avenue and Winter Street elementary schools — where at least 50 percent of students come from families living in poverty.

“WCPS is extremely pleased to receive this grant,” said Superintendent Elizabeth Morgan. “This application process was highly competitive across the nation, and we are fortunate to be the only county in the state to receive this award. Many students and families will benefit from this award.”

Burnett said Washington County Public Schools applied for the grant through the U.S. Department of Education. Officials with USDE did not return four calls for comment.

Burnett said he expects the grant will pay for three full-time social worker positions to be shared among Fountaindale, Hickory, Lincolnshire, Eastern, Pangborn and Winter Street elementary schools.

Bester and Salem elementary schools, which each already have full-time social workers, will share a full-time school counselor.

“A lot of the issues that students face in schools are related to social, emotional and other types of obstacles they face that don’t make them as available to learn,” Burnett said. “(Counselors and social workers) will address some of these types of issues.”

One licensed clinical social worker also will be hired to implement programming and provide professional development for other social workers in the schools, Burnett said.

He said he was unsure when the personnel would be hired but said a conference call was scheduled this week with the Maryland State Department of Education to establish when WCPS can begin using the grant money.

Burnett said he was unsure whether the new counseling and social worker positions would remain part of the Washington County Public Schools budget when the grant money is exhausted.

“It would depend on the budget whether those positions stay, and we’re looking at a shortfall now,” he said. “Ideally, it would become part of the budget, but who knows what the economy is going to look like three years out.”