LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln school district is working to bring back grade school counselor positions at its schools to help students with their behavior and performance.

Brenda Leggiadro, the district’s coordinator of counselors and social workers, syas that many counselor positions were eliminated in the mid-1990s due to budget cuts. By the end of last year, only five of the district’s elementary schools had full time counselors.

Leggiadro said that there was evidence before the cuts that counselors made a difference in student behavior and performance in grade school.

District officials have added about $229,000 in the budget to hire more social workers and counselors.

Leggiadro has created a system to encourage schools to bring on counselors full time by having the district and the school split the cost of a counselor for two years.