Set search_path for session

We have a script wrapper for psql which reads a configuration file and
constructs a psql command to connect to the configured instance of postgres.
We would like to include a search_path setting in the configuraration file
and have the wrapper use that to set the search_path for the psql session. I
tried using the -v flag (-vsearch_path=xxxx) with the psql command but that
did not work:

> psql -h$SOCKET -U$USER -p$PORT -vsearch_path=$SCHEMAS $DBNAME

The search_path remains at the default setting:

iii=> show search_path;
search_path
----------------
"$user",public
(1 row)

Can anyone tell me how I can make this happen short of changing the
search_path setting in postgresql.conf & restarting postgres?

Thanks,

Mary Sipple