June 2010

Beyond the Blackboard: A School Counselor Weighs in on Cuts
I am sure that the justification for eliminating even more counselors this year is a lack of funding, and that this is a result of how categorical funding has been re-allocated in the general fund. ... The Board of Trustees is planning on eliminating the school counselors in this district so that one counselor will serve 3000 students. ASCA and CASC both recommend a ratio of one school counselor per 250 students; the national average is one counselor per 450 students; read more

March 2010

California Schoools Could See Thousands of Layoffs
California schools will be facing thousands of layoffs next year. The layoffs will affect certificated, classified and administrative personnel throughout the state. School counselors are certainly not exempt from the cuts that will have to be made. Unfortunately, some school districts are deciding to completely eradicate their entire school counseling program. This comes at a time when mental health issues are already impacting schools and communities. The practice of eliminating school counselors is at odds with the California PTA resolution pertaining to “Increasing Counselor to Student Ratios in Schools”. Make sure your local PTA is acting to support the work you are doing. Many parents have already come forward to argue for the preservation of school counseling positions. Parents know that school counselors are essential to insure that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Many school counselors have reported that their district has to eliminate school counseling positions because they are no longer receiving Middle and High School Supplemental School Program (AB1802) funds. This is not true. The funding has been reduced, but districts still receive the funds. However, the districts are free to use the funds however they like. For more information on this topic see the letter from Jack O’Connell to all county and district superintendents dated February, 2009.
We are in the midst of a severe economic crisis. School districts are doing their best to balance budgets and have had to contend with a rapidly moving target for the past two years. All school personnel will be affected. As school counselors, with an interest in social justice and equity, we can do our best to make sure that the cuts are fair and reasonable. We have assembled some materials for your use in advocating for school counseling jobs in your local districts. There is an abundance of research demonstrating the need for school counselors, examples of presentations you can use to address your board, district administrators, and PTA. Please take advantage of these materials and contact CASC Board members for additional assistance.

Here are some recent articles from local newspapers regarding impending layoffs...
The Press Enterprise News
The Daily Pilot

February 2010

Student-to-Counselor Ratios Remain High
Recently released information documenting the student-to-counselor ratio for 2007-08 in the U.S. public school system shows that while the student to counselor ratios for PreK-12 has decreased slightly nationwide, California continues to rank 50th in the nation with an average of 809:1; this far exceeds the recommended ratio of 250:1. The American Counseling Association has recently released a report utilizing the most current data available from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The data continues to show California at the bottom in the nation, surpassed only by Illinois, in the number of students per school counselor. Additional data can be had at http://nces.ed.gov/datatools. CASC has also disaggregated the data by county and district for your use.

Green ruling requires law enforcement to obtain court orders to interview minors in alleged in-home abuse cases
Information is now available from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office regarding the Greene ruling requiring law enforcement to obtain a court order to interview minor victims and witnesses of alleged in-home abuse. This recently released information primarily affects law enforcement but school counselors should be aware of the ruling. The responsibility is on police officers to secure the needed paperwork in order to conduct the appropriate investigation regarding an alleged child abuse. CPS Caseworkers are not impacted by this ruling. If a police office wants to pull a student out of class to interview them regarding a potential child abuse situation, it is important that school officials make sure they have the appropriate paperwork, or “court order”, to allow for this to happen. There is still some debate regarding this ruling and it is anticipated that this court decision will be overturned in the near future. Download the notice regarding the ruling from the Los Angelels County District Attorney's Office. Please check with your district and/or county DA's office for specifics to your area.


January 2010

The 2010 California Report Card on health care and education for children was released in January 2010. The report card is a publication of Children Now and indicates that “... significant changes to children’s health care and education policies are required for California to regain its financial footing and safeguard its future economic competitiveness." The report assigns letter grades to individual issues such as a “C” in early learning and development, a “D” in K-12 education, and a “D+” in health coverage. The only bright spot for California, a “B+” in afterschool programs, reflects the state’s national leadership in providing extended learning opportunities. Overall, this is the worst grade point average the state has received in the 20 year history of Children Now’s Report Card. Download a full copy of the 2010 California Report Card.