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Counselor of the Year praises direct-admit programs; cites part‑time positions and low starting pay as retention barriers
Summary
The state’s school counselor of the year described how direct-admissions programs and counseling interventions can change student trajectories, but said many counselor positions are split or part time and starting salaries discourage licensed candidates from taking full-time school roles.
Sydney Paris, the 2025 Minnesota School Counselor of the Year and a high-school counselor at Stillwater Area High School, told the Senate Education Policy Committee that direct-admissions programs and proactive counseling work can open opportunities for students while strained staffing and compensation limit what counselors can do.
Paris described a recent example: a senior who had self-selected out of college but discovered through a direct-admissions email that she had already been accepted to multiple…
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