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Parent asks trustees to add counselors as negotiations continue, cites Walnut Acres support
Summary
A parent told the Mount Diablo Unified School District board that counselors at Walnut Acres Elementary have been vital for students and asked trustees — amid ongoing contract negotiations — to consider increasing counselor staffing.
Robert Peterson, a parent of two Mount Diablo Unified students, told the board on Sept. 24 that counselors at his children's school have been an important resource and asked trustees to consider increasing counselor staffing amid ongoing labor negotiations.
"One great thing that we've had at, at Walnut Acres, a school where, our kids go, are the use of, counselors," Peterson said. "So miss Finn, I I just know her first name is miss, unfortunately, but she's been a great resource for our students there. ... I would just please ask, employer you to, consider increased number of counselors."
Peterson said he understood the difficulty of managing a district he described as serving about "29,000 students," and that he believed both the board and the teachers' union aimed to support students. He said the request for more counselors was motivated by concerns about students' mental health and the "increased anxiety" young people face today.
Peterson prefaced his remarks by noting he had read a report on KTVU earlier that day about contract negotiations, and he tied his request to those discussions. He identified his remarks as related to closed‑session agenda item 3.1 (negotiations).
Trustees handled routine procedural matters before and after Peterson's comment; the transcript contains no board decision on counselor staffing during open session. The board then adjourned to closed session to discuss negotiations and other personnel and legal items.
