Middle school counselors urge board to restore school social workers after staffing cut

Mary Adamley, a school counselor at Oakland Middle School, told the Stillwater Area Public Schools board during public comment that recent elimination of school social workers at the middle-school level creates a “critical gap” in student supports and should be reconsidered as a long-term priority.

Adamley said the district’s multi-tiered system of supports relies on school social workers to deliver Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions — systemwide work that includes crisis intervention, risk assessments, and connecting families with community services. She said contracted partner Family Means cannot replace an in-building social worker’s role because it serves “fewer than 40 out of 962” students at Oakland, maintains a wait list, works only by scheduled appointment, and lacks authority to perform crisis interventions or regular school-day coordination.

“We ask you to reinvest in school social workers not just as a line item, but as a lifeline,” Adamley said, summarizing the social-emotional team’s position.

Adamley told the board that counselors, psychologists and social workers have distinct roles: counselors address academic and short-term social-emotional needs; social workers are licensed to provide clinical treatment and to navigate systemic barriers to support, including housing and therapy referrals. She said her school’s social workers completed a five-day time study the district will receive and that, even when fully staffed, the data show high impact.

No board action on the staffing decision was taken during the meeting. Board members and administrators acknowledged the testimony; Superintendent Funk and staff said the elimination at the middle-school level had been driven by financial constraints and that administration would continue to provide data and updates to the board as the budget process proceeds.