Parents, students and staff urge board to preserve school social workers as district weighs cuts

Dozens of parents, students and district social workers told the Washington Unified School District board on Feb. 14 that proposed cuts to school social workers would reduce access to crisis intervention, counseling and preventive supports.

Patricia Moore, a school social worker at Westmore Oaks Elementary and a longtime resident of West Sacramento, told the board the district had informed staff that three social worker positions would be cut and warned that reducing the team from eight to five would “drastically limit the level of support we can provide students and families.” She said social workers provide suicide-risk screening, crisis intervention, group work, referrals and serve as a daily safety net for students.

The Washington Unified Teachers Association's President, who addressed the board earlier in the meeting, raised two related concerns: repeated payroll errors causing delayed payments for educators and proposed reductions to mental-health staff. The union leader said payroll problems have forced some educators to wait weeks or months for contracted pay and urged the district to examine payroll systems and accountability.

Why it matters: Trustees and staff repeatedly framed the debate as both fiscal and human. Social workers and parents described concrete student needs — including increased anxiety, housing instability and midyear family crises — that they say rely on school-based supports. Trustees noted some of the social-worker funding came from one-time grants and federal COVID-era dollars, and asked staff to pursue alternatives and clarify long-term options.

What the board heard and asked: Speakers said eliminating social workers would shift services to a crisis-only model and remove preventative supports that help students succeed. Multiple elementary and middle-school students spoke briefly in favor of keeping school counselors and social workers. District staff and trustees discussed whether federal grant programs, the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and other state reimbursement opportunities could be used to sustain positions; staff said some funding streams and program rules remain unclear and are under review.

Officials'statements: Monique Stovall and other district staff said the district is engaging with HR and labor partners and evaluating funding scenarios. Staff confirmed some positions were originally funded with time-limited COVID-era grants and prop 2 / Equity Multiplier funds and that the district has tried to mitigate impact by meeting with affected employees prior to statutory deadlines.

Next steps and context: No formal action to eliminate positions occurred at the meeting. Trustees asked staff for more detailed financial breakdowns and to explore program models (for example, whether services could be provided as a program within another school site rather than maintaining a separate site-based position). Several trustees asked for this analysis to be part of upcoming priority and budget discussions.

Representative quotes: "Cutting social workers does not reduce positions. It reduces access and safety," said one district employee. "Our students deserve to have fully staffed schools, and that includes a fully staffed social worker team."

At the close of public comment, the board moved to the next agenda items; trustees later flagged the topic for follow-up as grant timelines and budget priorities are reviewed.