Students and parents urge CCSD to restore Bob Miller social worker after surplus notices; union and community demand budget transparency

Dozens of public commenters on Feb. 12 urged the Clark County School District Board of Trustees to retain a social worker at Bob Miller Middle School after district staffing changes listed that position as surplus.

Students testified they rely on school social worker Karen Davis for counseling, club leadership (she advises the school’s Black Student Union and several cultural and extracurricular activities) and daily crisis support. Several students described improved confidence, participation and school belonging attributed to Davis’s work and asked the board to reconsider surplus notices that could remove her position. Parents and community members reinforced that testimony, saying the role provides prevention, de-escalation and short-term counseling that prevents disciplinary escalation and keeps students in class.

Union representatives and other public speakers used the public-comment period to press for greater budget transparency and to argue that classroom-facing roles and student supports should be preserved amid an enrollment-driven shortfall. The union representative asked trustees to cut administrative and non-instructional expenses rather than making front-line cuts. Several commenters also raised concerns about district grading practices (heavy weighting of summative assessments) and asked the board to consider policy changes to better reflect formative learning and reduce student anxiety.

Board members did not take an immediate personnel vote during public comment. Public speakers requested additional follow-up from district leadership and urged the board to prioritize mental-health and student-support positions in any staffing decisions.

What’s next: Commenters requested that the district publicly explain surplus-selection criteria, provide data on program impacts, and consider alternatives to eliminate classroom and student-support cuts.