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Social workers, students and parents urge Washington Unified to restore proposed cuts
Summary
Parents, students and social workers told the Washington Unified board that cutting three school social worker positions would reduce preventive supports, increase crisis response burdens and harm students’ mental-health services; trustees asked staff for options and postponed a final decision to a special meeting.
At a Washington Unified School District board meeting, school social workers, students and parents urged trustees to preserve three school social worker positions that staff flagged for reduction. Patricia Moore, a social worker at Westmore Oaks Elementary, said the district informed staff last week of an intent to cut three positions and described how social workers provide crisis intervention, suicide risk screening, group work and family referrals.
"We were informed last week that the of the district's intent to cut 3 school social worker positions," Patricia Moore said, adding that cutting those roles would reduce the team to five social workers and drastically limit support for students and families.
The testimony continued with classroom- and student-level examples. "Please let the social workers stay because we really need them at our schools," said Sofia Ramirez, a student who told the board her social worker helps her and her friends manage friendship problems. Ben Dixon, who said he serves Bridgeway Island and Yolo High, calculated that eliminating his position would eliminate roughly "2,000 services" he provides each school year and warned that the district would be left responding only to crises rather than doing preventive work.
Board members pressed staff for fiscal context and alternatives. Assistant Superintendent Monique Stovall and other staff acknowledged an enrollment-driven funding squeeze, pointed to one-time grant funding that has supported some positions in recent years, and noted opportunities to pursue new reimbursement streams (including provisions from Assembly Bill 322 that allow billing private insurers for pupil health services). Staff also confirmed the district’s recurring general-fund contribution to certain programs and said they are exploring whether the services now done through the virtual academy or other configurations could be reorganized to reduce general-fund pressure.
Superintendent Hildreth framed the discussion in terms of both fiscal reality and compassion, saying the district will continue conversations with labor and staff to find options. Trustees did not take a final vote on the staffing reductions at this meeting. Instead, the board scheduled follow-up on priorities and a special meeting on February 19 to consider next steps, including whether programs could be delivered as a school-within-a-school model or phased out to limit harm to currently enrolled students.
What’s next: Staff will provide trustees with additional data and proposals ahead of the February 19 special meeting. The board indicated it intends to weigh program continuity for currently enrolled students alongside the district’s long-term fiscal plan.
Sources: Public comments and staff presentations at the Washington Unified School District board meeting. Quotes are taken from remarks by Patricia Moore (school social worker), Ben Dixon (social worker), student speakers Sofia Ramirez and Luis Ramirez, and Superintendent Hildreth.
