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Social workers plead with Leon County School Board to reject proposed cuts that would leave 31,000 students undercovered
Summary
At the Feb. 24 meeting dozens of public commenters, many current school social workers, warned that a district plan that would reduce school social workers from the mid-20s to 10 positions would sharply curtail services for more than 31,000 students and could undermine school safety and attendance supports.
At the Leon County School Board's Feb. 24 business meeting current and former school social workers and teachers urged board members to abandon or revise proposed reductions to the district's school social work staff.
Carol Scott, a school social worker who opened the public-comment block, said the proposal to cut "two thirds of our social work team" would "directly impact not only student well-being, but also instructional time, teacher workload, and school safety." She told the board social workers handle crisis response, risk assessments, counseling and family outreach that prevent problems from escalating.
Several speakers provided staffing and service details. Jeannie Thorby Ormson said the department grew from 10 positions in 2018 to 27 in 2022; due to attrition the district has operated this year with 24 social workers. Ruth Boykin, lead school social worker, reported that when fully staffed the team served 5,698 students last year with 22,813 school social-work referrals and so far this school year has served 5,269 students.
Joni Raider and others quantified caseload concerns: Raider said a plan retaining only 10 social workers would leave each of them responsible for serving more than 31,000 students countywide. Nicole Naveez, a Godby High School social worker, asked who would be available "when a student loses a loved one, expresses suicidal thoughts, struggles with homelessness, or is dealing with abuse or neglect" if social-work staffing is reduced.
Teachers and union representatives also spoke. Jonah Mundy, a middle-school teacher, warned that cuts would shift the district from a proactive to a reactive model and that urgent needs could face longer waits. Scott Mazer, representing the Leon Classroom Teachers Association, praised the district's work but urged clearer communication on staffing and budget choices.
Speakers outlined services that social workers provide beyond counseling: home visits, coordination of benefits and referrals, threat assessment support, anonymous reporting follow-up, and connections with community providers. Several commenters said ESSER funds initially supported the expansion and that mental-health dollars later absorbed the positions; speakers asked the board to confirm the availability of continued funding before cutting staff.
Board members acknowledged the urgency of fiscal decisions and asked to fold social-worker concerns into broader staffing and efficiency reviews. No formal vote on social-worker staffing occurred at the meeting; public comment concluded and the board moved on to other agenda items. The board scheduled follow-up workshops and requested further financial and programmatic information as part of its ongoing budget process.
