Counselors urge Sweetwater trustees to reconsider removing district college-and-career counselor role

Yumi Psyche, co-vice president of the Sweetwater counselors'group (SCGA) and a Launch Virtual Academy counselor, urged the Sweetwater Union High School District board on June 22 to reconsider eliminating the district'level college-and-career counselor on special assignment (KOSA).

Speaking during public comment on the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), Psyche praised the district's first cross-border graduation in Tijuana and thanked the board for transportation support for staff. She said the KOSA role is not merely a staffing position but a strategic function that coordinates programs — including Compact for Success and dual-enrollment partnerships with Southwestern College — that attract and retain families. Psyche asked the board to take three steps: request a formal analysis of how reducing KOSA would affect LCAP goals; meet with SCGA and partners to review KOSA duties and impacts; and explore restoring the position to full capacity as a strategic investment.

"Without dedicated district-level counseling leadership, I worry about the long-term sustainability and growth of these programs that have become a defining feature of the Sweetwater experience," Psyche said, and she tied the role to enrollment and retention goals. Trustees responded that they would take a closer look and that further analysis and discussion would be appropriate.

The transcript records Psyche's detailed request and trustees'acknowledgment but does not record a formal board decision on the KOSA position at the meeting.