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Parent warns of cuts to elementary counselors and questions referendum funding
Summary
A parent told the board her children’s school will lose full-time elementary counselor coverage as positions are reduced across the district and asked why a recent $223 million referendum does not appear to fund mental-health staff.
Dr. Marguerite Ortman, a parent of three district students, told the board the elementary counselor at her children's school is being reduced to a 1.6 FTE and that district social-worker staffing is also being cut.
“I’m here tonight as I recently learned that their elementary school counselor was being reduced to 1.6 position for the first time in decades, and there'll no longer be a full time counselor at their school,” Ortman said. She said the reductions appear linked to funding formulas that rely on compensatory revenue and urged the district to fund elementary counselors at 1.0 FTE so preventive mental-health supports are available across buildings.
Ortman questioned how a $223,000,000 referendum recently approved by voters is not visibly supporting the district’s mental-health staffing. She said budget materials she reviewed show referendum dollars being directed toward building and technology updates and asked the board to clarify whether and how referendum funds will support student mental-health positions. The board did not take an immediate action on staffing during the meeting; superintendent materials and follow-up were referenced for later clarification.
