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Staff and parents urge restoration of counselor positions as consolidation proceeds
Summary
Multiple staff and parent speakers told the board during public comment that consolidations and adding sixth grade have increased counselor caseloads and mental‑health incidents; staff urged the board to restore counselor FTE and provide language‑specific and trauma‑informed supports.
Several district staff and parents used the public‑comment period to press the Corvallis School District Board for concrete plans to address counselor staffing as school consolidations and grade‑level changes proceed.
Annelie Haberman, identified in the record as a CSD staff member, asked the board to restore counselor full‑time equivalents, arguing that adding sixth grade and consolidations have worsened elementary counselor‑to‑student ratios and harmed students' mental health. CSD staff member Clarissa Cisneros said support staff are the "primary resource for students in crisis," noting the district cannot "schedule a crisis." She described fear among Garfield students tied to immigration enforcement, saying reduced staffing leaves students without emotional support necessary to learn.
Other staff provided concrete examples: Amelia Ingersoll described panic attacks and expressions of suicidal ideation in her third‑grade classroom and warned that assigning sixth graders to the building will further strain a single counselor's time. Joel Inman urged that counselor deployment be based on measured student need rather than a uniform "one counselor per building" rule, and he highlighted the need for language‑specific supports for immigrant and Spanish‑speaking families.
Board context: Co‑Vice Chair Tominey requested a post‑consolidation plan update on counseling and mental‑health services during board comments, emphasizing that while operational, the board must ensure student well‑being is addressed as populations shift. Chair Luhui Whitebear and other members acknowledged staff concerns and emphasized trauma‑informed approaches, but no formal board action to restore FTE was recorded in the minutes.
What the record shows: public commenters raised multiple concrete staffing and equity concerns; the board recorded the concerns and asked for follow‑up discussion, but did not take binding action during the April 16 meeting.
